Popkorn;304999 wroteI'll add my 2 cents into this convo.
As for restaurants adding the 10% service charge for their tips, my friends that have worked at restaurants that have done this say that their tip rate is actually higher than if they let their customers tip at their own discretion. I also don't tip above the 10% service charge if it's already on the bill.
As for tipping in live tournaments, anytime they have the dealer bonus or they withhold a % for the staff, I don't tip since they are already compensated. If the tournament is outside of Ontario and nothing was set aside for the dealers, then I will leave a tip depending on how much the prize is, how long the tournament was run for, etc.
And if you're wondering about why outside of Ontario? Well as you guys know Ontario casinos pool their tips with non-poker dealers. We've discussed this with a lot of the live regulars in Ontario and came up with a conclusion that tipping dealers in Ontario doesn't really make sense especially when the dealer you are tipping is in reality only getting pennies of what you are giving them. For me, I've developed friendships with a lot of dealers, so I do see them outside of the casino, and I would buy them drinks/food, etc as my form of tip.
Since dealers in Ontario don't keep their own tips, it has really hurt poker in so many ways here. By having the casinos pay them such a high hourly base salary, we have long wait lists for cash games, capped tournaments, and an abundance of dealers that choose to deal slowly, not learn the rules of the game, and are quick to get mad at every little situation/comment by the players. Right now I think most of the dealers are being paid $16/hour base and $8/hour in tips, if they get minimum wage and keep their own tips, I would think that everyone would be happier from players, to dealers, to casino management.
This is a good post......same here in Alberta
They segregate only for overnight, as only the poker room is open.