I think Mr. Vker has basically called it. Probably was an accounting preference, on behalf of the floorperson. Though, they might also be preferring to keep tighter controls on the oranges. Sometimes, casino folks are very hard to figure.

And yes, never be afraid of the big game. Personally, I won't play a game where I can't face the cards (which basically means you have to play midi or big baccarat); since that's really where the excitement is in baccarat. And dealing, well, that's definitely the best part of the game. Since a big table has 3 dealers, they have lots of time on their hands -- and will absolutely give you guidance with regard to the card draws. They do it for everyone. Of course, once you are dealing, you must remember to very carefully peek and squeeze out those cards... and of course, toss gently and perfectly to the center of the table.

Over the years, I have witnessed only a few errors (miss-pulls by an over-anxious player); and usually, they'll catch (or shall we say grab) the card before it's turned over (faced) -- allowing it to become the first card dealt for the next hand.

Messing up a shoe is a really big deal to a lot of players, and many would probably stop betting (for the remainder of the shoe), or request a new shoe, if a card had to be killed mid-shoe.