. You are the first person served, every time you walk in, no matter how crowded the bar is.
. You are poured the extra liquor that a bartender is allowed to "spill"
. When you bring your date to the restaurant next time, you are treated very well.
It is true that in America, these things are lost because everyone is expected to tip. But this is the true point of tipping a good waiter or bartender, to show your appreciation and also to be remembered.
I had the chance to move around a lot and my social alcoholism made my spend lot of time in seedy places where someone pour out booze.
In all those places, paying more money is just bad taste.
A way to get what you describe is ( in my personal experience )
- smile
- be young and / or attractive
- being visibly in distress
- being polite and patient in the face of another rude customer
- make some jokes, not in English but in the language people speak where you are
- have a dog / a kid
- show that you have some humors and are not an asshole.
With all due respect, paying more and displaying extra wealth is a good way to be classified in the easy to dupe category. In some language due to post WW2 wealth, some folks say “an American” like “do you think I’m American or what ?”
But if you have established communication with your waiter / bartender / blackjack dealer, and you leave them some extra, it is much more appreciated outside the US. Especially if they see you more than a couple times. Whether you are young and attractive or not, although of course that helps.
Does losing $5,000 alone on a blackjack table in Prague because you're depressed, and then smiling and tipping your dealer constitute visible distress? I can't say it's always a financially wise strategy.
I just spend a few minute refining my thoughts on tipping outside the US : I would say it has to do with a relationship with money and the power emanating from it.
Tipping is not expected in most places; and doing it anyway clearly signal that you have some disposable wealth. You can afford to pay even more than the agreed upon price.
There is some “bling” and nouveau-riche aspect to it that will leave people a weird feeling.
For instance : Are you trying to bribe them? Do you think they are too poor to function without your patronage? Are the price/money here just a joke to you?
And then, it become your edge. You are the guy or gal that pay extra. As opposed to be the funny/sexy/mysterious/resourceful person. AKA : El gringo, l’américain, l’americano. ( I’m one of you now, so I can say it :p )
Being seen that way might be a way to attract the wrong kind of company.
I don’t know about casino and hazard games, my passion always has been the dives and the likes.
But you do say something important about establishing contact first.
That’s a great difference in my book.
I still maintain that waving money around FIRST won’t help on the long run. Establishing rapport and discretely paying extra might, sometime, with some people. But being nice and aware of your environment might do just the same.
I can assure you that an American tip here will give you a weird look and get you to be treated like a tourist which is not something you wish.
How is this detected by the state?
[edit] also, although I'm not service industry anymore, many of my friends are; so it's pretty understood that no one likes an asshole who just thinks they can "buy" someone with tips. That wasn't the point. Tips are necessary because I really do appreciate what servers are doing.
I think the issue in your approach is the transactional aspect of it.
“I payed more, now be more nice to me”
At their core, people don’t want to be owned this way.
