Dealer Tip Complaining From the Mirage

Subject:      Re: almost Tourny dealer tip ?
From:         Jim Geary 
Date:         1996/12/10
Newsgroups:   rec.gambling.poker


Still waiting too see actual numbers on New Jersey tourney for dealer
hourly..

Funny coda this weekend:

Playing 10-20 HE at the Mirage around 5:00 Sunday, the dealer (I wish I
remember his name - 50ish, curly gray hair, perhaps "Fran") starts in on
a bad beat about how he was dealing a 25-25-50 no limit Omaha game the
other week and pushed a $250,000 pot, for which he received bupkus. 
Okay, granted that’s sad, but he then tried to sell us (did he really
believe it?) that he should’ve gotten $12,000, "5% of the pot.."  Don’t
know if this was to try and seed some thoughts about how much we were
supposed to be tipping, but I don’t think anyone in this 10-20 game was
gonna buy it anyways.  I have all the empathy in the world for dealers,
but his drumbeating was too much and I had all the counterarguments
already on RAM from this thread so as he continued:  

Dealer:  "He just won $250,000"
JG:  "How much are you going to give him next week when he loses same
pot?"
Dealer:  "Well I should get 5%.."

Dealer:  "I’m just trying to make a living."
JG:  "Did your FMV wage skyrocket as you slid into that particular box?"
Dealer:  "5% of.."

Dealer:  "It’s a lot more stressful sitting in that box than this one."
JG:  "12000 times more stressful?"
Dealer:  "That’s 5%.."

etc.

-       My stack increased about $300 while he was in the box and I continued
to tip him the same one dollar I always tip.

-       The consensus at our end of the table was one black chip would have
been reasonable.

-       Tho I do feel bad that he got stiffed, I don’t think it was
appropriate for him to lobby for how much he should’ve received
continually.  Part of this is because at the Mirage I expect a little
more than average perhaps.

-       I did hold my tongue for a bit, but was forced to respond when he
didn’t stop.

Thoughts anyone?

Jim Geary

PS  Would someone please compute USPC manhours for previous thread? 
Thanks.

Responses

Subject:      Re: almost Tourny dealer tip ?
From:         chiefchill@aol.com (Chiefchill)
Date:         1996/12/11
Newsgroups:   rec.gambling.poker


Pot $250,000, in a ring game, dealer should get the same amount that the
player always tips him,  maybe a little more but not $12000.  What is this
guy insane?  Dealers do pretty well getting an average of a dollar a hand.
If the dealer is quick, he/she can make a decent living without
expecting this high roller tipping excessive amounts in a no-limit game.  


Dealers have no bearing on the outcome of the hand and should be happy to
take any tip a player gives.  Whinning about the amount is a sure way in my
book to stiff them the next time I do win a big pot.  

Dealers do have an important job, however, a percentage of my pot is
ridiculous. A dollar is reasonable for any size pot at all limits above $5-$10.  I pay
for the service, the dealer is not a partner and does not get a percentage.

Chill




Subject:      Re: almost Tourny dealer tip ?
From:         tbill (tbill@mail.startext.net)
Date:         1996/12/12
Newsgroups:   rec.gambling.poker


>-      My stack increased about $300 while he was in the box and I continued
>to tip him the same one dollar I always tip.

WHY?  





Subject:      Re: almost Tourny dealer tip ?
From:         nevadaj@mindspring.com
Date:         1996/12/12
Newsgroups:   rec.gambling.poker


On Tue, 10 Dec 1996 20:17:28 -0700, Jim Geary 
wrote:

(interesting story of unreasonable dealer snipped for space)

>-      I did hold my tongue for a bit, but was forced to respond when he
>didn’t stop.
>
>Thoughts anyone?


Jim,

I agree completely with your end of the table; a shame he got stiffed,
a black check would have been plenty.

As a constant player in Reno for years, I can assure you that under
the circumstances, any dealer up north would have been more than
pleased with a black.
Regards,



Subject:      Re: almost Tourny dealer tip ?
From:         slandrum@3do.com (Stephen H. Landrum)
Date:         1996/12/13
Newsgroups:   rec.gambling.poker


On Tue, 10 Dec 1996 20:17:28 -0700, Jim Geary 
wrote:

[ ... dealer whines about not getting big tip when pushing $250,000 pot ... ]

>-My stack increased about $300 while he was in the box and I continued
>to tip him the same one dollar I always tip.

I would have stiffed him after he was whining about missing out on
$12000.  Your $1 obviously makes no difference to him.  His behavior
was quite unprofessional.  Perhaps he pulled some similar stunt in the
pot-limit game, and that's why he was stiffed.

>-The consensus at our end of the table was one black chip would have
>been reasonable.

If he did a good job, and the player thought it was appropriate to
toss him a black chip, then it was appropriate.  If the player didn't
want to tip him, then he didn't have to.

I've noticed in bay area clubs that the (very few) dealers who
complain about getting stiffed are in general the most unpleasant
dealers to begin with, and that I'd be tempted to stiff even before
they started whining about being stiffed by others.

>-Tho I do feel bad that he got stiffed, I don’t think it was
>appropriate for him to lobby for how much he should’ve received
>continually.  

It was very unprofessional, and I would not feel bad that he was
stiffed if he was going to play it as some sort of sympathy card.

"Stephen H. Landrum" 

Back to Poker Letters Page.

Back to Jim's Poker Page

Back to Jim's Main Page