Poker Table Tipping Question

[YoungGun]

I played live poker for the first time last night at a local Indian casino. I handled myself pretty well and came out more or less even (a little less I think). The was one thing I was a little confused on: I won a decent sized side pot. I didn't win the main pot, but the guy that went all in did so in the second round of betting so the side pot ended up being about as big as the main one. The guy that won the main pot tipped and so did I. Is this proper ettiquette? It seemed as if the dealer didn't really expect me to. Then again, I've noticed that people aren't too generous when it comes to tipping at the Indian places. I gave a dollar to the poker chip person and a dollar to the cashier (bad Vegas habits I guess) and they got really happy.

[Dougie]

ALWAYS tip when you rake a pot. You did just fine.

[abner2xday]

I agree with Dougie, but with these caviats:

No need to tip the chip runner or brush, unless you feel really generous or they did you a favor by moving you to the top of the list or getting you to a specific table you requested etc.

I only tip the cashier if I win.

Tip a little bit more to the dealer if you hit a jackpot or high hand prize. I think 5% to 10% is good.

A gray area for me is if the dealer was really bad and/or made some mistakes. Part of the dealers job is to run a good game, control the players/action, make correct calls etc. Tips are for rewarding good service. If I am not getting it, I might not tip

[bigalbr]

Whenever a pot is pushed to you, tip $1 min. You are never obligated for more. On jackpots, the 5-10% rule is good. If the dealer makes serious errors that affect the game, no tip. We're not talking a flipped card here. If he miscalls hands, or allows out of turn play that could cost you money then no tip. If he/she doesn't like it, tell them why you didn't tip. Most experienced dealers know when a tip is not correct.

The only other time it is correct to not tip is when there is no rake. If the blinds are chopped or stolen, you should not tip.

[joshrocker]

I only tip the cashier when i win, a buck or so. I tip a buck out of each pot if its a really large pot then 2 or 3 dollars. In a split pot if the other player tips .50 cents then I will tip .50 cents so the dealer gets a complete buck--if they tip a buck then so will I.