Toke Tapping Tenets for Tipsters
October 30,
2009
Dear Mark: I read
an article by Henry Tamburin in which he states
that the best way to tip a blackjack dealer is
to place the "tip chip" on top of one's bet in
the layout circle and if you lose the hand the
dealer gets nothing, but if you win, you reward
him the tip chip amount. The article states that
most dealers prefer this method of tipping
rather than just being given a tip. Since you
once dealt blackjack, perhaps you have an
opinion on this.
But, with this method of tipping isn't the
player trapped into making a "double tip" should
his cards need splitting? On a double down, the
player would be okay, as he could double less
the "tip chip", but I think he is trapped with
the split if my memory is correct in that one
has to bet the same amount on a split. I thought
you might have some suggestions on this. Mac B.
As with most service industry jobs, Mac,
most front-line casino employees get paid
minimum wage. The majority of a casino dealer’s
pay comes through the gratuities of casino
patrons, like you.
In dealer jargon, a
tip is called a toke. You can offer your toke
directly to the dealer, or you can place a side
bet on top of or in front of your wager for the
dealer. So which do dealers prefer? As Henry
states correctly, most dealers favor a side bet
alongside yours rather than receiving the toke
directly. This side wager makes them feel like
they’re also in action and have a stake in the
game. A bet for the dealer provides a little
excitement in what can be a pretty tedious job
at times. Check that. Pitching cards and
performing mind-numbing mental calculations like
counting to 21 is tedious all of the time.
As for a “double tip” if you choose to
double down or split pairs in favorable
situations, yes, I guess you could look at it
that way, but you are under no obligation to
double your tip, nor does it have to be the same
amount. I would guesstimate that half the
players do add to their original bet for the
dealer, half do not.
Personally, Mac,
I’ve always looked at doubling up for the dealer
as a contribution to the Dame of Fortune, Lady
Luck. Besides, dealers need those gestures of
gratuity to make a decent wage. If the casinos
had to pay a true living wage to dealers instead
of dealers accepting tips, casinos would have to
figure a way of making up for lost revenue. For
starters, they would change the rules of the
game, increase table minimums, and even alter
paybacks, like paying even money on a blackjack.
Bottom line, Mac, only tip what you are
comfortable with, and only tip for good service.
Even I, with 20 years on the inside, won’t tip a
disgruntled blackjack dealer.
Dear Mark: What is your favorite
Gambling Wisdom of the Week quote? Alastair K.
Gambling quotes, Alastair, seem to
take on a life of their own. Take for instance
one quote that’s attributed to Yours Truly; “The
smarter you play, the luckier you’ll be.” That
quote has found its way into a half dozen books,
and not necessarily on gambling. It even appears
on page two of The Acquisitive Distributor: 4
Keys to Success When Buying a Wholesale
Business. I would add that tome to my personal
library, being that I’m in it, but it’s $239.80
at Amazon so I’ll pass.
Picking one,
Alastair, gosh, there are so many good gambling
quotations. I’ve always been humored by this
one: "Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will,
but remember it didn't work for the rabbit." -R.
E. Shay
Years working the Green Felt
Jungle makes me appreciate this dilly: "A
gambler with a system must be, to a greater or
lesser extent, insane." George Augustus Sala
(1828-95) English writer and journalist.
But I would have to say this gem from Proverb is
probably my favorite: “In a bet there is a fool
and a thief.”
Gambling
Wisdom of the Week: "Gambling pulls at
the core of a man" --Meyer Lansky
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