When Brandon Cantu won his first WPT title at the 2008 World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Stars he neglected to leave a tip for the dealer. Naturally, that caused a big stir and all of a sudden Cantu’s being labeled a bad guy for cheaping out on the staff. In his defense, here’s what Cantu had to say:

“In this specific situation, I simply assumed that a percentage of fees were withheld for all appropriate staff, as this practice is common amongst most major tour tournament events,” said Cantu in a statement concerning the issue.

A lot of the time it isn’t made clear what the rules are in the case of tipping the dealer after winning a major poker tournament.

Shooting Stars director Matt Savage explains it this way: “It is unfortunate the way this issue came out publicly. I feel really bad, and I think he is a great player. I am happy he won, and I believe that tipping is a personal choice,” said Savage. “I do, however, want to make sure that my staff is taken care of, because they are all so deserving. Nobody has been paid yet, because the club is trying to find a way to make it right.”

What do you think? As a suggestion, it should be made clear prior to every major tournament that tipping is appreciated. Or not necessary. Whatever. How hard is it to dish out a few bucks after taking in a huge haul?