I’m a total amateur. I play purely for recreational fun.
ive played a few small tournaments in the 40 to 100 range at cardrooms. And at those buyins most people are there to have fun. There are a few that think it’s the WSOP but mostly not.
so final table is usually much more relaxed and everyone’s tired and know it’s been a grind.
@upNdown has played A few tourneys like that he can give better insight maybe to etiquette.
and there’s nothing to take poorly grebe
I’m always learning too !
You rang?
Probably a bit late, but I’ll share anyway.
I play a lot of $50-$150 tournaments, most of them in smaller cars rooms with lots of regs. I’ve probably averaged 3-5 a month over the past few years (not last year, thanks covid) and I’m my ROI has been good.
My tipping habits, influenced by the smaller rooms, have been 5-10% of my net profit. If I net $500, I’m tipping $40ish. If I net $2k, I’m tipping $100 or close to it. I’ve never won much more than that, so I don’t know where I’d go from there. These tips are very much in line with the decent regs who play in these rooms, but very much more than the general consensus (which is more in line with what
@Anthony Martino is paying.)
It’s worth mentioning that when I cash in a Foxwoods, Mohegan, Encore type place, my tips are more in the 3-4% range, or less. I don’t stiff the dealers at the big casinos, but I don’t take care of them like I do the dealers I see all the time in the smaller joints.
Chopping is the norm at these smaller cardrooms, for a variety of reasons. I never suggest chopping a piece for the dealers, but I like it when somebody else does. And I can’t remember seeing anybody refuse a proposed chop because there was a reasonable piece for the dealer.
Paying the bubble - again, very common at the smaller joints, but not quite expected. I think most people recognize that it’s just decent to give the bubble his money back after 6-7 hours of play. I’ve seen it refused plenty though, and I can’t argue with it. It’s clearly -ev for a big stack to pay the bubble (for a couple of reasons) and people recognize that too. It’s not often you’ll see an argument when somebody refuses to pay the bubble in a smaller room, but you’ll definitely see a lot of eye rolling. And god forbid you get paid as the bubble, but then refuse to do the same a month or two later - people WILL talk about that. In the bigger casinos, I don’t see the bubble paid as often but it happens sometimes. I remember getting to the final table at an encore $150. I believe 7 were getting paid. When we got down to 8, I was the very short stack, and I meekly, almost jokingly suggested we pay the bubble. I was shocked when they agreed. So it happens.
God I miss live poker.