As the game of Baccarat has evolved, so has the layout of the table used for each new variation. Today, no fewer than five different tables are in common use, from the standard “big table” design used in high stakes games to the familiar Mini-Baccarat layout found in casino pits. All feature betting areas for three wagers: Player, Banker, and Tie.
Playing at the “Big Table”
The Baccarat table most often seen in movies and the private gaming rooms of casinos is about the same size as a Craps table. It has positions for 12 to 14 seated players and three or four casino employees. Other common attributes include a discard tray in the center of the table, a “drop box” slot for depositing cash, a “tips box” slot for dealer gratuities, and a chip rack that contains the House’s supply of chips. On top of the table will be the sabot or shoe containing up to eight decks of 52 playing cards.
One of the casino employees is the “Caller” or “Callman,” who manages the game and calls the results of each hand. The Caller is usually positioned in the middle on one side of the table, facing two Dealers or Croupiers on the other side. The dealers are responsible for handling the chips at each end of the table. One of them will have long flat wooden paddle that is used to move cards around the table.
The fourth employee is the Ladderman, who sits on a high chair where all of the table action can be viewed. This person is responsible for supervising the game and resolving any disputes that might arise.
Depending on whether the table has seats for 12 or 14, the places for participants are numbered from 1 to 6 or 1 to 7 on one rounded end of the table and from 7 to 12 or 8 to 15 on the other rounded end. The reason the 14-position table is numbered to 15 is because supposedly “unlucky” 13 is left out.
Above the position number on the table layout are boxes containing the letters P-L-A-Y-E-R-(S) and B-A-N-K-E-R-(S), where the respective bets for the Player and Banker hands are made. Towards the center of the table are smaller boxes with numbers corresponding to each participant’s position; this is where bets on Ties can be made.
Other Baccarat Table Layouts
The Mini-Baccarat table found on most casino floors typically seats seven participants and a single Dealer. About the size of a standard Blackjack table, its layout resembles half of the regular Baccarat table. Each numbered position has its own large betting circles for betting on the Player and Banker hands, as well as a smaller numbered area for making bets on Ties.
A unique area of the Mini-Baccarat layout is just in front of the chip rack, where numbered “commission boxes” appear. This is where the Dealer places chips deducted as the House vigorish—a percentage taken from winning hands. There are also designated areas for placing the cards that represent the Banker and Player hands.
Other less-common Baccarat layouts are the kidney-shaped two-Dealer version of the big table and the 9-position Midi-Baccarat table. The Baccarat versions known as Chemin de Fer and Punto Banco are usually played at oval-shaped tables with markings similar to the big table and seating for six to nine participants. For the game known as Baccarat a Deux Tableau, as many as sixteen may be seated, eight at either end.