Sam Grafton tip-shames PokerStars Players Championship winner Ramon Colillas

[MrTickle]

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What are you doing in this spot? You've already paid 2% up front. Does it make a difference that you got in for free?

Most responses are criticising Sam, not Ramon.

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But in the end the most shocking fact for me is that the 2% is NOT a tip, but a WAGE.

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[MrTickle]

Another thought

What is he only has 1% of himself - is he supposed to tip the whole 50%? I'm sure the other backers wouldnt want a tip coming out of their portion. Even if you up this to 50%, its still gonna come directly out of his winnings.

[Dan Druff]

I absolutely hate tip shaming.

Always done from a false point of moral supremacy.

I explained my policy about dealer tipping at tournaments on radio a few weeks ago.

I said that if there's an auto-tip, then I don't tip extra, because I'm forced to tip whether the dealers are good or bad. Therefore, since they get my guaranteed tip which I can't take back for bad performance, I won't tip extra for good performance.

If there is no auto-tip, then I tip the standard rate (usually 3%).

If the guy saw an auto-tip was in place, AND the buyin was 25k to the event (which of course makes a big diference), then 2% auto-tip is totally fine. It's not his problem what Stars chooses to pay or not pay the dealers beyond that.

Furthermore, this information should NOT be leaking out (the amount he tips), nor should people be shaming for it. Maybe some dealers did a bad job at his tables, maybe some were rude to him, etc. Tipping is a personal choice, and you shouldn't have to justify it to anyone.

I remember in 2006, some kid (early 20s) won $1.6 million at a tournament, and they were taking an auto-tip out of the pool. They asked if he wanted to leave anything extra, and he said, "Ummm.... yeah, here's $1000."

So then someone found out and posted a thread to 2+2, indicating that this "cheapskate" just won $1.6 million and only tipped $1000.

A few of the smarter people tried to point out that he tipped the auto-tip PLUS $1000, but nobody was listening. The idiot tip-shaming mob was out with their pitchforks, and he was destroyed in the thread.

I knew the kid's girlfriend from Commerce, and she told me he was devastated by it, and basically quit poker after the entire experience.

I tried to go on 2+2 to defend him, but I was also booed off the stage by the idiot troop who just didn't understand that $1000 EXTRA isn't the same as $1000 TOTAL.

Once tip-shamers get their jaws into you, they won't back down.

[sonatine]

I knew the kid's girlfriend from Commerce, and she told me he was devastated by it, and basically quit poker after the entire experience.

so basically the internet talked him into holding onto his 1.6m and living a normal adult life?

sounds like advice worth a lot more than $1000.

[BeerAndPoker]

Nobody should be shamed here.

The sad thing is if he gives the dealers 1k that only buys like 150 bottles of water in the Bahamas.

[DonaldTrumpsHairPiece]

You made a decision to try poker for a living, shame is a given.

[duped_samaritan]

Nobody should be shamed here.

The sad thing is if he gives the dealers 1k that only buys like 150 bottles of water in the Bahamas.

You obviously haven't seen the new Netflix 'fyre' doc.

[Crowe Diddly]

I cannot believe the 2% is wage and not tip. If that's the case, then dealers must be made aware that their wages depend directly on the number of entrants. Is there any way this is true?

or does the 2% go towards the total dealer payouts and PS makes up the rest if there isn't enough? That doesn't sound right either.

[Dan Druff]

I cannot believe the 2% is wage and not tip. If that's the case, then dealers must be made aware that their wages depend directly on the number of entrants. Is there any way this is true?

or does the 2% go towards the total dealer payouts and PS makes up the rest if there isn't enough? That doesn't sound right either.

I also wondered if that was true, or if Sam Grafton just made that up so he looked less foolish for his Twitter post.

Even if it is true, it doesn't become the players' problem.

The current (and long-running) standard in poker tournaments is to not tip above the auto-tip, and to tip 3% if there is no auto-tip.

Yes, some go above and beyond that, just like some leave 0% tip even if there is no auto-tip. But that's the standard here.

If a venue chooses not to pay its dealers a wage (is this even legal in the Bahamas?), it's not up to the player to figure this out and/or make up for it.

Let's say I played a low-buyin tournament, and then I won. Then at the end I was told, "Hey, the dealers here aren't paid, and only work for tips. And since this is a low buyin tournament, you'll need to tip 70% of your prize so the dealers can walk away with the equivalent of minimum wage. So can I put you down for 70%?"

Obviously I'd tell them to eat shit, and so would you.

It's up to the business to pay their employees properly. Expecting industry-customary tips is fine, but it's outrageous to think that the customer has to overtip in order to make up for a particular business' cheapness.

[Dan Druff]

BTW, 2% of 25k is $500.

So $500 came out of every buyin to tip dealers. I think that's quite sufficient. Dealers are not doing $500 worth of work for the average player in that event.