In baccarat, once cards are dealt and their values calculated, they are placed in the discard tray to keep them separate from the rest of the shoe and avoid any confusion during the game. This ensures that only active cards remain in the shoe, while used cards are kept organized in the tray.
Discard Tray Example
For example, after a hand is completed, the dealer will take the dealt cards and place them into the discard tray before moving on to the next round.