Usually, the baccarat game takes place in a room or a pit distanced from the noisy crowd of the casino, so that players may better concentrate on their bets. The table sits fourteen players. It is a long oval with deep facing indents in its middle for the croupier and the additional dealers that take care of the players’ bets. They are called “dealers” but they do not deal cards. They pay the winners, get hold of the casino’s commission and take the money from the losers, getting the table ready for another round of bets.
- Dealer
- Discard Trays
- Dealer
- Drop Box
- Caller or Croupier
- Tips Box
Each seat corresponds to a number on the table. One end of the table goes from 1 to 7, and the other from 8 to 15. There is no number 13; gamblers are a superstitious bunch and the number 13 for the great majority of players has connotations of bad luck. So, number 13 is skipped.
It does not matter where you sit. You are not playing, you are only betting on who the winner will be. Your fortunes do not depend on you but on the two people who are dealt cards. It is their luck that determines yours. It may sound boring since you have no personal action except for putting money on one of the three options, but the anticipation of the outcome is as exciting as in any other game.
The baccarat table also provides the gamblers with score pads and writing stuff, for those who want to keep score of hands already dealt and weigh future possibilities.
