A dealer is the casino employee in change of running the game you are playing. While many people think of “card dealers”, the term can include dealers working at roulette, money wheels, or any other of the numerous games at your favourite casino.
The dealer’s job is to make sure guests are having a good time and to run the table/game. So they are the people who change money into chips at the table, spin the roulette wheel, scoop up the dice, pass out the cards and many more tasks too numerous to mention. Another large responsibility of dealers is to watch for cheaters. This includes guests replacing and removing chips, fake chips, palming cards, and even the debatable ‘cheat’ of card counting. To ensure games are running smoothly and fairly, dealers are supervised by floor persons who are supervised by a pit boss.
Keeping a game friendly and fast-moving is the main concern of many dealers. Since dealers make a substantial portion of their income from tips, it’s in their best interest to make you happy. Unhappy guests don’t tip, so dealers will engage in light banter, make jokes, or just chat to keep the good-time vibe going. Intentionally letting you win is forbidden, however. But that’s not really so bad, as you don’t have to win at a casino to enjoy yourself (although, winning helps). Just the experience of riding some highs and lows and being around a group of shouting people is enough to make for a good experience – and a skilled dealer knows this.
So with that in mind, even if you do lose… tip your dealer. It doesn’t affect your winning or losing streak but it’s a nice thing to do. Tips for dealers aren’t a nice little addition to their salary – for many dealers, tips are the main salary and their paycheck is the bonus. Any dealer that puts effort into making sure players have a good time deserves a small “thank you”. Believe us – you don’t want to play a boring game of Blackjack where the dealer passes out cards like a robot (we’ve seen dealers like that, but they don’t usually last very long – if your dealer is friendly, encourage them to stay around by tipping them.)
So what’s the best way to tip your dealer? The simple way is to give them a chip every hour or so. The amount is up to you. Five dollars is usually pretty standard. If you want to make things really fun, you can even tell them you are making a bet for them.
