Posted in Guides March 17, 2018
Your Guide to Baccarat Table Layouts: Mini, Midi, Maxi
Baccarat is a game every beginner to a casino will fall in love with. And most likely that love will remain with you for life. Simple rules, fascinating gameplay, and low house edge make this table game popular with everyone. High rollers, playing at full-size (maxi) baccarat tables usually enjoy the game at luxurious VIP rooms of brick-and-mortar casinos. Mini baccarat tables, on the other hand, are available nearly at any gambling spot big enough to fit one of them. There’s also online baccarat (midi), which makes the game available to everyone everywhere.
The most popular type of the game is American Baccarat. However, there are many variations of it. Table layouts remain mostly the same in the game’s variations, but the betting options and the way hands are dealt differ. Yet the rules are just as simple as the original baccarat and even a complete newbie can understand them and learn how to win on their first try.
Related reads, tutorials and winning strategies for the games mentioned above:
- Tips and Strategies for Winning at Baccarat
- Live Casino Baccarat – Learn to Play Like a VIP
- Increase Your Chances in Live Baccarat by Using These 3 Betting Srategies
Maxi Baccarat or a Full-Size Baccarat Table
A big, also known as full-size baccarat table seats 14 players, 2 dealers, and a croupier. Technically, the croupier is also a dealer, but they have a unique position and oversee the game. You can also encounter the ‘croupier’ replaced with a term ‘caller’ because this dealer makes calls on the hands.
Other dealers provide players with chips and render any other assistance necessary. One dealer oversees a half of the table.
Like it often is with gambling, the baccarat table doesn’t have number ‘13’ on it. That’s why it seats 14 players but has numbers 1-12, 14, and 15. Some baccarat tables today also omit the number ‘4’. That’s because it has similar negative superstitions surrounding it in some Asian cultures.
Despite slight differences in the numerical system used, the layout of the tables remains the same. Every player has three betting options, which is why baccarat is so simple. You can bet on the ‘Player’, ‘Bank’ and ‘Tie’.
The middle of the table is reserved for the caller, who keeps track of the bets and deals the hands. They also keep track of all Banker bets and the commissions the house receives on those. Note that in baccarat that bet is the best, so it has a small reward going to the house by default to even out the chances.
Mini Baccarat – For Those Who Like it Simple
Take a full-size baccarat table, cut it clear in half, and leave only one dealer. You’ve just gotten yourself a mini baccarat table. Mini baccarat differs from maxi by virtually nothing but the size. Bets are also usually lower here as full-size tables are frequented by high-rollers.
Note that while bets in the game usually start at about $50-$100, the high-roller tables can have them go up to hundreds of thousands. Mini baccarat is definitely the best place to start if you are just learning or if you want to stay safe. These tables have reasonable limits and playing there is as risk-free as you can get in a casino.
Obviously, the mini table only seats 7 players, so there’s no need to omit the dreaded number ‘13’. Otherwise, the betting area is the same. You still have three options to bet on.
Midi Baccarat – For Online Players
Now, cut your baccarat table to only one player with all the same layout of the betting area in front of you. It’s also conveniently located on the screen of whatever device you choose to play with, mobile gadgets included.
That’s how a midi, also known as online, baccarat table looks like. At least, the majority of baccarat varieties available at online casinos look like this. However, as web designers get more creative and the trend for looks-like-real-life graphics grows, the virtual tables of today may look identical to their real-life counterparts.
You are most likely to see this kind of design when playing Live dealer baccarat online. That kind of gamble will bring you as close to the real-life casino experience as possible today. Integration of the Virtual Reality (VR) technology into online gambling is sure to take the experience even further.
Online baccarat tables might have an option for a side bet alongside the three ‘classic’ ones. These differ depending on the game variation and the casino. They usually offer a chance at winning extra perks.
Online baccarat tables have much more room for creative design, so you’ll need to explore your options to find what looks best for you personally. However, the principle of the game remains the same no matter where you play it.
Live dealer baccarat usually has a multiplayer option. This means that you’ll be able to interact with other players in the online casino. Whether the dealer has any limitations in the number of players at one ‘table’ depends on the type of software used. This ability to choose how much interaction you want to have during the game as well as play from anywhere and at anytime are the main reasons why online baccarat is extremely popular.
