Do Dealers Prefer Direct Tips of Bets Made for Them?

When I play blackjack, I sometimes tip my dealer with a chip and I sometimes tip them by placing a chip as a bet for them. I often ask the dealer which they prefer and the answer I get is always, "Whichever you prefer, sir." Do you have any idea which they would prefer?

[Editor's Note: This answer is written by our guy behind the curtain, Andrew Uyal, whose new book, Untold Stories, is currently in production.]

This is actually quite a bit more complicated than one might think.

In every casino, the dealers have a toke committee made up of a rotating handful of dealers who count the tips and turn in the hours worked for all the dealers, so they're paid their tips properly. The committee exists because payroll issues on tips aren't the concern of the casino, since it's not their money. It's the dealers' money, so they're responsible for handling those issues and toke-committee members are the liaison between the dealers and payroll for all issues concerning tips.

The toke committee's job also includes creating bylaws and presenting them to all the dealers, who vote for or against them. Sometimes how dealers should handle the question, "Do you want to take it or play it?" is laid out in the bylaws. For example, the first place I worked as a dealer, the bylaw stated that if the tip was less than $25, we bet it, and if it was more than $25, we took it.

If you're always hearing, "Whichever you prefer," you might be playing at a place that states in the bylaws that they're not to instruct a player on how to tip.

The answer I've heard most in my career is, "Bet it! We'll win together." Based on the thousands of dealers I've worked and played with, this is what most dealers would prefer. They want the chance to win more and when it's someone else's money at risk, they're usually happy to bet it rather than just lock it up. It also creates a sense of teamwork, everyone cheering for winning money against the big bad casino. It's usually more fun that way.

Sometimes, superstition gets involved, from either the player or the dealer noticing that whenever there's a dealer bet, the hand loses. This, of course, is a coincidence, not a pattern that means tipping the dealer makes you lose. Even when it seems like this is the case, I'd still bet that most dealers would prefer to play it.

Surely, some dealers out there do prefer to simply take the tip and some casinos or jurisdictions may have policies or toke committee bylaws that restrict dealers from telling you they want to bet it. But being an advantage player myself, I'd bet that they want you to play it!

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Comments

Glenn Leonberger Jun-08-2025

Parlay Craps Bets / Tips

I used to play craps with a friend who was a former dealer.  When we got a decent amount ahead on a roll, we'd place a parlay bet on the hard 6 & 8 and at his direction, we always added a $5 chip for the dealers.  Believe me when I say the dealers were all on our side the rest of that session at the table, and some would remember us when we returned later in the trip.   

We obviously did hit it most of the time, but we did get it on numerous occasions, and when it happened, the $500 tip made for some big smiles on the dealers' faces

Randall Ward Jun-08-2025

tips

I usually play the carnie games, so if I hit a big payout I'll tip, but getting ready to leave I'll bet for them
 Personally never ask.

O2bnVegas Jun-08-2025

cant take it

I hate it so bad when my bet for the dealer loses, that now I mostly just tip them after decent wins, not necessarily big ones.  They are always appreciative.

Candy

Sandra Ritter Jun-08-2025

Play It

When I'm winding down and/or want some socialization, I play Let It Ride at the Flamingo. Most of the time the dealer wants me to play the chip, usually on 3 Card Poker

Kevin Lewis Jun-08-2025

Very little difference either way, but...

From a pure monetary perspective, the dealer would rather take it than play it--it would be worth more not subject to the house advantage. But from a "future tips" perspective, it's probably better for the dealer to play with the player.

When I dealt at Circus Circus, there was one dealer who, if a tip was riding for him, would blatantly signal his hole card (if he had a ten or Ace and had looked at it). The hands were dealt face up, so if the player had, say, a hard 15 and was agonizing about hitting or not, he would point repeatedly at the hand until the player got the message--or here would zoom past that player, never giving them a chance to hit, depending on what his hole card was.

Of course, he was eventually detected by management, taken down to the torture chamber, and boiled alive, but until then, the customers loved him, and he made great tips.

O2bnVegas Jun-08-2025

@ Kevin

Happened to me once, have no idea why but on a 3 Card Poker table the dealer took a liking to me...no, not that way...somehow she seemed to know when the cards would turn up in my favor, which most did for a lovely several minute run.  She wasn't coy about signaling me, overtly pointed or tapped that I should hit even if not an obvious 'should'. If I hesitated she would almost give a 'huff' as she tapped the table.  Not only a mystery why she was helping lil ole me, but how certain she was that the hit would win, like she knew which cards were coming out.  The run ended about the time she was tapped to either go on break or rotate to the next table.  Weird.

Candy

sunny78 Jun-08-2025

sure thing

I'm guessing they have to say such a thing, boss/employer says so. 

But think about, someone earning their living, who wouldn't pick the sure thing if they had a choice, just take the tip vs a decent chance of losing the tip to a losing hand? What other tip earning employee, say a waiter if somehow they could bet their tip, would say "sure, take my tip your going to give me and let's see if I can double it or nothing!". And do that over and over again on their shift. That waiter would be broke in no time and have a pretty bad income in the long run.

Bob Nelson Jun-09-2025

Sunny78

Using Blackjack as an example. If a dealer gets 100 $1 bets made for him/her as tips - ignoring pushes (which will just be played again on the next hand) they will lose about 52 of those bets, win $1 or more for a $2 return or more on about 48 of those bets, on average.  So they will on average win over $96 on those bets (any blackjacks will pay a bonus of 50% or 20% if they are unfortunate enough to be dealing on a 6/5 table.  So as mentioned the expectation is a little under the sure thing, but players like it when the dealer is on their team.  It is basically a wash.

Question of the Day - 08 June 2025

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