Shills are casino employees pretending to be players. They were used in all the games years ago. They were primarily used to help players who were playing alone feel a little more comfortable at the tables. Today, you don't find them much anymore even in the small casinos. How-eve, it is still a common practice to have shills at the baccarat tables. Most of the time you won't find them at the mini-baccarat tables, just at standard baccarat tables in the large casinos. Their job is still to help players feel a little togetherness with another player in the game. Another roles is to use them as starters, giving the appearance that a game is in progress thus encouraging additional players to jump in.