Thread: Did You Learn About Baccarat Through Books, Experience or Mentors?

I think that if you want to be a great, not just good, baccarat player, you need to gather as much quality information as possible to enable you to become the best baccarat player you can be.

Note that I specifically said "quality information," as opposed to the quantity of information.

As baccarat has grown, there have been more and more books, videos, and seminars, as well as group and individual lessons, made available. Although it is nice to have so many options, this could be counterproductive to your needs. That's because not all of this information is of equal value, and at some point you will have to pick and choose which concepts work, and work best for you, in what game. It will be your job to sift through all of this information and weed out the irrelevant or useless material.

Although most of the media these days is mainly focused on Punto Banco (American Baccarat) there are many variations (mini-baccarat, chemin de fer, etc), and there is still lots of information out there if you prefer learning these other games.

Knowledge of a baccarat concept is not enough - you also need to know how to apply it, how to recognize the right time to apply it, and have the heart to "pull the trigger." Although this applies to any concept in baccarat, even the basics, I have found that the more advanced ones have a lot more probability for error and failure.

When you play a basic strategy situation "by the book," when you lose it does not look like you are a sucker - it was just a bad break. But many times with sophisticated plays, you will look foolish if it does not work. That is because most players, even the better ones, do not understand many of these plays - systems and patterns. You have to be able to accept the incorrect "judgment" of your peers, when this happens. Not everyone can handle this; part of the reason they play is to earn the respect of their peers.

How can you gain this knowledge? It won't be easy. You may be able to find a mentor or teacher to help you, but most likely you will have to do research on your own to pick and choose what concepts to incorporate, and piece it all together yourself. In this business, no one is giving out all of their "secrets." Baccarat tends to be a rather "cutthroat" business, so you will mostly have to find your way on your own.

How have you gained your baccarat knowledge - books, experience, or mentors?

First, you have to learn the basics. Although some media (baccarat blogs and such) may be helpful and useful, I have found many of them to be inaccurate and even incorrect. (This can actually work to your advantage, since the players who are reading these things are actually learning the games incorrectly.) That doesn't mean that you shouldn't read, but you will then need to figure out which of the concepts you learn works, and will work well for you.

I got very lucky when I was a budding baccarat player. I had some great teachers and mentors who asked nothing of me except to listen to them. For the most part, these were guys from the "old-school" baccarat game.

They were "old timers" who really understood the right way to play baccarat, mainly chemin de fer. They saw I had ability and affinity for the game, and that I was a "stand up" guy. They took me under their wings and taught me everything they knew, despite having to compete with me at the same tables every day. Their theories were impeccable, as were their teaching techniques.

Unfortunately for them, they neither had the heart or bankroll to allow them to beat any game higher than tables with minimum bets of what equals to american dollars as $25. But because of their giving me so much of their knowledge, plus my own innate ability, I was able to usurp them as the best players in this game rather quickly, within six months.

Since I did have "heart" and did not have some of their bad spending habits or general responsibilities (like supporting a family - I was a college student), I was able to move up to the $500 tables rather quickly.

But as I moved up, I noticed that while the bad players were just as bad, the better players were much more skilled as the minimum bets increased.

I soon realized that every winner at the higher minimum bet tables knew everything that I knew and much more - I wasn't the hotshot any more with all the "luck" . I knew that I needed new information, and had to find a way to get it. Enter baccarat books