Tipping the Dealer

Exceptionally greedy dealers let you know in unmistakable terms that they expect tokes, particularly from winners. Even if you play only one hand, win, and walk away without taking you sometimes get a sarcastic "Thank you."

Most Tokes Are Shared
Generally a toke you give to a dealer does not go directly to the pocket of that dealer, but rather is put into a pool to be shared with other dealers.
If you like to toke, you probably have a greater chance of getting value for your toke if you patronize casinos where the dealers keep their own tokes, as they do in a few northern Nevada casinos. For a current list of casinos where dealers keep their own tokes, see Current Blackjack News.

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My Advice on Tokes
The problem with tokes, at least in my experience, is they are not cost effective. When you toke you give up value but you do not receive any value in return. The honest dealer dispenses no favors in return for a toke. Toking will not stop a dealer from shuffling on you if you have been identified as a card counter. Toking will not cause the dealer to deal down closer to the end of the pack. Toking will not cause the dealer to make an incorrect payoff. A toke may make a dealer smile, but will not change the expected value of the next hand. Usually a toke does not even make the dealer smile. You derive no benefit from a toke — it only reduces the size of your win. Tokes are an unnecessary cost of doing business.

I almost never toke. I gain more in dealer errors than what I give up in tokes.
I like the joke that Peter Griffin, author of The Theory of Blackjack, heard from a dealer in Las Vegas:
What is the difference between a card counter and a canoe?
The answer: A canoe sometimes tips.

Smile
I find that being friendly is enough to get me a good game. I use a smile and small talk in lieu of tokes. Most blackjack players seem to ignore the dealers as if they were not human beings. A simple "Hello" is generally effective in brightening up a dealer. I try to be such a nice person that the dealer does not mind if I do not toke. Smiles I can afford.
I always act happy in a casino. Nobody likes a grouch. I try to be such a nice person that nobody cares if I win. It sounds corny, but it works.

Here is an example. I was playing blackjack at Harrah's and losing hand after hand. A supervisor was camped at my table and acting sympathetic. Then a little old lady walked up and I finally won a hand. She innocently asked me how I was doing. I looked at her and smiled and said, "Since you got here I have won every hand." The supervisor practically fell over laughing.
If I am too tired to keep a smile on my face, I quit playing blackjack until I am properly rested.

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