Extra Tipping Dealers

I started a thread on the City Data board under Las Vegas about how I had wanted to give $50 AMEX gift cards to the dealers on the graveyard shift at a certain casino. One dealer told me previously when I asked her about the idea that it was technically against the rules but they probably would let it slide if I wanted to do it. I was absolutely reamed by one person over there that I was "eccentric" and that I'd get people fired, etc.

I asked one of the pit bosses and he told me he'd ask his boss & get back to me on that. When he relayed what he'd been told, he said that if I gave them to EVERY pit employee on all shifts that it would be OK, otherwise no (that would have been 100+ employees, 90% of whom I didn't even know). So that wouldn't happen. He said that others in the past had brought in cookies & baked goods and that was considered OK since it wasn't cash. That didn't go over OK with the city data group either. I guess it's just that I'm eccentric and wanted to do something nice for the dealers...

Anybody ever do any "extra tipping" and not have a problem? I'm not eccentric but one of my traits is that I don't take no for an answer (but I will in this case if any one had the possibility of getting fired because of me); you can either consider that positive or negative (I consider it positive). My wife will often tell me "oh that's not going to do any good" "that's never going to happen" "they won't do that" but I do often make it happen. She was told yesterday by a bank that they had sent her a PIN # a month ago (they had no record of WHEN it was sent; only that it was supposedly sent); so she requested another & said they can't do that; then they said they couldn't do it until sometime in DECEMBER. So I called today & talked to a Supervisor and she claimed we would have a new PIN # in the mail within 3-5 business days. My motto is, it pays to complain, and don't take no for an answer..

 

If you have a number of dealers whom you want to gift, then just hand the card to each of them. I would probably wrap it in holiday paper and tell them to open it when they got home..who would be the wiser?

 

Pit employee's share ALL tips (unlike poker dealers and cocktail waitresses who keep there own tips). I don't think they are allowed to take individual gratuities as part of their employment or union they are a part of.

 

You should ask Steve Buscemi how he'd do it

 

fyi most cocktail servers share part of their tips with the bartender

 

I find the direct approach works best.

 

Yeh, I am sure the dealer slipping something in his pocket at the table would go over well with the eye in the sky. Not

 

I would generally agree - but I think dealers fall into a different situation. Since they are handling so much cash/chips, they have rules on what they can have in their pockets, etc. Also, I think there is some rule somewhere about what can "technically" be accepted by any employee - maybe a $25 limit before it has to be reported? In that case, reality is often way different that policy - meaning cash or gift cards over the limit to a host, etc do not get reported.

 

Why not wait until they go on break or lunch, walk off the gaming floor with them, and then hand over the gift?

 

This is the only way I've heard of people managing to pull this off.

 

Would that trigger some attention from the "eye in the sky"? (customer handing something to a dealer)

 

I wish I had the money to fight to give it away.

 

I'm not surprised this would be an issue. Among other things, dealers most places are required to pool tips. You can't pool a gift card.

Can I ask why not simply buy a bunch of greens and toke the dealers with chips? Just have gift cards you are trying to get rid of?

 

If they r on the same shift for your play they should get off at similar times. Invite the group to peppermill or some such place for an after work drink; dinner; snack and in the off premises setting tip 'em.
"You r the greatest crew in the building. I will be at ........... Beginning at .... pm and invite each of you / all of you to stop by for a ...... You r the best and I want to say thanks".
I am sure there is a problem with this but that is what I would try so to be "out of sight". Let us know how it goes.

 

wait til the male dealer/pit critter goes to bathroom. When he starts whizzing, offer him the money. If he uses stall, just follow him in with the money/tip in hand.

 

But if I do that, then with 100 dealers sharing tips, they'd get like $.25 from a green chip. I guess they'd appreciate the thought but they wouldn't really get that much out of it...

 

You asked the box and you got an answer from his boss. If you do try to give them something on site, they will have a problem if they don't pool it unless you want to chase them into the bathroom.

Take them out to dinner or breakfast. Off property. Why consider doing something that's risky for them when your supposed goal is to thank them?

 

I asked one dealer who had been dealing when a progressive had been hit at his table if I were the one who won $150,000 and ran into you at Home Depot one day and gave you a few thousand dollars there so you wouldn't have to split it, he said that if the casino found out they'd fire him.

You've got an idea there (going to Peppermill or whatever); there's been quite a bit of turnover lately though; a year or two ago almost all of the dealers had known me for several years and even though I only appeared at the casino for 2 days 4 times a year, many of them still knew me by name without having to see my player's card. A number have only known me for 3 or 6 months now..

It seems that you could give a gift card to one of the employees working the cage; they handle lots of cash too. They'd be in trouble if their drawer came up short so there's no worries there that someone might favor a player?

 

The graveyard crew gets off at 11AM. If I took them all out for lunch that wouldn't be risky for them too?

 

I gave a pit boss at Sunset Station a box of Ethel M chocolates, and she handed them out to the crew.