All forms of gambling involve luck to some extent. Many players go to great pains to ensure that luck is on their side, while others categorically refuse to admit that they are influenced by some superstition. Whatever the case, luck and gambling often go hand in hand, along with a good dose of strategy. So, from the old cliché of the lucky rabbit's foot to the dominant red of Macau casinos: what are the most recurrent superstitions in the world of casino gaming?
THE MOST COMMON SUPERSTITIONS AT THE GAMING TABLES
Unsurprisingly, 13 is widely regarded as a number associated with general bad luck, so it's not surprising that it's also associated with gambling. In casinos and gaming clubs, it's not uncommon to see players trying to avoid it. It's not surprising, for example, that 13 is the least bet number in roulette. And some large hotel-casinos even go so far as to remove the number from their floors, going straight from 12 to 14.
In France, on the other hand, we like to be different! The number 13 is traditionally considered a lucky number. Even before the First World War, it was used as a symbol of good luck on postcards and charms. In fact, La Française des Jeux increases its sales every Friday the 13th. Could this be a way for French gamblers to turn a negative into a positive?
Gaming clubs and casinos also love to communicate on the several annual Friday 13s in the calendar.
But the list of superstitions goes on, including many physical tics, such as crossing your legs, a rather strange superstition with no known origin. Or counting your money at the table, a fairly widespread superstition that originated with the first players at the beginning of the last century, who never counted their chip stacks until the end of a poker game. The superstition was then transposed to the casino, where it's considered bad luck to count your chips during a big session of blackjack or poker 21.
Some superstitions are even quite surprising. Loaning money to another player at the table is sometimes seen as an act of bad luck, as is whistling while playing, the origin of which could be associated with sailors, as a whistle signified the imminence of strong and dangerous winds. In expressions too, we all know those players who define themselves as "black cats", victims of a cycle of bad luck.
THE MOST COMMON ACTIONS TO CALL FOR LUCK
On the other hand, it's quite common for casino players to have a routine they always follow to help bring them luck, sometimes without even realizing it!
Who hasn't blown on the dice before throwing them in a game of craps or dice games? Or crossed their fingers to implore the gaming gods? We can also mention table or poker players who often stack their chips in a very specific way, who call out a number in roulette or cards in poker, who touch wood, who carry their lucky object or chip with them all the time, or who are prepared to play a bad hand in poker because it's their "lucky hand".
On the other hand, 7 is associated with luck in many cultures. Perhaps that's why so many slot machines offer jackpot wins for 7 consecutive symbols on the same line. And finally, who hasn't heard the saying, "unlucky at games, happy in love"? It would seem that, for once, a disappointment in love is welcome before entering a gambling establishment.
And let's not forget the famous "jacket trick" so well known to poker players!
The jacket trick: a strategy that works?
SUPERSTITIONS IN OTHER CULTURES
Superstitions about gambling vary from country to country, and we could even write a whole book on the wackiest and most unexpected superstitions! In Asia, for example, and especially in China, red brings good fortune. Chinese numerology also influences the way players play casino games. Generally speaking, casino players will avoid the number 4 at all costs, as the word is similar in its Cantonese translation to death. On the other hand, the numbers 3, 6 and 9 bring good fortune when combined with the number 8. Asian casino decoration has been strongly influenced by this, since it's common to find red everywhere and to notice an absence of the number 4 on the seats, particularly at the Baccarat and Punto Banco tables.
In the United States, some Americans refuse to be paid in $50 bills. Why, you ask? Well, according to urban legend, mobsters put $50 bills in their victims' pockets after assassinations.
Sometimes, these superstitions have serious consequences for casino operators. For example, the MGM casino in Las Vegas was forced to change its entrance due to the beliefs of its Chinese visitors. The original entrance was built in the shape of a huge lion's head, through which one had to pass to enter the casino. Chinese gamblers, attaching great importance to symbolism, associated this with a sign of bad feng shui, and MGM changed its entrance accordingly so as not to miss out on this important table-game clientele.
Or in Malta, did you know that if your right hand itches, you're about to lose a lot of money? In Serbia, on the other hand, itchy hands are a good omen...
Superstition is a time-honored, worldwide phenomenon with no end in sight. But whether you choose to believe it or not, and whether your gambling luck smiles on you or not, one thing's for sure: you'll always find something to enjoy at the Club Pierre Charron's gaming tables or restaurant!
What are your superstitions ?
