Wow, I am surprised to see all the commotion regarding this subject. I apologize for not posting sooner, but I was out of town at Pechanga playing poker and visiting friends over the weekend.

Let me start by saying I've been in the casino industry in one capacity or another for over 11 years. Before I started working in the business I wasn't much of a tipper. Now I tip very well, but I am still not as good as some people I know. That doesn't embarrass me because I tip what I feel is right at the time.

I got 6th place in a tournament at the Orleans about a month and a half ago. My buy-in plus re-buy cost me $103. I won $1135 plus had 6 $10 bounties. Here's the kicker though. Before the tournament was even started I lost $100 playing 2-4 hold-em and $700 in slot machines. That makes $1195 win minus $800 in losses for a net of $395. I tipped the floorman $20 and the dealers $115. My reasoning??? It's not the dealers fault that I was stupid and lost my money before I placed in the tournament. How can I justify taking that out on them when it was my skill, and some good luck, resulting from the hands they dealt me that I won anything at all. Sure, some dealers never pushed me a pot at all, but I'm not going to keep track and seek out only those who did. A tournament is mentally tough enough without all that going on.

I will also refer you to the gentleman, and I use that loosely, who won a major tournament at the Mirage last year. Over a million, toked nothing. Regular too, plays there often from what I understand. I would never want to show my face in there again if I was that cheap.

Bottom line is, tip what you feel appropriate. I've found that some of the best tippers around are those people who don't make millions but rather thousands.