I used to deal poker in private games and I only made money if tipped. Usually averaged out to 40-50$ per hour. In that game we kept all our tips, but that's not the case in casinos and other private games. I know 1 game that pays their dealers $20 per hour+tips. Casinos sometimes pay dealers an hourly wage and make all dealers split tips evenly between all who are on a shift.
I think in the USA it's pretty standard to tip the dealer a minimum of $1 per hand. Depending on the stakes of the game being dealt, people usually tip a lot more.
Yeah, I think that's what the norm for dealers, they share the tips evenly for that shift, at least that's how my friends who is a dealer would tell me. Now it is mandatory, really depends on the individual, but usually they tip if the table is lively and more fun and they are getting the better of the dealer, so they gave them like $10-$20.
And that's how dealers make big money, just imagine how much they are getting in a day, it could range from like $20-$100 split evenly between them and it could be enough for their daily expenses and might not touch their salaries.