Hospitality is the universal language in Las Vegas. From the bellman taking your bags when you arrive at to the cocktail server bringing you a whiskey on the rocks, the service industry is the backbone of your Vegas experience. As a result, tipping is essential. Las Vegas may be Sin City, but when it comes to offering up gratuity, etiquette matters.
To a first-time visitor – or even someone who has spent many a liquor-soaked night on Las Vegas Boulevard – knowing who to tip and how much can often feel like gambling. Even if you think that you know the percentages and dollar amounts, you still might end up stumped when figuring out how much to tip on a comped limo ride or whether or not you’re supposed to slide a few bills across the front desk.
Despair not. Here’s a cheat-sheet to all of the people you’re supposed to tip in Las Vegas – and how much to tip them:
Servers
This is one that you already know. When dining at a restaurant in Las Vegas, tip your server 20%. Servers rely on tips and often share them with bussers, hosts and other employees. You know you want to splurge at the fancy steakhouse and order the Kobe beef, so tip like a big shot, too.
Bartenders
The old dollar-a-drink logic is outdated. Tip 20% here too, especially if you ordered a labor-intensive craft cocktail.
Cocktail Servers
Enjoying the free drinks at the Blackjack table? Show your appreciation with a dollar or two every time the server delivers your beverage. It’ll ensure that she keeps coming back with more booze, and that’s never a bad thing.
Bellmen
Give it up for the folks who lug around your bags so you don’t have to. Tip $1-2 per bag.
Valet
Gone are the days of free valet in Las Vegas, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tip. Handing the attendant a $5 is a safe bet.
Housekeeping
Your room is the sanctuary where you’ll recover from your hangover; respect must be paid. Tip housekeepers $1-2 per day – more if you’re staying in a suite, and much, much more if you trashed that suite.
Dealers
Call it your good luck charm or call it good manners. Either way, if you’re gambling, it’s nice to tip the dealer a few dollars an hour, especially if you just won big.
Cab Drivers/Uber Drivers
Uber and Lyft arrived in Las Vegas in 2015, but if you prefer to go old school and take a cab, tip 20%. Same goes for the rides you hail with your phone.
Tour Leaders
From hot air balloon rides over the city to overnight bus trips to the Grand Canyon, there are a number of tours that you can take while visiting Las Vegas. Not all tour guides will accept tips, but it’s always a good idea to offer. For shorter tours (i.e. a helicopter ride over the Strip), tip $20. For longer tours, tip 18-20% of the total cost of the tour.
Complimentary Limo Service
So you’ve decided to take the guys who spend all day shouting “free limo rides to strip clubs” up on their offer. Even if you’re getting a complimentary ride to a strip club – or anywhere, really – give the driver a $20.
Dancers
The phrase “make it rain” was created in a strip club. You know what to do.
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