Costs & Benefits of Toking

Here is a Daniel Forbes contribution:
My plane back was scheduled to depart late morning and I debated further play as I arose. After washing up and shaving, I returned to the Sahara to play once again at what was by then early Friday morning.
I settled in at one of the single-deck games ($25 minimum) and spread from $25 to whatever I could get away with. An attractive young woman was playing at third base; she was the only other player. It occurred to me she might have been a counter, but a deck or two later confirmed she was not. I slowly drilled the casino as she lost. Not long after, a clean-faced young man sat down and placed two $50 bets. After a few hands, it was obvious he was counting. I began to show him my cards immediately, and he shortly thereafter reciprocated. Because I was more than able and all too willing to bet 2 x $150 or more at positive counts, we began sharing any and all information available to us. Then it happened.

While most counters refuse to toke (I love Griffin's counter/canoe joke), I am of the Andersen school. The dealers changed; our new dealer was a young man. After a few hands, he began blind-discarding (when the dealer busted, players' hands were scooped up without being turned face up first). I was not sure whether this practice was aimed at me or not, but the other counter walked immediately. A few hands later, 1 put up a toke for the dealer, and the blind discarding practice stopped. I went on to a $700 win.

Last we debate endlessly the toking question, I will confess to over-toking. I do spend a great deal of time on junkets, sucking up what freebies are available. I guess the toking habit comes from trying to show the money means little to me. And the results have paid off, I think. I will admit it is useless if the dealer does not check hole cards under 10s except for cover (except I do think I have purchased a few deeper cuts from knowing dealers), but as the counter/canoe joke indicates it is probably great for cover.

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Cost of Not Toking
Hustling for tokes is something many dealers do routinely. Whether it works for them or not on a particular customer they forget quickly. I do not think a dealer has ever remembered whether I toked last time I played.

Sometimes after I have played a few hands without toking, the dealer will give me a gentle hint about sharing my good fortune by donating "something for the boys." I just keep smiling and act as if 1 do not hear or do not understand the hint. Usually the dealer stops hustling me and accepts the fact that I am one customer who has better uses for my money than giving it to a dealer.
Sometimes the hustle is not too subtle. In Germany, I am told, a dealer will shake the toke box in front of a winner to demand a toke. The most gross I personally have witnessed was at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, long before it became a Hilton property. While making a circular motion with his palm on his shirt pocket, the dealer opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue as if he were begging for food.

The worst reaction I have ever gotten from not toking was the incident at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas that I mentioned in chapter 4. Dealers at Caesars Palace are accustomed to generous tokes. After ignoring a blatant toke hustle, I got ace-7 and doubled down. The dealer called out "Doubling down on soft eighteen" as if I were making an unusual play. The very next hand, when I again got soft eighteen and again doubled down, the dealer sang out in a louder voice, "Doubling down on soft eighteen like he knows what he is doing." I finished the shoe because the count was good, and at the shuffle took my chips to another table.

Except for sarcastic comments, I have never had any adverse reaction from not toking. When I get a sarcastic comment I never reply in kind. When I leave a table with a big pile of chips and the dealer says "Thank you, sir!" in a loud voice, I just smile and say "Thank you" to the dealer.

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