It's hard work to gain an edge over the house in blackjack,and that edge often is measured in tenths of a percent. A player whohas the knowledge, discipline and bankroll might be able to squeezeout a little more than a 1 percent edge. He doesn't want to give anyof it back.
So it was interesting when a card counter e-mailed me a fewweeks ago, after the question of tipping was raised in a letter froma reader. We were agreed that players should tip; dealers make a bigdifference in the quality of the gaming experience, and most of theirincome comes from tips. The only question was tip size.
My counter friend noted that nearly everyone who writes aboutthe games seriously warns against giving away the edge byovertipping. In my column, I suggested that about $1 bet for thedealer as a tip per hour was about right for a low-rolling $5 bettor,although bigger bettors ought to tip more.
Even at $1 per hour, the $5 basic strategy player doubles hisdisadvantage at some blackjack tables, and card counters tend to bereal sticklers about such things. My correspondent is no differentin that he wants to keep his hard-earned edge.
What made his insight a little different is that he has noqualms about tipping the value of the comps he earns while playing.Few casinos give cash back for table play, as they do on the slots.That's natural enough; the house has a much larger edge on slots thanat most table games. But free meals, hotel rooms and other perkshave value, and that's what my counter friend kicks back to thedealers.
This particular counter not only keeps meticulous records ofwins and losses, and amount of time played, but he also records hiscomps. Through long-term record keeping, he knows how much eachcasino comps per hour of play.
For those who play less often and don't keep such extensiverecords, we can look at the expected value of comps through a simpleformula. First, the casino calculates how much it expects to winfrom you by multiplying your average bet, hands per hour and houseedge on the game.
In blackjack, the house assumes that in the long run theaverage player will lose about 2 percent of the money he bets.Multiply $5 per hand by 50 hands per hour to get a $250 risk, thenmultiply by .02 - the 2 percent house edge - and we see that thecasino expects to win about $5 per hour from a $5 player.
How much of that can the player expect kicked back as comps?Depending on the casino and on competitive conditions in the market,comps range from about 10 percent to about 40 percent of the player'sexpected loss.
Using the comp rate as the tip rate, a $5 player's tips wouldrange from 50 cents per hour to $2 per hour, depending on thegenerosity of the casino.
What about players who bet more? If we just multipliedaccording to bet size, a $25 player would tip according to compvalues from $2.50 to $10 per hour, and a $100 bettor would tip $10 to$40 per hour. But at tables with higher minimum bets, there usuallyare fewer players, and that means a faster game. A $100 bettorplaying by himself doesn't play 50 hands per hour; it's more like250. That brings his expected comps up to between $50 and $200 perhour. If he's tipping on that basis, he'll be a welcome sight fordealers.
What about a $25 player at a table with three or four otherplayers? He might play 100 hands per hour and receive $5 to $20 perhour in comps.
You'll find that tying tips size to your comps doesn't differgreatly from my original recommendation that a $5 bettor is generousif he tips about $1 per hour. Bigger bettors should tip more. AndI'll add one more recommendation: Most of us don't tip when we'relosing. If we raise the tip rates when we're holding our own orbetter, everything will even out.
NOTE TO READERS: I've just received copies of The Casino AnswerBook, my latest just published by Bonus Books, with a foreword byFrank Scoblete. It's in quiz format, with nearly 400 questions onblackjack, video poker and roulette. It's almost like getting 400mini-columns in one book.
It'll hit the stores in a few weeks, but anyone who wants anearly look can order by sending a check or money order for $12.95 toRunning Count Press, Box 1488, Elmhurst Ill. 60126. There is nocharge for shipping.
In Sunday Showcase: Operation Bet Smart.
Send gambling questions to: Casinos, WeekendPlus, ChicagoSun-Times, 401 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611; fax (312)321-2566; or e-mail (BetKol@aol.com). Check out John Grochowski'sCasino Page at: members.aol.com/betkol/index.html
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