Why tip the craps dealers?

Because they make minimum wage, and because you’ll get better service when you tip

Craps dealers in Vegas make minimum wage, or barely more. The bulk of theirincome comes from tokes (tips). If nobody tips, they don’t make any more than theywould if they were flipping burgers. Dealers depend on the generosity oftheir players in order to earn a decent living.

But besides helping dealers earn a decent living, tipping definitely gets you betterservice. Dealers have the ability to give players a very different experiencedepending on whether they’re tipping or not. They can offer or withhold informationthat could be helpful to you, or they can volunteer it freely (within any limitsset by the boxman or floorpeople).

When you start play at a craps table the first thing a dealer will consider is whetheryou’re going to place wagers at some point for him/her. Dealers can readily tellwhat their chances are of enhancing their income by the way a player acts, the waythat they place wagers, whether or not they are receptive to advice, whether ornot they ask questions, the way a player dresses, whether they have washed theirhands recently, whether or not they have clean fingernails, how nervous they are,and how anxious they are to get beverage service. When a dealer thinks a playerwon’t tip, (s)he’ll likely make minimal effort. A dealer won’t necessarily givebad service, (s)he just might not go out of his/her way to give goodservice.

Although this is unrelated to tipping, players with poor table etiquette also failto get good service. Actually, it’s not completely unrelated, because playerswith poor etiquette are often the same ones who are less likely to tip. Playerswho take half a minute to set the dice, or throw chips at the dealer or the dealer’sstack, or continually shoot the dice so hard that they leave the table, make dealersuninterested in helping them. The way you act is the way that the dealers will treatyou. Be sure to see our article on craps etiquette.