Casino regulars - interesting tidbit on dealer tips

[cdnsteelman]

Many of you are probably already aware but I had a few rather frank and detailed conversations with a dealer while waiting for the hold'em table to draw enough players on a few nights. He let it slip that the house takes 60% of dealer tips (all table games) with the remaining 40% shared among dealers and other casino staff.

[TonyB17]

I don't know if that's standard across other cruise lines, but it makes me want to stay far away from the casino.  That's horrible.

[NLH Arizona]

19 minutes ago, cdnsteelman said:

Many of you are probably already aware but I had a few rather frank and detailed conversations with a dealer while waiting for the hold'em table to draw enough players on a few nights. He let it slip that the house takes 60% of dealer tips (all table games) with the remaining 40% shared among dealers and other casino staff.

Hopefully you gave him an extra tip to make up for it.😊

[cdnsteelman]

Just now, NLH Arizona said:

Hopefully you gave him an extra tip to make up for it.

LOL: I didn't change my tipping habits - I just didn't feel as good about it after that.

[phillyguy31]

Not that this happens but........What a good way to get extra tips make the person feel bad about you not getting all the tips you are given......

[Paphillyguy]

If this is true it is outrageous, especially with the extremely high rake the house already takes.   I have my doubts if this is true.  

[PTC DAWG]

What’s the Vegas normal? I’ve never asked..

Edited March 25, 2019 by PTC DAWG

[Outerdog]

15 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

What’s the Vegas normal? I’ve never asked..

 

The house never touches dealer tips (or any tips) in Vegas.

 

[fourofakind]

Wow I am shocked and really annoyed about this. I can understand casino staff splitting it but NCL taking a cut?!?! Outrageous if true. Now I wonder how much (if any) of the DSC actually goes to the workers...

[FLAHAM]

Sounds like baloney.

[Paphillyguy]

Every land based casino I know never takes any percent of the dealers tips whether it is poker or regular tables.  Also, as far as I am aware the Pit bosses and management do not get any part of tips as well as they are paid a normal salary.  The dealers are paid a very low wage and live off the tips. 

[skeeter195]

Here is another interesting fact.  When tipping out dealers while playing table games, the amount you tip gets added to your wins for the trip.  I was told this by 2 different hosts on 2 different ships.  The reason it came up was because when I was closing out my account on the last night my win/loss was off(no surprise there).  On a good cruise I will typically tip the dealers anywhere from $500-3000 dollars.  So my 1k loss turned into a 2K win because of the tips.   This not only annoyed me because of the comp value but by telling me this it may have have me lower my tips in the future.  Now with this 60/40 thing I may have to just tip out secretly to the best dealers like we used to do.  

[mianmike]

1 hour ago, phillyguy31 said:

Not that this happens but........What a good way to get extra tips make the person feel bad about you not getting all the tips you are given......

 

If NCL takes 60% of my tip, I surely won't be inclined to tip more knowing that most of the additional tip is going to NCL and not the dealer.  Seems like a horrible way to get additional tips. 

[Paphillyguy]

20 minutes ago, skeeter195 said:

Here is another interesting fact.  When tipping out dealers while playing table games, the amount you tip gets added to your wins for the trip. 

 

 

Just a question How do they even know how much you tip?  I have never seen a pit boss even take notice of who is tipping.  Do you really think they track this?  Doesn't make sense to me and the theory of adding a tip into your win/loss seem crazy to me.  

[DaCruiseBug]

Considering it's NCL we're talking about...this doesn't surprise me at all.

[erdoran]

If they add that to your wins AND NCL keeps 60% of your tips, that seems like a powerful disincentive to tip.  What am I missing here?  And no, I am NOT looking for excuses not to tip!

[Paphillyguy]

The more I think about the tipping part being added into the win/loss it doesn't make any sense.  Normally, you are tipping with in theory money they have already accounted for whether it is your buy-in or your theoretical win or loss.  Plus I am not aware of any tracking mechanism for tracking how much someone is tipping.   

[phillyguy31]

Any time I tipped the chip disappears immediately there is no way they can keep track of the tips. Do I believe they may have to pool their tips, maybe, but the house taking 60% doubtful and if they are I find it hard to believe that the company is ok with them telling people that. No way would anyone risk their job just to complain about it.

[cdnsteelman]

8 minutes ago, phillyguy31 said:

Any time I tipped the chip disappears immediately there is no way they can keep track of the tips. Do I believe they may have to pool their tips, maybe, but the house taking 60% doubtful and if they are I find it hard to believe that the company is ok with them telling people that. No way would anyone risk their job just to complain about it.

The information shared with me was corroborated separately by a casino host and two other dealers. So they either have all agreed on a lie that serves no purpose or it is, as I believe, a fact.

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, Outerdog said:

 

The house never touches dealer tips (or any tips) in Vegas.

 

I meant to ask how do other cruise lines handle it, but as others have said, I’m not sure I buy the dealers story...

[K_e_short]

It has already been discussed ALOT that cruise lines don't pay their staff very well.

 

This sounds like a good tactic to guilt you into tipping more.

 

I had a similar situation at an all inclusive in Dominican Republic. The day we were leaving our waiter gave a sob story about being able to go home tomorrow, 3 hours drive, only being home for 2 days. I knew it was a story to make us want to tip more.

 

 

[halberd7]

The Wynn casino in Las Vegas took the Dealer's tips, pooled them, and added the Pit Bosses when they re-split the tips to everyone. It went on for about 10 years until the Dealers won the lawsuit.

Edited March 26, 2019 by halberd7

[graphicguy]

This all sounds a bit flaky to me.  The tips go into a box that pit bosses and dealers have access to.  They can’t know how much is in the tip box.  It’s collected over serveral shifts and several dealers so how would any of them know how much is in the box at the end of the day/night?

 

Perhaps a little sympathy generation activities?

[cdnsteelman]

2 hours ago, K_e_short said:

It has already been discussed ALOT that cruise lines don't pay their staff very well.

 

This sounds like a good tactic to guilt you into tipping more.

 

I had a similar situation at an all inclusive in Dominican Republic. The day we were leaving our waiter gave a sob story about being able to go home tomorrow, 3 hours drive, only being home for 2 days. I knew it was a story to make us want to tip more.

 

 

Why would this make anyone tip more? It would have the opposite impact.

[cdnsteelman]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

The tips go into a box that pit bosses and dealers have access to.

The dealers do not have keys to the tip boxes.