The word is casino shorthand - short for "token of appreciation" - and at most US tables it is a real part of a dealer's income, often pooled and split between the shift's dealers by house rules.
There are two ways to toke. Handing or placing a chip for the dealer is a straight tip. Placing a bet "for the dealers" - on your blackjack hand's edge, or on the pass line in craps - makes the toke ride with your result: if the bet wins, the dealers win with it. Dealers see both constantly; the bet form is more social, the straight tip is more certain.
In US cash-game poker the convention is $1 to $2 a pot won; tournaments usually withhold staff costs from the entry fee, with anything extra discretionary. Our tipping guide covers the situations in detail. Whatever your habit, count tokes as part of your hourly cost - they are real money, and budgeting them beats resenting them.
Where the numbers come from
Related terms in casino floor
- Rake, The house's cut of each pot, or the fee on a tournament entry.
- Comp, Complimentary goods or services given to players based on tracked play.
- High roller, A player whose stakes justify individual attention from the casino.
- Marker, A line of credit extended by the casino, drawn at the table.
Where an entry quotes a number, that figure comes from the computed sections of this site rather than from another glossary, so the definition and the derivation cannot drift apart. Each entry links to the page where the number is worked out.