Quote
Originally posted by: MoneyLA
I was surprised to find out that some people who call themselves "advantage VP players" do not tip at all when they get a handpay. Nothing.
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Why are you "surprised"? Look at the math.
If that $20.00 on $2,000.00, $30.00 on $3,000.00 tip is taken into consideration, than the AP player is, in effect, paying 1% of the "return" as a reward for fetching a W2 form, and counting out the money.
An advantage player may be, and often is playing with a less than 1% advantage. If an AP tips that 1%, ALL the time spent "working" becomes time for which they are not compensated, and cost them significant profit.
Many professional "gamblers" do not tip, or tip "poorly" by the standards of "gamblers". Look at the poker players in some of the bigger games and you will often see no tips to the dealer. By "big bet" players in big pot games.
Nothing surprising to me there.
It may not seem "right" by your "recreational" standards, but the AP or "Poker for Profit" player sees it differently. Tipping is a big expense. What good business person does not want to keep their costs to a minimum?
Tipping is not a popular topic. It IS a topic that should remain "personal", and not be open to discussion inside any casino or poker room. Gambling, and winning, is not a popularity contest.
And the "No Tip" poker player still helps the dealer earn. They are in the game, so they help keep the game going. In a "busy" room, if they were to not play, there would be fewer games, more empty tables, hence less box time for each dealer to deal and earn.
A couple years ago, I took a good, long look at my poker tipping. The results surprised me, and strongly impacted my hourly "earn". I do tip, but no longer for every pot I win.
I now tip each dealer, regardless of whether I win one pot, 10 pots, no pots, or small promotion during their down. I have fixed my "tip cost", and now know that I pay $x.00 per hour for dealer tips. A 5 hour session will cost me 2 (dealers/hour) x 5 hours x $x = 10 x $xx. I do tip the brush/seating host, chip runners, etc. (And, or course, the CW)
Since dealers "work" 30 minute downs, IF they were to receive 1 SB/ante per player, per down, that would equate to a minimum of more than $20.00 per hour, or much more, depending on game "stakes". IMO, a very fair and generous amount.
Still, please tip the dealer or CSR paying you your hand paid jackpot. They deserve your generosity.
Incidentally, how do you "feel" when you walk out the door exactly even after a long night of gambling, perhaps with some W2G's in your pocket, and find that you have the exact same amount of cash in your pocket as when you walked in? Yet, you spent money to fill the gas tank, valet park the car, generously tipped the CW and restaurant service, and also generously tipped the CSR for your hand pay or several hand pays?
I go to the poker room/casino to earn a few bucks. So I think of it as a "fun" job.
Sure, the food service and CW, the valet and fuel, are "normal" expenses, something that would be incurred anywhere else you may have gone for a meal, drinks, etc and deserve appropriate gratuities.
Yet, when at the casino, EVERYONE made pretty good money. EXCEPT you. All you have to show is a "good time", and perhaps a tax liability for the W2G's.
