CasinoGaming.com


	Sundays: Inside Gaming Tuesdays: Video Poker Wednesdays: Off the Shelf Fridays: Richard Eng, Player's Edge Saturdays: Pocket Aces

VIDEO POKER

Columns

• Back to Bob's index

• Back to columnist index

Bob Dancer writes a video poker column for beginners to experts. He also writes a column with Jeffrey Compton, "Player's Edge", featuring information on promotions at various Las Vegas casinos. Player's Edge is published each Friday in the Neon section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Click here to send Bob Dancer an e-mail.

For more details and a schedule of Bob's free classes, visit www.bobdancer.com.

May 20, 2008

Getting Trashed on the Radio

While driving around the Las Vegas area, I sometimes listen to sports-related topics on ESPN 1100 AM. Although there are some national programs ("Mike and Mike in the Mornings," "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," and "The Mike Tirico Show,") the afternoons are hosted by local "personalities," often two or three at a time.

I was listening one day and one of the local personalities mentioned that he hit a $4,000 royal flush at the Hard Rock the previous day and had tipped $300. He was embarrassed that maybe he had tipped too little. The other hosts didn't really know. So they invited listener comments.

I called in, dropped my name to the producer and the fact that I was a video poker teacher, and I was put right on. I identified myself on the air and explained that many strong players don't tip at all and that a $10 to $20 tip would be appropriate, at least for regular players. Any more than that would make deep craters into your gambling bankroll.

I gave the Rita Rudner advice on tipping: "Nobody really knows how much to tip so I always tip some random amount. If they look really sad, I give them some more. If they look really happy, I take some back!"

They thanked me for my input and took the next caller.

Two of the next three callers each suggested tipping 10%, or $400, and suggested that I didn't know my ace from a hole in the ground. Although a few callers generally agreed with me, most felt I was such a stingy bastard that they would never want to know me anyway.

I suspect that the callers recommending 10% tips were casino employees! These folks are very prevalent in Las Vegas, obviously. And since convincing players to tip more means more income to the employees, these people would be motivated to call in.

Any "percentage" rule on how much to tip should probably be adjusted for the denomination. Quarter players rarely have taxable jackpots. Dollar players generally only on royal flushes, which come around every 40,000 to 50,000 hands, depending on the game. For $25 players, W2Gs come around every 100 to 400 hands, depending on the game. For $100 players, it's every ten hands or less.

If you're tipping 10% on the royal only, it costs you about 0.2%. If you're also tipping on quads and straight flushes, it costs you around 1%. Tipping on full houses and lower hands costs even more.

Although I prefer a bigger advantage, there are times I play games with about a 0.2% advantage. Tipping all of this away makes no sense to me. When I've had more than a 1% advantage, I've tipped more generously than when the advantage is smaller.

We've all heard the argument that casino employees are minimum wage workers and they depend on tips to make a decent living. I don't question this. But the tips don't have to come from me. If casino employees don't find they are earning enough, they are welcome to try to get a job outside of the casino industry. Everyone has the right to try to better their position in life. And every sensible person has a duty to try to hang on to their assets. Giving your assets away means they won't be there later on.

In 2007 I signed for $5.5 million in W2Gs -- less than in some years, more than in others. It turned out to be my third-best gambling year ever, but had I tipped 10% it wouldn't even have been positive.

How much to tip is a very personal thing. I can't answer for you about how much you should give. But I can strongly recommend that you work out a game plan and stick to it. For those of us who consider our video poker winnings a business, this is definitely a business decision and should be made accordingly.