To have the best possible time in a casino, tip its staff! From this article, you’ll get to know about the basics of tipping etiquette for gamblers.
In a brick-and-mortar casino, customers can tip the staff if they wish. Most people who work for gambling institutions have low salaries. They will be grateful if you tip them and they will go to great lengths to please you. In this article, we’ll explain how much to tip dealer depending on the game and how much to give to other staff members.
Please mind that casino tipping etiquette differs from one country to another. In our article, we’ll focus on the norms that are typical of the U.S. In the last passage, we’ll briefly mention the tipping rules in other countries.
Upon Arrival
If you rent a car or drive your own one, you’ll probably want to use valet parking. When pulling in, the standard amount of the tip is $1 or $2. When pulling out, feel free to tip a slightly larger sum. Attention: on a rainy night, you might fail to find a runner outside the casino. Usually, venues ask their team members to stay inside when lightning is approaching.
If you rent a car or drive your own one, you’ll probably want to use valet parking. When pulling in, the standard amount of the tip is $1 or $2. When pulling out, feel free to tip a slightly larger sum. Attention: on a rainy night, you might fail to find a runner outside the casino. Usually, venues ask their team members to stay inside when lightning is approaching.
When Playing Slots
Tipping your slots attendant is a no-brainer.
Imagine that you want to visit the restroom or leave the machine for some other reason. If you wish the attendant to hold the slot for you, you’d better tip them. The longer you’re planning to be absent, the more generous the tip should be: up to $5 should be fine. However, if you’ll be away for 10 minutes or more, it would be smarter to ask the attendant to turn the machine off ā and turn it on as soon as you’re back.
When you win over $1,200, you’ll need to go to see the slot floor person to collect your prize. The minimum tip that you’re supposed to leave to this staff member is $20. Normally, the amount of this tip ranges from 3% to 10% of the jackpot that you won.
If you ask the attendant to fix the machine for you, it involves a small tip of around $1 or $2.
Tipping At Table Games
The rules of tipping at table games are rather vague.
On the one hand, if you tip the dealer, you won’t spend this money on bets and the casino won’t be able to earn these funds.
On the other hand, most American dealers earn as little as $5 per hour or even less. They do their best to please their clients and encourage the latter to tip them.
A dealer is not just the person who distributes the cards among the players. The primary task of this professional is to entertain gamblers. A top dealer will make you smile and have the time of your life even if you lose. It would be fair to reward them for the positive emotions that they help you to experience.
Of course, if you hit a big win, don’t forget to tip the dealer for the cards that they gave you.
Below, we’ll have a look at the specifics of tipping in different games.
Blackjack
There are two ways of tipping the person who deals the blackjack cards to you:
- Place a bet in front of yours
- Hand chips directly to the dealer
Most gamblers opt for the former variant. They believe it will keep the dealer rooting for them.
Imagine that you made a bet for the dealer and now, you want to double or split your bet. To remain polite, you should double or split the bet that you made for the dealer as well.
Now, let’s talk about the amount of tipping with chips. During a game with a low limit, it would be enough to tip a couple of dollars after every blackjack or after winning several hands in a row. When playing blackjack with a limit of $25 or higher, it would be nice to tip chips worth $5.
Many varieties of this game feature side bets. When hitting one of these, consider tipping from 3% to 10%.
Roulette
In this game, you can either hand some of your chips to the dealer or place a bet for them. In the latter case, tell the dealer on which number you bet for them.
Craps
In craps, you can leave a tip for a dealer by giving selected numbers to them. If these numbers win, the dealer will collect the prize. Alternatively, you may place a bet for the dealer.
Baccarat
Most gamblers tip when they are coloring up. It’s also possible to bet for the dealer on individual hands. If you hit a decent payout on a side bet, you may share from 3% to 5% of your prize with the dealer.
Carnival Games
If you know how to play poker, you hardly need to ask what a carnival game is. Mississippi Stud, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em and Pai-Gow Poker all belong to this category. When playing them, you may hit a large jackpot ā and will have to pay a tax on it.
Imagine there are dozens of dealers in the casino. Each of them gets tips from players who hit a big prize. Every dealer would need to fill in the tax form for their piece of cake ā and the venue would need to control it, which would take too much effortā¦
For this reason, many venues prohibit clients from tipping dealers on a single hand. However, you might be allowed to give a tip when leaving the table. Besides, you may be able to place the bet offset for the dealer on top of your bet.
Tipping Beverage Servers
The base pay of people who serve drinks in casinos hardly reaches $3 per hour. At the same time, drinks are either free for customers or cost less than in restaurants and bars. That’s why it’s a good practice to tip from $1 to $2 per drink, even if it’s still water.
At the Cage
The cage is the place where gamblers cash out their chips when they’re about to leave. Typically, it’s situated close to the spot where you grab your player’s club card.
The cage is probably the last location that comes to your mind when talking about the casino tip. If you wish, you may express your gratitude to the staff member for processing a big win or using a wire transfer (because the latter is a time-consuming activity). A few dollars should be enough.
At Restaurants
You might want to have dinner in the casino’s restaurant or one of the nearby venues. In any case, the standard amount of the tip is from 10% to 25% of the meal’s price.
Taking a Taxi
In Las Vegas, it’s impossible to flag down a taxi. If a driver stops to pick you up, that would be illegal. Instead, look for a taxi stand and join a queue. A 10% tip to the driver is a norm for both regular taxis and Uber or other similar services.
How Tipping Habits Depend on the Country
As we said in the introduction to this article, the rules of casino tipping differ from one territory to another. Here are a few examples:
- In European casinos, tipping isn’t a common practice
- In the UK, it used to be illegal ā but today, you shouldn’t be punished for it
- In Macau, managers can appropriate tips that you give to the staff
- In the Caribbean, the rules are more or less identical to the U.S.
Before heading to an unknown location, find out in advance about its norms of casino behavior. Gamble responsibly and may luck be with you!
