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What are some of the most notorious superstitions gambler's have?
Do you have some particular actions or routines that you undertake prior to starting to gamble? Such as wearing a lucky shirt, or betting only on your lucky numbers, or looking for a cookie to crumble in a certain way.
You do? Well the good news is that you are not alone. The bad news is that with gambling you need to have the right mindset, not a witch doctor to tell you your lucky numbers. There's absolutely no reason to gamble unless you are playing for fun or with discipline.
Like it or not, the majority of people do have some form of superstitious behaviour embedded in their psyche when it comes to gambling. There are some people where superstitions can go into overdrive.
Indeed as a section of society as a whole, there are few demographics more superstitious than those who enjoy playing casino games, betting on sports, poker or indeed any other form or type of gambling such as mobile casino.
At first this seems almost counter-intuitive. At the high end of the gambling world, the very best gamblers in all fields are well aware of how chance works, statistical anomalies and how variance and randomness can combine to make the improbable possible and the implausible seemingly inevitable.
Indeed, if there is one section of society that should understand that superstition is likely not going to work, it is the gambling fraternity.
So how is it that gamblers are so superstitious and what kinds of superstitions do we see manifesting themselves today in the online world?
To answer that question we need to first examine how superstitions play a role in gambling prior to the invention of the internet.
Gambling and superstition through history
In truth, the belief that external forces, even those entirely unrelated to the task at hand, can somehow influence the result you seek for the positive has likely been a part of human nature from the first moment we played games of chance. Perhaps, even well before that, when our ancestors used to perform all kinds of bizarre (and sometimes, worrying) ceremonies to ensure that the rains came or that the harvest would be bountiful.
In a gambling context however superstition is not a simple concept. It can be built up through legend and become famous around the world, or be absolutely individual to one person.
A great example of both these situations comes from the world of poker. One hand in poker, a two pair hand of Aces and Eights, has become known as the "Dead man's hand" across the globe. This is due to the fact that Wild Bill Hickok, lawmaker and gambler of the old west, was purportedly shot and killed while playing poker and this was the hand he clutched in his dead hand (although the fifth card in his hand has never been formally identified).
As such, almost every poker player will know that a hand consisting of a pair of aces combined with a pair of eights is known as the 'dead mans hand' and many poker players believe that landing this hand can bring with it bad luck, even if they win the hand in question.
Indeed, the notion of the 'dead man's hand' extends far beyond poker. Many people will have heard of the phrase and will know it is a poker term, even if they do not know which cards made up the hand. It has even been immortalised in song, with the lyrics of Motorhead's hit "Ace of Spades" mentioning the singer receiving the "dead man's hand again".
This is an example of a superstition based on legend that has endured over time and which almost every poker player will know about. Yet there are also other superstitions that are entirely personal.
One of the most famous and respected poker players in the world, Doyle Brunson, for example has his own superstition where he will play what is generally considered one of the weakest hands in poker (a 10 and a 2 of any suit) as if they were a top pair.
The reason for this superstition, which flies in the face of all poker logic and statistical analysis, is that Brunson has won two massive tournaments with the hand of 10 and a 2, therefore, in his mind, he believes that this hand will work for him and so he plays it as he would a hand of a pair of aces or a pair of kings, or Ace/King suited.
Superstition extends across every sphere of life too. Sports people are known to have their own 'lucky' item of clothing, jewellery or equipment. Slots players will have their own 'lucky' game, card players may have their own 'lucky' position at the table, sports betting fans used to place bets only at their lucky bookmakers, using a lucky pen that somehow seemed to guarantee a win, when all other pens would not.
Yet what is most amazing is that we train ourselves to believe that superstitions can work. I have perfect evidence of this due to an incident that happened to me when I was much younger.
My friends had invited me out for a drink in the evening, but as a student, I didn't have much money to spend, just a few dollars in my pocket. Resigned to a night in, one of my friends suggested I try and wager my meagre $20 for a night out.
With that in mind, I popped across the road to a local TAB and looked for a horse at odds of around $7. There was one horse that caught my eye. I placed a $20 win on the horse.
I then watched in the bookmakers as Shavian romped home to victory, earning me $120 (stake of $20 minus win amount of $140) back and I could then head out for a night out with my friends. But to this day, whenever I see a horse with that name, or similar name, I am always tempted to back it.
Of course, there are many horses that have this common combination of letters in their name and I don't notice the myriad of times when a horse with that name loses, but I do always seem to note when I glance through the result and one wins. Even I, with my understanding of chance, get that odd feeling that somehow strange superstitious forces are at work!
Now that we understand how superstitions can form and how they are manifestations in every aspect of life, not just gambling, let's now take a look at some of the most common form of superstitions people will follow when online gambling today.
The modern day superstitious gambler
1. Lucky Numbers
Probably the most common superstition in the world. Almost everyone has a lucky number which they believe gives them an advantage if they can bet on it. Seven is the most common lucky number and of course, 13 is viewed as a very unlucky number by many in the West. In Asia the number 8 is considered the luckiest of numbers, while 4 is not.
2. Lucky Game/Table/Site
If a player had enjoyed success on a particular type of game, a specific table number or even a specific site, then they will believe that this is the best place for them to play as they experience better results and the luck tends to go their way.
3. Lucky Time/Day to play
Some punters believe that at certain times of the day the fates will align and allow them a better chance to win. This is a superstition that may have some credence depending on the game you play. Poker players have long known the early hours of Friday and Saturday are a good time to play because many people log on after a night out to play the game, and probably feel the effects of all the alcohol they have imbibed.
4. Lucky Clothes
I haven't won today because I stupidly forgot to wear my lucky pants! Yes there are a dizzying number of gamblers who believe that a t-shirt, a pair of pants or even a lucky pair of socks can be the difference between them winning or losing. Don't laugh though - David Coulthard (F1 driver) was once cut out of his racing suit following an accident, to reveal a moth-eaten pair of underpants. The multi-millionaire racing driver believed his 'lucky underpants' would help him win and so had worn them religiously for years.
However, as the online gaming community grows and develops, especially in the mobile gambling area, so does the number and type of superstitions players follow when gaming. Superstition is less an aspect of gambling that defies logic, but more an aspect of the human psyche that will always be with us in some form.
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Byline: This article was written and published by Henry Regal.
