Baccarat Table Layout

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The table used for Baccarat has evolved along with the game. Presently, five different table layouts are widely used, ranging from the standard “big table” design common in high stakes games to the popular Mini-Baccarat version that is the standard in casino pit areas. Among features they all share are betting areas for three types of wagers: Player, Banker and Tie.

Private casino gaming rooms typically install the type of table most often seen in movies, which is roughly the same size as a Craps table. Each “big table” offers seats for 12 to 14 players, with room for a crew made up of three or four staff.

Atop the surface of the table will be a discard tray in the middle, a “cash drop” slot for depositing players’ funds, a “tip box” slot for gratuities received and a grooved rack containing the supply of chips belonging to the House. There will also be a sabot or shoe that holds as many as eight standard decks of 52 playing cards.

The casino staff members have separate functions. Positioned in the middle on one side of the table, the “Caller” or “Callman” is responsible for managing the game, calling out the result of each hand. Facing the Caller on the opposite side of the table are two Dealers or Croupiers who handle the chips at either end of the table. One of the dealers wields a long flat wooden paddle resembling a thin cricket bat, which is used for moving cards around the table.

Sitting in a tall chair overlooking the table action is an employee known as the “Ladderman.” This person’s job is to supervise the game, interpreting rules and resolving any disputes that come up in the course of play. The Ladderman rarely takes part in any aspect of the game unless there is a problem.

The 12 or 14 seats surrounding the oval table are numbered from 1 to 6 or 1 to 7 on one end and from 7 to 12 or 8 to 15 on the other end. At the 14-position table, there is no seat marked “13” because it is supposedly an unlucky number, so seat 12 is followed by 14 and 15.

Appearing directly above the seat number on the table layout are boxes labeled P-L-A-Y-E-R-(S) and B-A-N-K-E-R-(S). These areas are where bets are made on the Player and Banker hands, respectively. Smaller boxes in the center of the table bear numbers corresponding to each participant’s seat, and these are where bets on Ties can be placed.

By contrast, the Mini-Baccarat table seats just seven participants plus one Dealer. It is about the same size as a typical casino Blackjack table, and the layout is similar to that of half of the full-size Baccarat table. In front of each numbered seating position are large betting circles for wagering on the Banker and Player hands, along with a smaller numbered area for placing bets on Ties.

The Mini-Baccarat table also features one unique area directly in front of the House’s chip rack. Here, numbered “commission boxes” appear, where the Dealer places chips representing deductions from the wagers for the House margin. This so-called “vigorish” is a percentage taken from winning hands. Mini-Baccarat tables also have areas designated for the placement of the cards for the Banker and Player hands.

Although the full-size table and Mini-Baccarat table are certainly the most common layouts seen in casinos, a few others may be encountered. These include the kidney-shaped double-Dealer version of the big table and the 9-position “Midi-Baccarat” table.

For Chemin de Fer and Punto Banco, two popular Baccarat variations, oval-shaped tables with seating for six to nine are used, bearing markings similar to those seen on the full-size table. And for Baccarat a Deux Tableau, played in Monte Carlo, up to sixteen participants may be seated, with eight positions at either end.

Published on: 26/04/2012

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