How Much Do Las Vegas Casino Dealers Make
Questions & Answers
Date: January 9, 2019Written By: Heather Ferris
I’ve had a lot of questions and curiosity over the years on the topic of dealer’s tokes and how much they make. There’s so much information to talk about that I can’t fit it all into one Q&A video, so I’ll just briefly go over the basics and if you want more information I have an entire chapter dedicated to this topic in the book I’m currently writing. The most important thing to keep in mind is the variety and range that is involved, whereas, not only is every casino is different but the toke numbers are different for every dealer as well depending on how many hours they worked, if they were on the toke committee that night, if they have more games under their belt then other dealers, plus the toke numbers themselves will fluctuate on a daily basis. Since every casino is different, there’s a wide variety of factors to consider when figuring out toke numbers. And with that disclaimer over, let’s proceed.
You’ll often hear Las Vegas dealers refer to their tips as tokes. So why would they use the word “Toke” instead of “Tip” when they’re exactly the same thing? Well, historically speaking, Las Vegas dealers used to refer to their tips as “Tokens of Gratitude” but over the years that phrase was shortened to “Tokes”, so when you hear casino dealers talk about their tokes you know that they’re actually referring to their tips. But a dealer’s salary isn’t based solely on tips, since they get minimum wage as well. How much minimum wage they get depends on the dealer’s location.
Dealer’s toke averages also depend on the location, with houses having a wide range of what’s normal when it comes to tips. The properties where dealers make the most money in Las Vegas include Caesar’s Palace and Mandalay Bay. At Caesar’s Palace dealers average $200 to $300 on the weekdays and $300 to $400 on the weekends, with a “Good Day” translating to $400. Dealers at Mandalay Bay average around $150 to $250 on the weekdays and $250 to $350 on the weekends with a “Good Day” also translating to $400. And then there are the break-in houses and local’s casinos where dealers tend to make the least amount of money in Las Vegas, including the El Cortez and Circus Circus. The El Cortez is one of the worst break-in houses averaging around $25 a day on the weekdays and $50 on the weekends. Circus Circus ranks a bit higher in this category, since dealers average around $50 to $75 per day on the weekdays and $75 to $100 on the weekends, with a “Good Day” translating to $150. So what’s the average for Las Vegas? The Paris and the Hard Rock are good representations of what’s normal. Both properties average around $150 on the weekdays and $200 on the weekends, with a “Good Day” being around $300.
Dealers commonly keep this information a secret and that’s why it’s so difficult to find out these numbers, because there’s no public record of this data. That’s why, years ago, I started collecting and posting that information on my website, making it public for everyone to see. At first it was only Las Vegas numbers, but now it’s grown into something much larger, the 1st World Toke Board, now sharing toke numbers from casinos all around the world. Again, since there’s no official public record, the best we can do is look at actual toke numbers from the past, provided to us by the dealers who work in those casinos, and use those samples in order to give us an accurate impression of what dealers make. Go check out my website at Vegas-Aces.com and in the Resources section, you’ll see the World Toke Board. Scroll to the location that you want to check out to see how much dealers make in that area.
Now I can’t be everywhere at once… So the only way I can keep this going is if I have casino dealers from all around the world, give me a sample of their tip numbers. It can be one random week out of the month, it can be a day total for an event or holiday or it can just be an average, whatever you feel comfortable giving out. Email me at Heather@Vegas-Aces.com. Thanks! I appreciate it.
How Much Do Las Vegas Casino Dealers Make Money
Las Vegas Casino News Update
Dealers typically start out at minimum wage, and the median wage is only $10/hour. The real money is in the tips. Wages and tips together is typically about $50,000 a year, but it's way lower at the cheaper casinos and way higher at the ritzier ones. Here's how total dealer income stacks up. The average Blackjack Dealer salary in Las Vegas, NV is $18,279 as of January 29, 2021, but the range typically falls between $16,588 and $20,138. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills.