Table Games Would craps dealers rather you tip them or place bets for them?

I would like to get some opinions on this subject. I know they would like both but to choose which would a craps dealer prefer. Not being a High Roller(normally start with minimum bets then increase to greens if I do we'll) before I start playing tip 2 nickels to start then put dealers across after about 1/2 hour and continue putting them across approx every 15 minutes. Is this a adequate tipping. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated

 

Which kind of tip the dealer prefers depends on the dealer. I have never tipped a dealer "before I start playing" as you said.

 

I heard a Q&A recently on the "You Can Bet on That" podcast (dont remember which episode, sorry) and listeners could ask a dealer questions. Your question was one of the ones asked and the dealer responded that most prefer to be in the action and the timing of the tipping is not so important as tipping in general. They have a nickname for someone who colors up and leaves without tipping, they call him/her a 'flee'...which clearly you are not. IMO you are doing just fine if not better than most people. Tipping early cant hurt if you are about to make them work for it.

 

Whether to tip directly or bet for them is a matter of personal preference, however, there is one incontrovertible fact: when you bet for a dealer instead of simply giving them chips, you are costing the dealer money. Dealer bets are subject to the same house edge that your bets are. If you're buying all of the numbers for them, those bets have a very high (~4%) average theoretical loss to them. So for every $1 you bet as a tip, you're giving the house 4 cents of their money. While you may be in a casino for fun, they are there to make money for themselves and their families. So take that into consideration. You would actually be doing them a favor by just tipping them directly, and smart dealers will thank you for that.

BTW, I'd say you're overtipping (I'm guilty of this as well). Remember that over time, you will lose every dollar you choose to put in a betting circle, in addition to every dollar you tip. In your case, your overall losses from tipping will probably exceed your overall losses to the actual house edge. So factor this into your gambling budget and expectations. A better way is to tip when you color up. The way you're doing it now, if you thought you were playing a 1.4% edge game on the pass line, with your dealer bets you're probably actually losing more like 3% or even higher.

 

I agree that most dealers like to be in the action despite what thefish said about it hurts them in the long run. Most casinos have a rule also if you ask them if they would like it as a tip or to bet for them they are required to just accept it.

 

I either straight-tip when I color-up (when I'm winning). or put them in on my final, "all in" bets when I'm almost toast from a losing session.

Usually, it's my white-chips ($1s). But if I only have 1 or 2, I toss them a $5 as well.

On the losing session, I typically go long-shot with my last few dollars, which typically means 'hard-ways, working'. The dealers are in with me on those bets for a buck or two.

Actually, I just remembered - I do sometimes tip during play...and that's with $1 bets for the dealers on the hardways when I play them...not every time, but once or twice a session.

 

I think if you ask the dealers, they will say they would prefer to be in the action.

I will always have the dealers on the firebet for $1 (just in case). I always play hardways and have the dealers piggyback. We parlay the first hit and then start to take money off, but keep pressing. With a hot shooter, I'll start to place numbers and have come bets with odds for the dealers. My dealer bets are always player control so they can press when I press.

When I leave the table and color up, I'll always make bets for the dealers with my leftover nickel and dollar chips. Usually it will be a firebet, line bet with odds and a horn or any bet.

 

Most dealers I ask always say they want the action, although that doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe because of tip pooling they'd rather have a shot at some more tokes, or they don't see the toke as truly theirs since they have to share it.

I will throw a bet for the dealers occasionally, and also tip at the end of a hot roll.

At BJ I like to piggyback a red onto my stack and throw the red to the dealer every time it wins. It stays until it loses.

 

This has been my experience as well.

 

this...

once at the "Shoe i started a dealer toke for a dollar on my stack... we parlayed it up to $16. split and won... he was pretty happy as i believe in those days they kept their own tokes.

 

kind of sad that dealers refer to people not tipping as fleas, they dont have come across all high and mighty on the couple of dollars they get paid an hour

 

I usually do an occasional place bet for the dealers on the pass line and slowly increase it if things are going well.

 

Actually a flea is not just a non-tipper, but those that bug the hell out of the dealers and those that are whining. Your right, us dealers make a couple bucks an hour doing a job that is providing you entertainment and surely job that most would not do for the pay.


If a player ask me my preference I give them the same speech that the casino insist I give them, that if asked I must accept the toke because it is not mine to wager, but in general I prefer it that way anyways because more often than not, the dealer bets tend to lose. Just last night if I had gotten the bets direct over betting I could have had a full box. I appreciate each and every attempt though and make it a point to let my players know it.

 

I tip 5% to 20% on a win depending.. If I win 10k, they will usually get 500.
If I lose everything $25 to 50. Both are per session. If the dealers aren't helping or have attitude, nothing. I treat them just like servers in a restaurant although I tip servers 20% or more there if they are excellent. Never tip for them during a session. I took a poll at the Wynn of 50 craps dealers a couple trips ago. 90% wanted the sure thing of a tip at the end. I always walk up saying "you help me I tip you" or "I win you win".. I'm no george but remember 10 sessions can mean $5,000 or more for them.

 

It's been my experience that always taking care of the dealers and generally just being a nice guy pays off. I usually place a bet on the feature for them "All small/Tall"

 

Lots of craps dealers enjoy gambling too.....so if they get to gamble with your money and no risk while working.....what's not to like?

 

Some dealers prefer the potential higher tip of a bet and some would rather just have a hand-in toke.

That's not true. A dealer loses nothing to the HA on a winning bet, it's all gravy.

Say your choice is to either hand in a $10 tip, or bet the hard 6 for $10.

If the hard 6 hits, he gets paid 9:1 - $90 winning + the $10 bet for a total of $100. Even though the true odds are 10:1, he loses nothing from the house edge, unless you would have tipped him $110 to begin with, which you weren't going to do.

 

Dealers like to be in the game. When I have seen an inexperienced player directly give the dealer a tip, the dealer will normally place it on the line.

I think most dealers are gamblers like us, maybe even more so.

 

I've only had a few who have preferred it to be dropped without letting it play.

Being that I'm mainly a craps player I switch up how I tip/bet for them.

Mainly I'll place numbers for them and tell them to press it a unit after each hit. On a good roll I've had them get their box numbers up to 10-15 bucks.

Other times I'll go pass with odds

When I'm winning and it's a great crew I like to get them involved.

I'll throw out $10 for me and $2-3 for them and let them pick the center bet or hop number to play. Last trip over to isle of Capri in lake Charles I did that and the box called hard four hopping twice. Fun times.

 

I think a lot has to do with the casino and the table. At a low limit table where players tip $1 chips, they might just say play it for some fun and excitement. But I think it will be different if it was like Packer was talking about. Putting $300 on the pass for them, that's now grocery money for them thats on the line. I would think they would much rather split the $300 then risk it.