Tokes

[FUHGEDABOUDIT]

How do you all deal with surley dealers who seem to think you owe them tokes?

[EasyRhino]

I generally try to keep a fairly steady stream of small tokes going the dealer's way. (tipping a couple bucks on a BJ works pretty well) And I usually try to get that first toke out there after only a hand or two. The hard part is adjusting this tipping so that it doesn't destroy EV. It's easier when you're playing with green chips than reds.

Unfortunately, tipping an amount that would really make the dealer happy (like, a buck a hand at a red-chip table), would be the surest way to bankruptcy, so really the only reason to tip is to just not be a total stiff.

I haven't played with any surly chip-hustlers in a while.

Sometimes, if you're at a table with a bunch of stiffs, being the only guy tipping at all can make you the dealer's favorite person!

[ChefJJ]

Originally Posted by EasyRhino

Sometimes, if you're at a table with a bunch of stiffs, being the only guy tipping at all can make you the dealer's favorite person!

And when that is the case, it doesn't take much at all to make that happen!

I sometimes like to cap my bet with a white or two if the dealer is friendly and I'm not losing my ass. That way, I'll give the dealer the win on the white(s), and either let it ride or give all of it up. My 2 cents.

good luck

[Sonny]

I will never, ever tip a dealer who demands tips. Even though I know that dealers rely on tips to live on, I simply refuse to tip someone who thinks that they are “owed” money instead of earning it.

I am more than willing to tip a great dealer, and even a decent dealer deserves tips. But as an AP I know that the tips don’t have to come out of my pocket. When the dealer busts I might say something like “Now this dealer is on our side” to the other players. I might bet a $1 tip on the next hand and encourage everyone else to do the same in order to keep the dealer “in our corner.” From then on I’ll make little comments trying to encourage the other players to tip (instead of me!). Things like blackjacks and successful doubles are a great chance to remind the other players about their good fortune. This can also be a great way to get rid of other players once the count turns positive.

Essentially, I’m hustling tips for the dealer so they don’t have to. The dealers don’t care where the tips come from as long as they end up in the toke box. A good table can easily give $20-$30 in tips per hour. The dealer loves me and it only cost me $1!

-Sonny-

[ihate17]

I play pretty high stakes and toke a little because perhaps you will stand out more at high stakes not toking and I have also have family who have dealt.

In a place like Vegas, where tips are pooled, I might throw a small toke out to a surely or toke hustler but only because I wish to appear to be similar to other people playing at my bet level when winning.
In an Indian place where dealers go for their own, I will not give this kind of dealer a cent. Several times in the past, just to hint at this kind of dealer that perhaps if he evaluates his own attitude he might do better, I will throw a bet out for his replacement dealer while he can see me doing this.

Basically, I believe you only owe dealers decent conduct while at their table and some dealers do appreciate this. Toke because you feel like it or you feel it gives you some cover for the loss of EV, but you owe nothing but that good behavior.

ihate17

[shadroch]

I also believe in hustling tips for dealers,and refuse to tip obnoxious dealers.

[EasyRhino]

Originally Posted by ChefJJ

I sometimes like to cap my bet with a white or two

This is one of my favorite ways to tip, because one of those bets can get on a roll, and generate tokes for multiple hands, at the expense of only one chip from my pocket.

But... it does force the dealer into multi-denomination payoffs, which may be annoying.

Just recently, a combination of the count, a dealer toke, and just plain feeling like it, led me to place a "rainbow" bet (black-green-red-silver), and the dealer was so annoyed when she had to pay it off a few hands in a row, even though it was generating tips.

[Preston]

I believe in "paying it forward" and I figure if I'm winning others can take part in it too. I tip everyone - waitresses, dealers, cage cashiers.

However I NEVER tip a hustling dealer. I never tip one who is grumpy or has a bad attitude. I tip more if the dealer is fun or really friendly. If I were doing a "rainbow bet" (which I think I'm going to start doing) and they just pay it off without making a fuss then I'll be more likely to tip.

One thing i do is I never bet the same amount twice -- I always bet even dollar amounts (I HATE PINK CHIPS!!!) and after a shoe or two at the same table I will say "if my spirattic betting gets on your nerves let me know"

Normally their response to that statement is what I use to figure out whether or not I will tip.

[EmeraldCityBJ]

Originally Posted by Preston

If I were doing a "rainbow bet" (which I think I'm going to start doing) and they just pay it off without making a fuss then I'll be more likely to tip.

One thing to keep in mind about rainbow bets is that in addition to be annoying to the dealers, they slow the game down. At every casino I've ever played, the dealers are required to splash the bet when paying out to prove to the camera that there are higher denomination chips in play.

I'm not saying I never play a rainbow, and in some cases, it's decent camouflage (if you "barberpole" - $20, $40, $60, and $80 are all four-chip bets with a red on top), but it will have an impact on your hands per hour.