Tipping the dealers

8 August 2015

By Henry Tamburin

I receive many questions from blackjack players; some involve interactions with blackjack dealers. Here are a few of them that you might find interesting and educational.

QUESTION: Should you tip a blackjack dealer, and if so, how much?

There isn’t any rule that says you must tip a blackjack dealer, just like there are no rules that say you must tip a waiter or taxi driver. However, let’s be realistic ... we all know that many hard-working folks who work in the service industry have a low base salary and that they depend upon tips from customers to make ends meet. When I go to a restaurant, whether I tip my server and how much depends upon the service I get. It should be the same for blackjack dealers.

Unfortunately, I’ve run into some surly blackjack dealers over my 40-year playing career. You know the type ... gruff, disagreeable, irritable, grumpy, unhelpful, never smiling and making you feel uncomfortable when you play. My tip for them is nada. I also tell them point blank that they ought to find another job because they are not very good at the job that are doing (if they ask why, then I tell them specifically what they are doing wrong and how they should be doing their job). If a dealer is extremely obnoxious (I’ve actually had one call me an asshole for not leaving a tip), then I will seek out the pit boss and tell him about the discourteous dealer.

On the other hand, if a dealer has been friendly, courteous, and helpful, I will leave a tip. How much? Because I play with an advantage, I know how much my theoretical hourly profit is and I usually tip no more than 25% of this. (I also wait until the count is in my favor before making a bet for the dealer.) If you are a basic strategy player and you want to tip a friendly dealer, my recommendation is to tip a few dollars if you are a $5 or $10 bettor, and tip $5 if you are a $25 bettor. (See next question.)

QUESTION: Does it make a difference how you tip the dealer? I’m asking because sometimes I see players make a tip for the dealer on their hand while others just leave some chips for the dealer after they are done playing.

I think it’s important that you let the dealer know early in your session that if she is friendly and helpful that you will be tipping her. Therefore, if she’s friendly from the get go, I’d make a bet for her on your hand (now she knows that if she continues the behavior you expect, she will probably be rewarded with more tips).

However, I don’t recommend that you place the chip(s) you want to bet for the dealer on the outside of your betting spot (most players do this). Instead, you should place the chip(s) you want to bet for the dealer on top of your chips and inside the betting circle. The reason is if you place the chip(s) outside of the betting circle, you have no control over them. If the hand wins, the dealer will keep the chip(s) you bet for her plus the corresponding winning chips. If you place the chip(s) on top of your chips inside the betting circle, you still own them, meaning the dealer only gets to keep the winning chip(s) or whatever you choose to give to her.

Usually, I let the chip(s) that I bet for the dealer ride on the next hand. If I win a few hands in a row, it gives the perception that I’m a big tipper. In addition, by placing the chip(s) you bet for the dealer on top of your wagered-chip(s), the additional amount will count toward your rating.

QUESTION: The dealer made a dealing mistake, which caused me to lose. Her supervisor wouldn’t correct the mistake. I felt cheated and I’ll never play at that casino again.

Normally, if a dealer makes an error in dealing the cards or in a payoff, she is supposed to bring it to the attention of her supervisor. The floor supervisor has the responsibility to correct the mistake. In most cases, the supervisor will give the benefit to the players because he wants to maintain them as customers. However, if you believe that the supervisor hasn’t corrected the mistake to your satisfaction, you should tell the supervisor that you would like to speak to the pit (or shift) boss. I would plead your case at this level, including asking the pit or shift supervisors to review the tapes of the table so they can see the mistake made by the dealer.


Henry Tamburin is the editor of the Blackjack Insider newsletter.