The Riggstad Dilemma
Well, it won't make it to the silver screen like The Borne Identity but it an interesting rant. I don't mean to try to debunk it but it is a bit one sided.
In college, I worked as a Maitre d' at a restaurant/night-club. Folks in the service industries – like dealers – do complain a lot. Some of that complaining is more valid than others. The industry is a mixed bag. It isn't something your typical seven-year old will put ahead of astronaut or fireman. Most adults come to it as the place they can make the most money given their skill set. That goes for high school dropouts and liberal arts majors.
Dealing, as Riggs points out is demanding and stressful. But, so is putting the safety framitz or lug nuts on in an assembly line. Few have the job they feel they truly deserved – throw in the Peter Principle here too.
So, it all starts as a really mixed bag with a lot of folks making way more than they could in any past or hoped for job. Others, barely squeak by while busting their hump. And that could be the same job just a week or so apart. Often their check parallels a kid at MickyD's and frankly use of a similar skill set. The difference is that MickyD kid isn't the one that gets exercised over the lack of tips.
In a perfect world, the Casino would share out that typically 17% rake a bit better and maybe get the regular dealers to tip based on the big increase in table activity like the waitress shares with her bus boy.
The place I separate from Riggs is putting the onus on the players. Probably 90% never placed before and aren't that likely to do so again. They walk up to the pay window without an idea they should figure out the tip. The house mentioning it to them at this point is a lot like finding out what those Macadamias cost from the room's fridge. They should have gotten an informative flyer or such long before the bubble needed to be considered.
Tournament dealers are, for the most part, either moonlighters or dregs. If they don't have a regular dealing job they usually aren't going to have the full skill set needed. Or they have trouble sustaining responsibilities. That doesn't mean they aren't a hell of a nice guy; they just need to seek out a different career path that provides more than a few weeks work here and there.
You see the guy walk up for the payout but he doesn't show up with a current P&L and Balance Sheet. Gamblers always look better off than the majority are. There revenue source is often less secure than the dealer's minimum wage.
I guess, if I were to pick out a demon in all this, it'd be the employers. That goes not only for the casino but includes restaurants and all the rest. They do what they do because they can do what they do. There is no other justification.
Riggs, I know what you are saying and I agree in principle. I just don't think it is anything more than the way the world operates. Dealer jobs don't come with any guarantees and service people may complain but they know the pot odds going in.
ADDENDUM:
Well, my new TV arrived. The cable to use it as a monitor didn't make it yet so the success is partial. But, it did what I suspected the QAM feature would provide. I found a lot of channels on the cable feed that my old set couldn't locate. A good number are annoying duplicates but I'd say I roughly double the number of useful channels.
The old TV had downloaded a custom channel listing and let me start show automatically when they play. I'll miss that. I found TitanTV and am going to give that a try. The menu program inside the new TV is incomplete to the point of being worthless. I'm not sure if that the fault of the set or the stations. Some list their schedule but those are few and far apart.
No related posts.
You certainly present the other side of the coin. But I think you make a lot of generalizations.
For one, there hasn’t been one person in any tournament I have covered in the last two years that hasn’t played the game before. Some are first timers in tournaments, but they all have sat down at a cash game and understand that each pot won deserves a dealer tip. Whether it be in the form of a buck a pot or a red chip every so often. I don’t demand that tipping be done every time, but it is certainly part of the game.
Also… man do you generalize the background and skill sets of poker dealers. Out of all the ones I know, I would say half have college degrees.
I would also say that they chose to be dealers because they make more money than they could in another field. Maybe one they studied for. They do so understanding that tipping is part of the compensation. They also realize that they have to perform for those tips. When they do and aren’t compensated, it’s a little disheartening.
I gather this is why the Gaming commission has allowed casinos to take it off the top.
I can also tell you that the more experienced players make it clear when talking about a chop (which is every single tournament), that they should take out of the prize pool the dealer toke. And even then, most say they would give a little more as well.
