One of the perks of playing the Poker Masters is that you get free Fiji water. Naturally, you’re expected to tip, but how much is not enough?
Daniel Negreanu has called out one of the "millionaire" players for what he sees as unnecessarily cheapskate behaviour.
He didn’t go as far as naming the player, but he did kickstart a lively debate online with a post that outlined exactly what happened.
“Imagine you are a millionaire playing a $10K buy-in at PokerGo Studio,” Negreanu said.
“You order two FREE Fijis from the cocktail waitress. In your hand is a $5 bill; you go to your pocket and pull out a wad of $100 bills, and in there you dig to find two dirty $1 bills.
“Waitress comes back with your Fijis and you hand her the two $1 bills. [You] could have just sprung for the $5, but nah. You gain $3 in EV for your selfish self. I guess I should give the guy a little credit for not asking her to break a $1.
“Actions speak louder than words. You had a chance to make a difference for a single mother working her ass off to pay the bills, but you chose the dirty $1s.
“Yes, this actually happened, and no, I’m not going to publicly name the person, but if that’s you…”
Negreanu rounded his post off with the Shame meme from Game of Thrones.
Negreanu has been playing the Poker Masters events this past week and is improving. He finished 69th in Event 1 (won by Spencer Champlin), 36th in Event 2 (won by Jeremy Becker), and cashed in Event 3 in ninth for $28,200.
63 players entered Event 3, which casts a pretty wide net for anyone looking for the tipping culprit.
Justin Zaki ended up winning the tournament for $244,400, beating Jeremy Ausmus into second for $155,400. Victoria Livschitz was fourth.
Should millionaires tip more?
The question of how much you should tip – especially if you're a high-roller – split the room.
Some players thought a $2 tip for two bottles of water was fair, and Doug Polk added that he didn't like the idea of "tip shaming," or 'judging people by what they tip based on the stakes they play."
Others were on Negreanu’s side, including an outraged Mike Matusow.
Despite several accusations thrown in the thread, it wasn’t Allen Kessler.
Given the price we paid for Fiji water at a recent tournament, we’d be delighted to tip $5 for two bottles.
But what do you think? Should you tip according to your bankroll, or is there a flat rate for everyone? Is $1 for a bottle of Fiji water a fair exchange? Or is it "beyond disgusting," as Mike Matusow said? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Feature image courtesy of PokerGO.
