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Tipping the Dealer
Some card counters never tip a dealer. They're really hard-bitten cheapskates at heart, and each toke they give away is another chip they can't pocket. These are the kinds of players who get barred and who are always whining and complaining about casino heat. But they bring it upon themselves. They're so cold and impersonal that to them, the dealer is a robot without feelings, there to deal and pay of their winnings.
But if you'll ask me, I believe in tipping the dealer. I don't tip elaborately but at crucial moments. I tip more when a dealer is helpful and I'm winning, than when he's helpful and I'm losing. That's natural and the dealer understands this. But if the dealer is cooperating with me, and I'm getting good cards, he's going to be steadily tipped.
Hostile Dealers
If a dealer is hostile, don't tip him. If a dealer goes out of his way to throw you off, don't tip him. If a dealer rushes the game or slows the game so that you're uncomfortable, don't put a toke. If fact, just leave the table unless you're on a rush, winning everything in sight.
I had this situation against a really hostile woman, all aglitter with gold rings and gold necklaces and a gold and diamond Rolex. To her, I was just some lowlife sitting at her table. She was bored to death, never responded to anything pleasant I said to her except with a sneer and frown.
I hated her. And she dealt the cards with speed and thrust, so they were always hitting my knuckles. Once they went past me off the table. But there we were, head-to-head, and I couldn't lose. If she had an ace as her upcard and I had a hard 16, I hit a 5 and she lost. Every double down was a winner. I had started as a $50 player and now, after a half-hour, my neutral bet was $125, then $150, then $200. And still the cards came. Finally, she was relieved.
A new dealer came on, a guy who stared at my stack of chips with a look that said, "okay, yo-yo, wait till you see what I do to you."
Where did they get these dealers? He dealt himself a blackjack and took away my first bet, which I had reduced to $50. Then I doubled down on an 11 and got a 2, while he converted a hard 16 into a winner. That was it. I let him change color, and he kept waiting for me to toke him, but no way.
Average Dealers
On the other hand, I've encountered dealers who, though they didn't give an inch as far as rules went, were human beings. We could talk and pass the time. Everything wasn't involved with an effort to have me lose. I'd tip these dealers with average tokes.