Being a poker dealer may not be the highest paying job, but the bonuses that dealers receive keep them satisfied and more than willing to stay working at the tables. Dealers form relationships with their players, who often want to reward the dealer in the form of tips. With such a personal experience, some wonder if the dealers get to keep these tips, or if the casino has their take in the end.
Depending on the casino, poker dealers either keep player tips to themselves or they put their tips into a tip pool that is split equally amongst the dealers.
Casinos have formed systems that try to compensate dealers for their performance while trying to be as fair as possible in the process. Let’s take a look at how two common systems are used in casinos to provide different methods of dispersing benefits to their dealers.
The Tip Systems Explained
Tip pooling is just like it sounds. All the tips that every poker dealer collects are put together into a pool for the end of the shift or day. When all dealers are done with their shift, the funds are split equally between all the dealers.
This system is used to allow for fairness. Some poker dealers are assigned to deal at smaller blind tables with less stakes than some of the higher stake games in the casino. Tip pooling is also normally done at tournament games rather than cash games.
Generally, the tips are bigger in relation to the stakes involved. A five dollar tip in a game that has blinds of 25 and 50 cents is a decent tip compared to five dollars in a game where the initial blinds can be 100 and 200 dollars.
Tip pooling ensures that both dealers get compensated equally no matter what the table’s tip intake may be, since tips for higher stakes games are normally bigger than lower stakes games.
Keep Your Own (KYO)
This system is used to personally award the poker dealer for a job well done. It focuses only on the dealer and rewards them for their performance at a specific table.
The dealer may be the sociable type and form a good atmosphere at the table, resulting in players with better moods that are more generous. Their unique persona is rewarded in this case.
With “keep your own”, the dealer is relying on only themself and what they bring to the table. Not only their social skills, positive personality, and gift of gab will be used to bring them in extra money, but professional dealing skills can help tremendously with earning extra cash.
Poker players want a smooth game and a dealer who gives them that experience is often rewarded accordingly. Players can be at the tables for a lengthy period of time, so at times the little things the dealer does can be important to leaving an impression on the player.
Tips Are a Team Effort
Sure, some disparity might exist in the tipping systems. One dealer may make more than another on a given night, but things are always changing based on casino population, the stakes of the tables, and revenue generating poker events.
This is why poker dealers work together and are aware that bringing in more tips takes a cohesive effort together in order to succeed. Keeping a positive morale amongst dealers is essential to the job because it carries over to the table the dealer is working at. Whether the dealers realize it or not, the players notice and pick up the vibe of the table.
Keeping the pace of the game at a steady level, dealing the cards accurately and with speed, and even knowing the players names are all extra accomodations a dealer can provide to ensure an enjoyable playing experience and bring in tips.
The dealer/player relationship can be a close one, especially since money is involved. This is why casinos find it very important to give their dealers adequate compensation for their work. They keep the team motivated and positive since they are an important part of the customer’s overall experience.
People tip when they are happy with their dealer, and that doesn’t always mean they have to be winning. Dealers who root for the player provide emotional support during the down times, and players remember that. A dealer’s attitude is contagious not only to the other dealers but the players too.
Conclusion
What kind of tipping policy a casino has is solely up to management. If you are a player at the poker table and curious, don’t hesitate to ask. Personally, whenever I have asked, the dealer is more than happy to share that information.
Dealers are aware players want to see their dealers get rewarded properly. No matter what, rest assured the casino ensures tips received in their poker games will go towards the dealers paycheck in the end.
