What Does A Casino Host Do
Casino Tipping by Location
To make this guide as useful as possible, we’ve broken the casino host tipping best practice advice into a number of categories. First, we will describe the different overarching rules based on geography, so you can see easily if your location expects you to be tipping casino hosts or not.
Review of What does a casino host do for you. Gamblers should tip casino hosts 15 – 20% of their buy-in, and you should also budget to tip wait staff, hotel staff, valets, and those making change for players.I spoke to the Aria (where I am staying) they said they need action of $150/ hand for 4-6 hours a day (minimum total bet of $36,000 yikes) or 3,000 slot points a day ($600) What does a casino host do for. The host spoke on condition of anonymity to offer a firsthand account of both the gamblers who pump our casinos full of cash and the staffers who decide which goodies they get for helping keep the. What does a casino host do for youSecondly, TR now tightly constrains what hosts can do for you at any given level of play, and unless you're very high Diamond or 7. you're not going to get a ton of freebees outside of what your points will get you Hi everyone, with my what does a casino host do for you upcoming trip to Vegas I was wondering what a casino host does, and how their services are. It all depends on what your level of play is, as far as what the host can do. Sometimes, pre-trip, they can comp your hotel stay or some meals or give you a resort credit or some freeplay or something. To the highest level gamblers, they'll arrange flights and limo pickup and things like that.
Then, we’ll divide it down into the various types of casino games and the tipping expectations for each type of game. As you can imagine, this section will only be relevant to users in the ‘Do Tip’ locations, but it’s certainly interesting to read through the rules either way.
UK Casino Tipping: Do
Gamblers in the UK should expect to spend between 10-15% of their gambling budget on tips for dealers, hosts and wait staff. This is a relatively recent change to the expectations on UK-based gamblers, as until 2005 it was illegal for any casino host tipping to take place.
An amendment published in the Gambling Act 2005 made casino tipping legal, as long as the cash is collected and distributed in a ‘tronc’ – a tipping pool for all employees.
Meanwhile, those playing in any UK live online casinos are not expected to tip the online dealers. In fact, some developers of live casino software namely Evolution Gaming – explicitly ban players from making tips.
However, if the opportunity to tip in a live online casino game is available and you have received exceptional service – or won a significant amount of money – a tip could be a nice way to show your appreciation.
United States: Tips Expected
As with much of the USA’s ridiculous service industry, casino hosts are severely underpaid and require tips from patrons in order to make a liveable wage. Gamblers should tip casino hosts 15 – 20% of their buy-in, and you should also budget to tip wait staff, hotel staff, valets, and those making change for players.
This rule is enforced across any American land-based casinos, regardless of the state in which you are playing. Of course, the legality of gambling in the country is also state based, so there could be more important laws to consider before tipping etiquette is considered.
Australia: Don’t Tip
What Does A Casino Host Do
As will all service industry professionals in Australia, casino hosts in the country’s grand gambling establishments are paid a high wage and do not expect or require tips from patrons to make a living wage. While it is not illegal to tip, it is not expected in any restaurants, bars or casinos.
In fact, tipping in a casino host in Australia is somewhat frowned upon, as it can be considered to be bribery. Some of Australia’s land-based casinos do not allow patrons to tip individual staff, requiring all gratuities to be shared in a pool or be handed directly to management, raising suspicion that large tips are actually payoffs.
Monaco Gratuity Etiquette: Do
In Monaco, patrons are expected to tip 10% to dealers at table games such as blackjack, roulette and craps. However, this is only true at some establishments. Some locations have eschewed tipping in favor for an entry fee charged at the door.
Mainland Europe: Don’t Tip
For mainland Europe, tipping casino hosts is not expected. In countries like Spain, tipping would raise eyebrows and get you a lot of weird looks, it’s just that uncommon. In Western Europe, small tips are possible, especially on hitting a big win. However, culturally, leaving a tip larger than 5% would likely see casino hosts considering you a showoff. Casino tipping etiquette changes as you travel east, and the extra cash is more welcomed.
Tipping Etiquette for Games
Interestingly, there are different rules for casino tipping etiquette based on the different games you can play. Table games like blackjack, baccarat and roulette which require a live dealer to personally host your experience are clearly deserving of a gratuity. Many gamblers consider tipping their dealers to be good luck, and tossing a dealer some cash after a big win at a poker table is common.
However, playing video poker or slots, where there is often less personal interaction, may also require some tipping. For example, if you send a casino attendant to make change for you, you should tip them. If you win a large jackpot or a hand pay sum, an attendant or two will be required to come and personally hand you the cash prizes. They will also bring you any tax forms that your location requires.
General Tipping Advice
Not all actions deserve to be tipped, and you shouldn’t just go handing out cash for everyone and everything. You know who to tip based on the advice above, but here is a handy list of when a tip would be expected in Las Vegas, the most extreme example we can give. Anything more than this would be considered unnecessary.
When to tip:
- When asking for a host to make change for you
- When you win a large sum
- If you need an attendant for any reason
- If a Pit Boss comps you a free meal, drink or room
- When a dealer finishes a shift at your table
- If a waitress brings you a drink (even if it is free)
- If a bellhop carries your bags
How to Tip Casino Hosts
Okay, maybe now you know how much money you should be expected to tip each time you gamble all over the world, but how do you hand over the money without it being awkward? There are various options for when to tip and how to indicate who the tip is for.
