tried live baccarat for the first time and i kinda get the hype

so i usually just stick to poker and sprinkle some roulette when i'm feeling frisky, but i jumped into live baccarat last night and honestly, i kinda see why people rave about it. the table banter is wild and the pace is way quicker than i thought. also, can we talk about how every third person claims to have some secret pattern to beating the shoe? these folks with their charts and theories crack me up.

i always thought baccarat was pure luck, zero skill, just flipping coins with fancy cards, but after watching for a while, i caught myself starting to believe i could spot streaks. which is probably the exact point the casino wants you to get to, right? anyone else find themselves getting sucked into trying to "read" the shoe or is that just me being my usual paranoid self? would love to hear if anyone actually tracks baccarat stats long-term or if that's a waste of time.