Remember that one time when Wayne Gretzky had to teach Michael Jordan how to tip a waitress? You might not since it’s not as big a story as many others but it’s still pretty funny really. One can only hope that Jordan found it just as funny. Anyway, the story goes that Jordan and Gretzky were two of the players in a private salon when Jordan decided to tip a waitress a $5 chip for bringing him a drink. If you were an average citizen and didn’t have a lot this would be a nice gesture, but seeing as he’s Michael Jordan people almost expect him to tip more. In fact it’s usually expected for celebrities to tip more simply because they can afford it. It was then that Wayne Gretzky, who was in the same game with Jordan, took the chip of of the waitress’s tray, grabbed a $100 chip from Jordan’s stack, and gave it to her. Upon doing so he told Jordan, “That’s how we tip in Las Vegas, Michael.”
There are those that might think the that the Great One was being a bit presumptuous in taking a chip from Jordan’s pile and giving it away as a tip, but it was more like a lesson being taught since in Vegas there’s no time to be cheap unless your pockets aren’t that deep. If you can barely afford a trip to Sin City then it’s understandable that you can’t tip for drinks if they’re brought around to you. In that case it’s best to get up and go get your drinks on your own. But let’s face it, celebrities are known for being waited on hand and foot when they come to anyplace like Las Vegas, and are shown as much courtesy as people can muster. That’s why it was necessary for Jordan to learn a very important lesson. Take care of the people that are taking care of you.
Now $100 to a server anywhere is a dang good tip, especially if all the lady was doing for Jordan was bringing him a drink. But the high rollers and the celebrities that come to Vegas typically want some kind of privacy and thus engage in private games that are kept separate from the rest of the floor a lot of times. It’s a courtesy extended to those that can afford the games and can roll with the high stakes. Jordan might not have known at this point that kicking back a little to the people serving him was kind of expected, but hopefully at this point in life if he visits the casinos he knows that the people that are going to take care of him need to be taken care of in turn.
Average tips for a server aren’t that great at times no matter where you go. It’s all a matter of where you work, what the clientele are like, and of course how well they treat the individual. But seeing as how most servers that are helping celebrities are usually all smiles and accommodations, this woman likely had a good night bringing the players their drinks.
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