You can hand a dealer their total tip when you sit at a table, which has the benefit of getting it out of the way first thing. If you are in the UK, and aim to gamble £100, you can simply hand the £5 – £10 to the dealer immediately.
One problem with this method is that you can’t factor in whether or not that dealer will be working your table for the entire time you are there. To counter this, you may hand them a tip right as their shift changes.
If you’re more the type to consider tipping casino hosts throughout your experience, then you can tell the dealer how much cash to keep when exchanging cash for chips. You can also hand them back chips as a tip if they pay you winnings.
Some dealers prefer to receive their tips in the form of wagers. To tip a dealer with a bet in their name, simply place a second chip on top of your own wager, slightly offset, and tell the dealer it is for them. They will receive the winnings from the bet, but not the bet money itself.
If you’re still not sure, the best thing to do is ask the dealer directly. No professional dealer will ever make fun of a player for wanting to hand them money. Ask them what they prefer and how they prefer to receive it. Now that you know the correct expected values, you will know they are telling the truth.
I did it with ten grand, and a host called me and hooked me up, no questions asked, without my having given them any play.
For an entertaining read about casino hosts, read 'Whale Hunt in the Desert,' about one-time super-host Steve Cyr.
Hi everyone, with my upcoming trip to Vegas I was wondering what a casino host does, and how their services are received. Just for fun I have been calling around a little. I spoke to the Aria (where I am staying) they said they need action of $150/ hand for 4-6 hours a day (minimum total bet of $36,000 yikes) or 3,000 slot points a day ($600). I tried calling El Cortez where the good blackjack is and I got bounced around between a lot of people only to find out you need a ruby or better card, and I asked him if table play increases your rating and he put me on hold, so I just hung up, they seemed a bit disorganized there. I just want to have one provide some kind of service, even if they just introduce themselves. I have heard one can get better comps through a host, but I doubt with my bankroll for the trip ($1,000) I can play safely enough to get one.
Re the El Cortez, the help can be somewhat clueless, but the fact of the matter is that they will comp you if you give them any decent action at all. Once you achieve Ruby card status (not difficult at all), you will basically be comped for all eternity from then on. I am Ruby card, and they send me quarterly offers for three free nights, $50 free slot play, and $50 food comps. All I play is .25 VP, maybe $5000 coin-in per day.
Getting rated at BJ should be pretty easy there, as the average player thinks that a $10 bet is bold and reckless. With a $1000 bankroll, you should be able to give them enough action to comp your room at the very least. They are reluctant to comp up front, but once you show them some play, they are very generous. Half of the people in there are playing one nickel every five minutes and trying to suck down as many free drinks as possible, so if you are an actual player, you will get treated very well. Just make sure you get a player's card, get rated, and keep in contact with the floorman. Don't sweat getting a host per se--it's more along the lines of getting recognized by the floorman and the player's club supervisor.
I don't think that a BR of $1000 is going to get you very much anywhere else, with the possible exception of MSS, Gold Coast, Four Queens, or South Point. Just about every place is really tightening the screws on comps these days, and the small bettor is becoming invisible.
1) If you are normally going to stay at a place like the Aria, you can pretty much ignore the rest of this, as no casino on that level will even care about your play.
If you have no issues staying at a place like the Cortez, or I'll add in Famingo/Harrahs/Excalibur/Monte Carlo, then it may at least be useful to get a card at any casino you play at. You may not get free rooms, but you may get some discounts on your next trip. Even cutting a room from 80/night to 50/night pays for some of your meals.
What Does A Casino Host Do
With casino credit don't you need to be able to write a check that will clear for the total amount to the cage before you can get your markers throughout your stay? How does credit work, do they check your bank account?
The term 'casino credit' is a bit misleading. Basically, a casino wants to know how much money you have in your checking account over a long period of time (six months I believe).
For example, if you have an average of $100,000 sitting in your checking account for over a year, a casino would be willing to establish a line of credit for that amount. However, if you have an average of $1,000 in your checking account, you will not be able to get a line of credit for $10,000 even if you have a net worth of several million dollars. Also, a casino will not establish a large line of credit if your six month average is $1,000 and then a week before you go to Vegas you toss in another $100,000 into your account. They want to make sure you are not trying to scam them in any way.
I personally like casino credit a lot. I used to send in front money (a cashier's check to the casino) before I arrived. However, as I started to play more often and for bigger amounts casino credit works just as well.
I have heard one can get better comps through a host, but I doubt with my bankroll for the trip ($1,000) I can play safely enough to get one.
Yes, my experience is that having a host is a wonderful thing, but then again I am a big loser (and gambler) and donate tens-of-thousands of dollars to Las Vegas every time I travel there. Unfortunately, I do not think that having a $1,000 bankroll is going to be sufficient enough for you to get the attention of a host.
Here is my suggestion: Call ahead to the casino of your choice and instead of asking for a host, ask to speak with someone in VIP Services or VIP Relations. The person you speak with there is normally not a host, but rather someone who provides general assistance to mid level gamblers who do not warrant the attention of a full time host. Tell them the follow:
'Hi my name is __________. I am traveling to Las Vegas from _______ to _______. I normally play craps/blackjack/etc a total of 4 hours per day with an average bet of $_____. How will I be treated at your casino? Can I expect to get a break on my room? Free food? Etc.'
Take for example the Stratosphere casino. For a while, they were running a promotion where if you had an average bet of $25 per hour for 4 hours per day, they would comp you a night in a standard room. I am not sure if this is still the case, but it doesn't hurt to ask.