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Living in Las Vegas, you hear some crazy stories from time to time. Recently I had lunch with some friends of mine who all work at one of the most prestigious Strip properties, and they told me a story that I just have to share with you all.
Early one morning, an elderly gentleman wandered into the property and bought in at a blackjack table for around $27,000 cash. He then proceeded to turn his original buy-in into a little more than $500,000. In the process, he was tipping exuberant amounts of money to the dealers and cocktail staff. And I mean exuberant! At one point, the gentleman had bet five boxes at $5,000 each, had won them all, and then tipped the dealer the entire $50,000.
Now, I should explain exactly what separates this particular property from the others in Las Vegas. The majority of properties place a cap or maximum amount that players can tip the dealer at one time. For example, if you wanted to tip a blackjack dealer $50,000 and the cap-amount at that property was $5,000, then you would have to tip the dealer $5,000 a hand for ten hands. This rule is designed to protect the house more than anyone, as any money that gets tipped to the dealers is effectively dead money that the house can’t win.
By the end of his session, the gentleman had tipped out a little more than $500,000 to the dealers and floor staff – the entire amount of money that he had won. Since I used to deal poker, I can assure you that that is a lot of poker hands. One of the cocktail waitresses had an exceptional morning, taking home a little more than $25,000. The big difference between cocktail staff and the gaming staff is that they get to keep their own tips. So here is a cocktail waitress who just had the shift of her life. And what does she do? She goes out the next day and pays off her car loan and other debts. Can’t blame the girl now, can you?
Here is where the story gets interesting. The next day, the gentleman came back into the property with two people – a family member and his lawyer. Can you see where this is going? You guessed it; they claimed that the man was insane and they wanted the money back. All of it. They threatened to bring in the press and make a huge deal out of it all, so the property panicked and called for a staff meeting. The results were nothing short of spectacular.
The casino demanded that the cocktail waitress pay back all of the money. If she refused, then she would forfeit her employment at that property. The girl decided that her job was too valuable, so she had to abide by the demands of her employer. And since the waitress had spent all the money, she had to approach her bank to take out a loan to repay the property. The worst part is that once she had paid back all the money, she was fired anyway. Lucky for her, though, she is represented by a union and, according to my source, is seeking legal advice on this matter.
Next thing that came from the meeting was that the dealers were forced to pay back the initial buy-in from their tip pool money.
The dealers still walked away with a little more than $475,000, though, so all in all, they had a very nice week at work.
During the gentleman’s session at the tables, the floor staff and supervisors questioned him on his actions several times. They asked the man repeatedly if he was sure that what he was doing was okay. Each time they were told succinctly by the gentleman that he knew what he was doing and to leave him alone.
One thing I know for a fact is this. In Las Vegas, in order to work in a casino on the gaming floor, you have to pass several examinations and have several licenses. One of the things that gaming employees are trained to look out for is drunk and disorderly conduct. At some point, a gaming employee must stop patrons from wagering any more of their money if they believe they are too intoxicated – it is the law. They are not, however, trained to spot mental illness or mentally handicapped punters. So what is the moral of this story? Do I really need to have one? Why do all stories have to have a moral? Why can’t we just tell a story? OK then; here, have a moral.
The moral of the story is: Only crazy people know how to tip well in Las Vegas. There, I don’t like it, but you got it. Also, if any crazy people ever wish to play in Las Vegas, I will come out of retirement and start dealing again just for you.
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