Superstition and Gambling | What are your superstitions?

Superstition and Gambling: What are your superstitions? Digg this article?

At a slot machine, one gambler leaned over to the other and asked, “are you superstitious”?, to which the other replied, “I use to be but then I heard it was unlucky”.

As we all know, gambling is the (cough cough) second oldest profession. It origins date back to ancient Greek, Asian, and Roman civilizations. For as long as gambling has been around there have been people who have practice rituals, prayed to their Gods, and showcased a variety of charms in hopes that a windfall of gold and riches would bestow them.

One of the funniest “Rosanne” episodes I ever saw was when she becomes addicted to Bingo and methodically displays troll dolls and lighters around her cards, sported a horrifically funny bee-hive hair-do and dressed up in those funny outfits like all the other crazed Bingo players did. It sounds far-fetched, but in fact, there is a great deal of study into the psychology of superstitions and the findings indicate that eight out of ten gamblers use some sort of unorthodox method (s) to bring them luck.

Superstitions develop over time and are based on past lucky or unlucky gambling sessions. They will reflect on the clothing they were wearing, a certain item of jewelry, the time of day it was, the day of the month, make correlations between that lucky day with monumental dates in their own lives in vein attempt to manipulate the odds and use them for future prosperity.

Some players look to the past to existing beliefs, or, tried and true methods, that have been passed on down through the ages. They choose to believe that something is unlucky and avoid it at all costs, yet others tempt superstition, and thereby winning or losing, it reinforces and fosters their belief system.

Kenny Rogers immortalized one such superstition by not counting his money on the table. It has been reported that casino cages find that players do not accept $50 bills in receipt of their winnings. Some players won’t sing or whistle at the table, while others wear red, as in Asian superstition - popularized in the movie Kong Fu Mahjong.

I think we all have to admit that we have subscribed to a superstition or two in our life time. As long as we do not let it control our lives, believing in greater possibilities can be beneficial and conducive to a more enjoyable gambling experience.

Do you have any superstitions? Post them here - we would love to know about them.

Enjoy

Holly (rae)

Great article rae! I have always thought the same... It is bad luck to be superstitious.

BUT:

I do not like $50 dollar bills unless it is a really big stack of them.
I do feel luckier when I play online early in the morning for some reason..
In Las Vegas there are certain video poker machines I will not play.
I do not have any totems, but I will not wear any jeans that are not "Lucky Brand"

Great article!! I remember when I first started gambling, and seeing this older lady sitting next to me, with this HUGE troll doll jammed halfway in her purse sticking out, I could barely contain my laughter, and had to move to another machine, because everytime I looked at it, or even thought about it, cause I knew it was there, I started laughing hysterically.

I don't think I have any superstitions, Although I should try what TDTAT does and wear a pair of Lucky Brand jeans, maybe thats why I never win, been forever since I wore a pair! Maybe I should invest in a new pair, and try that next time I get out to the casinos.

mistye81:
Great article!! I remember when I first started gambling, and seeing this older lady sitting next to me, with this HUGE troll doll jammed halfway in her purse sticking out, I could barely contain my laughter, and had to move to another machine, because everytime I looked at it, or even thought about it, cause I knew it was there, I started laughing hysterically.

I don't think I have any superstitions, Although I should try what TDTAT does and wear a pair of Lucky Brand jeans, maybe thats why I never win, been forever since I wore a pair! Maybe I should invest in a new pair, and try that next time I get out to the casinos.

Speaking of Lucky Jeans.. They were on sale a few weeks ago online

I think the deal is that if you feel lucky you have a better chance to win.

Tawnia YOU are to to funny.

I like gambling alone in the house when its late (the wee hours).

When I use to go to the lnad based casinos I would always wear the cross my late sister bought me - it sounds sacreligious - and didn't work - but it made me feel better.

I met this man once who circled his chair twice before sitting - that kinda freaked me out!!

But I like the LUCKY JEANS theory - I am headed to overstock.com



rae

They are great jeans rae! They even have a suprise that not many get to see.

I always see video poker players in Las Vegas rub the screen.. cracks me up.

TDTAT:
They are great jeans rae! They even have a suprise that not many get to see.

Hmmmmm...... very interesting!

TDTAT:
I always see video poker players in Las Vegas rub the screen.. cracks me up.

Yes, I often see the same thing!
With the slots.
People covering one line, like it is a secret or something!
Then the "screen rubbers"... like their hands are 'magic'.

When I worked as a cocktail waitress at a casino several years ago, I use to see people bring in a picture of their children or grandchildren, or a troll figurine and the like for good luck.

Sometimes I would see thiose extreme gamblers who would bang on the the machine and yell, "C'mon!! C'MONNNN!!!! PAY ME, DAMN YOU!!!!" I would crack up about that everytime!

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I don't know how this qualifies but I'm not much of of a machine hopper (at land based casinos) or change games much online. Even if the game is "cold" I'm always afraid I will miss the big "hit" if I change games. I think this is more of a vice of some sort as it seldom pans out....

I don't have any really superstitions. I know the screen rubbing players and the players that won't use the play button but only use the bet button to spin. I also know that the position in the casino of the machine is supposed to be important. And I know some people who will not play the machines right after the money has been removed from them. (Unfortunately I don't own any Lucky Brand Jeans) So I guess I will rely on Lady Luck and lots of money to make a little.

If i am running well on slots, I am totally wade boggs superstious! Chicken wings and similar bets and what not...

Everyone believes in superstitions some or the other day but it doesn't help a bit. In slots, some common superstitions are:

Don't sit, stand
Most slot-machine chairs are free-standing, but that doesn't stop some players from believing that their odds of winning at certain machines are higher if they stand. One player told me she thinks the machine "knows" when she's getting comfortable, and rewards her with a losing run. Her solution? She stands the whole time, even if it means suffering a foot ache.

Location is everything
Some slot players swear the location of a machine relates to how lucky the machine is. Casinos frequently put looser machines near the entrance of a casino to create excitement that tempt other gamblers.

But at the end of the day, I think when I play slots these superstitions don't help me. The most important thing is that you should be aware of all the strategies in that particular casino game with a little bit of luck on your side.

This discussion cracks me up because I have always been fascinated by the odd behavior of some fellow slot players at the casino. The way they push the buttons, rub the screen, talk to the machine, etc. I personally don't have any superstitions when playing a slot machine, although rather than rubbing it, I am more likely to break out the hand sanitizer every 3 spins or so. Haha I am more germaphobic than superstitious I guess.