Definition of Toke

What does the term "toke" mean in the game of poker? What is the definition of the term "toke" in poker?

A "toke" is a tip that is given to somebody (usually a dealer or a floor person) during a live game of poker.

Dealers usually make relatively small salaries, so they are largely dependent on receiving tips in order to make a comfortable living.

It obviously depends on the size of the game being played, but "tokes" of $1 are quite common for when somebody wins a sizeable pot. Obviously if a dealer is dealing a game of $50/$100 No Limit Hold'em, the tokes could conceivably be much higher.

--

Let's say that you are playing in a $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em game at your local casino.

You are involved in a monster three-way pot. Following a flop of A-Q-K, you and two other players get all-in. It ends up being set vs set vs set, with you holding the set of Aces. You end up taking down a $1,000 pot.

As you are collecting your chips, you decide to give the dealer a $10 toke, as you are feeling particularly generous after taking down the massive pot. This $10 toke is a tip that you are giving to the dealer to keep for themselves. As I said earlier, dealers depend on these tips to make a decent living, as often the casinos will pay them minimum wage or slightly above. Similar to servers in a restaurant, the very good dealers will make more in tips, or "tokes".

--

Recent Articles That Include The Term Toke:


So Close! 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event Barely Misses Attendance Record

World Poker Tour Launching NFT Marketplace

Full Tilt Poker Announces Tournament Dollars (T$), Auto Top-Up for Cash Games and More


Back to the - Poker Dictionary