I’m going to cast a wide net and cover poker room tipping in general. Before I get started, a little about me: I’m an old man, to whom the world has been absurdly generous. Recently, I was out and about with my nine-year-old grandchild, and made some small act of generosity. In discussing it with them, I said, “The world is a big old pie. Some people, like you and me, we get really big pieces of the pie. Other people, for no good reason at all, get a little piece. Or even just crumbs. What do you think we should do when we get a big piece of pie, and other people get a little piece?”
“We share.”
Even a nine-year-old gets it.
So I over-tip. If you follow my tipping guidelines, you’ll be over-tipping too. But before you fret too much about that, you might consider what Tommy Angelo and I call the “Universal Happiness rule.” The idea is that we can increase universal happiness with well-timed tips. If I give a few bucks to the security guard on my way out the door of the poker club, I’ll have forgotten those dollars by the time I get to my car, but they may represent a meaningful percentage of that person’s income. So the financial cost to me of those dollars is much less than the financial benefit they are to the recipient. Economic magic. But to the point of Tommy’s and my rule, both the security guard and I are happier when I give them those dollars. They’re happy because they got a few dollars and got noticed (people in such jobs usually work in anonymity). I’m happy because sharing makes you feel good. The universe wins both in economics and happiness – it’s quite the parlay.
For context, as of July 1, 2024 the minimum wage in Nevada is $12/hour, in California it’s $16/hour. A $5 chip matters to such workers.
I always tip the dealers, even if I just win the blinds. In my club, playing a $3/5 game, if I raise and win the blinds, that’s $8 profit. Except the house takes a $1 jackpot drop anyway. So when I give the dealer a dollar, I’m tipping away 14.2% of my profit. Ask me if I care.
I always tip at least $1 for any pot I win, $2 if there were three streets of betting. For an all-in pot, between $3 and $5 depending on its size.
Also, I have an important role as an emergency back-up tipper. If a player doesn’t tip a dealer for a decent-sized pot, I tip the dealer. Sometimes the person sees this, and either out of shame, or realization that they hadn’t tipped, they tip the dealer as well. This is obviously the best possible outcome.
If I sense that the non-tipper isn’t aware of the etiquette, and it’s convenient, I’ll gently advise them that the dealers make their serious income from tips, and it’s customary to toss them a dollar. Usually the player is appreciative – most people want to follow social etiquette. If they don’t, or they take offense, that’s fine – I’ll just do my back-up tipping.
By the way, if I ever forget what “gratitude” looks like, I just have to see the face of a dealer to whom I’ve tossed a back-up tip. It’s by far the most joy I can get for a dollar.