The point I was trying to make was not a general one in standard tipping either. It was more about this specific event, and the fact that it was a $1.2 million prize pool, and the dealers got no more than $3500. From everyone. And the guy who took 5th was responsible for almost half.
Thanks for the reply! And I thought I had you in my blog roll. You’re up there now.
I think we agree more than we disagree. Any fault is my being incomplete or lacking clarity. I think we both said — maybe I just hinted — at education vs income potential. And repeating without success by the majority of players makes that modest cash a hard one to share.
The house does help out in a lot of smaller tournaments. It is often with an addon that benefits the dealers. I like that idea. But, big tournaments are different. But with the house often taking extra percentage for increased time and whatever, I’d think another percent or so for the dealers is just as appropriate. Restaurants have often gone to placing the tip on the check. The house could do the same and that would only affect those cashing.
As to normal ring, it is another mess with some, including major players at higher stakes, acting in a selfish manner. I have read that dealers at the Bellagio try to avoid Bobby’s room.
The overall problem is that there are more applications than jobs to fill when the economy is booming. That gives the house the ability to do what they wish and that is for the house to prosper more. That duel will never be fairly resolved. We all look for the edge whether it is at the tables or in the workplace.
I play in a lot of Casino tournaments and think 2% is on the chintzy side.
Having said that, the Tunica Casinos are taking out 3% for the dealers. This is from the prize pool part, not the entry part — example, entry is $100 plus $20. That means the casino takes the $20 and the 3% comes out of the players’ share (the $100). Also, when you first sit down, they offer you extra chip$, usually 2000, for a $10 dealer appreciation fee. This is a must buy if you maintain any hope of winning.
If 60 players sign up, that’s $600 + $180. That’s $50 or $60 per dealer if my math is correct.
Guess what? Since they started doing this, when I win, I don’t leave anything more.
The situation the Riggs talked about is different. I’m just commenting on what I see at my local tournaments.
That’s a good way of doing it Memphis. I know the casinos in Atlantic City were hesitant, but the appreciation fee makes it valuable. I also know that the appreciation fee will not be allowed in AC. That’s a gaming commission rule that they haven’t passed along with the tip being able to be pulled off the top. I do know they allow it in Vegas as well.
But because of this, you shouldn’t have to tip when you win, because you already did. Everyone did.
$50-$60 per dealer is good as well. But this past Summer Open is not going to even reach an extra $5 per hour. Figure they deal for 7 hours, that’s pretty poor, when they could have just requested to stay at the cash tables.
Having worked at Mickey D’s (yes, the VP used to work at MCD in the summer, busting her hump in the drive-thru . . . “would you like fries with that?”), I get the analogy. Service jobs often do not require a graduate degree or high level of specialized skill, and the guy dealing may not have more viable employment skills than the kid at Mickey D’s (or less, compared to those people working to pay rent until they can become VP?). And I have yet to hear the folks at McDonald’s complain because the didn’t get tipped.
That said, we are a country where tipping is customary in many places. And unfortunately, we probably have a large part of the population who is not well-versed in “customary”. My Dad is 78 and still thinks a good tip at a restaurant is a few bucks. That, on an $80 bill. You have no idea how many times myself or the good Dr. have to go behind his back and leave the rest. But that doesn’t mean my dad is a horrible guy or should be villified. He lives on a farm. Goes out to eat like 6 times a year. He doesn’t “live” in society enough to have kept up on tipping guidelines. Doesn’t read the internet (or have internet). Watches local Wisconsin news.
Maybe it should be on the casino to set some expectations, if it is customary, so that the folks who aren’t as educated or come from some other place, casino, etc. at least know the minimum expectations.
After that, its up to the individual to live up to the expectation.
But at the end of the day, it’s still an option. Unless someone makes it mandatory.
I hit a high hand jackpot while in Las Vegas last month. I gave a toke to the dealer but later asked other dealers how much they thought they should be tipped on high hands. They both said that any tips were appreciated since tips were not required. These were, however, dealers who were dealing cash games, not tournament hands, however.