Erroneous Perceptions of Chinese Baccarat Players: Evidence from Guidebooks

Abstract

Baccarat, as the most popular gambling game, is also the one to which the majority of pathological gamblers who sought help are addicted in Macau. This paper documents the cognitive distortions of Chinese Baccarat gamblers from guidebooks written by five experienced Chinese gamblers. The analyses of their descriptions of Baccarat and their observations about other Chinese gamblers show that the objective of the vast majority of Chinese Baccarat players is to make quick money rather than view Baccarat as a form of entertainment. Further, cognitive distortions—such as the gambler’s fallacy, illusion of control, illusory correlation, interpretive bias, and availability of others’ wins—are pervasive. Some erroneous perceptions have Baccarat-specific representations, such as following trends, money management tricks, and following winners. These findings may contribute to prevention/awareness education and counseling services for pathological gamblers.