Casino Tipping
Offering tips is a customary practice in many casinos. Like most other service industry, casino employees make most of their income from tips. They rely heavily on tips they get from the people they serve in order to supplement their wages.
Tips at table are usually pooled based on shifts. Tips collected during a shift are calculated and divided for dealers who work at the same time. Unlike many other service industries, the extra buck you toss to your dealer does not go directly into his pocket. Pooling eliminates any direct incentive for a dealer to cheat on behalf of a player.
So, under what circumstances is a tip to the dealer customary? The standard practice is to tip when you are winning. Tipping is a great way to show appreciation. It can change the way dealers and pit bosses treat you while you are sitting at the table. However, it does not change the odds of the game you are playing.
How to tip the dealer?
The most common way of tipping your dealer is placing an extra bet in front of your regular bet. You can also place any amount on top of your bet for the dealer. Another common way of tipping your deal is leaving the dealer a chip or two when you leave the table after collecting your winning.
How much to tip?
Tipping does not have any hard-and-fast rules. Most dealer tips are based on how much you are winning or how much you are betting.
Below are few useful guidelines for tipping:
- To avoid tipping far more than you should, keep a very rough estimation of how much you have tipped.
- Spread out your tips and make them in small amounts. The frequency of tipping is more important than the amount of tip.
- Make a small side bet for the dealer when you first join a table.
- Observe how more-experienced players at your table give gratuities to the dealers.
Tipping Other Casino Employee
Table below shows the customary tip amounts for all the different casino employees who may serve your needs.
| Occupation | Standard Tip | High-roller Tip |
| Bartenders | $1 per round | $5 per round |
| Casino cocktail servers | $1 per round / two | $5 per round / two |
| Dealers | $2 – $10 | $25 – $100 |
| Hotel bellhops | $1 – $2 per bag (more for heavier bags) | $3 – $5 per bag (more for heavier bags) |
| Limo drivers | $5 | $10 |
| Maids | $1 per night | $5 per night |
| Room service personnel | 15% of the bill amount | 20% of the bill amount |
| Waiters/waitresses | 15% of the bill amount | 20% of the bill amount |
| Slot attendant / Keno runners / Change personnel | $1 – $5 | $10 – $25 |
| Taxi drivers | $2 | $5 |
| Valets | $1 – $2 | $5 – $20 |
