The Weirdest Gambling & Casino Superstitions
By Alex J. Coyne © 2018 Great Bridge Links
People will do weird – and sometimes horrifying – things for a little luck at the tables. For thousands of years, people have been resorting to lucky charms, rabbit feet and four leaf clovers to give their luck a boost. Here are some of the weirdest gambling and casino superstitions we could find.
Wearing Red to the Casino
In traditional Chinese culture, red represents luck and good fortune. It’s only a natural profession from there that wearing something red – particularly red underwear – is considered to be good luck when you’re about to go gambling.
Don’t Count Your Money
It’s hard to read this without hearing Kenny Rogers; it’s a common gambling superstition among card players that it’s bad luck to count your winnings while you’re still at the gambling table. Some players note that it’s just considered bad manners instead.
Don’t Cross Your Legs
It’s said that players shouldn’t cross their legs while sitting at the tables, either – this is apparently because it “crosses away” the player’s good luck streak. The same is said for crossing your fingers while playing or touching another player’s shoulder. Come to think of it, this one might also just be attributed to table manners.
Books and Bad Luck
Another one from traditional Chinese culture, it is believed that you shouldn’t gamble when there is someone in your immediate vicinity reading a book. Why? Because the words for “lose” (shīqù) and “book” (shū) are considered too similar.
Expletive Roulette
It is good luck to yell expletives at the roulette ball until it stops spinning. We’re not sure how f-bombs will affect the spin of the ball , but that’s what people have been telling us. According to mFortune News, this gambling superstition is one that spread mostly online. At most, we figure the only thing this will do is get you removed from the tables by the nice officers.
It’s the Coins!
Some slot machine players are sure that heating coins up, cooling coins down or blowing on them will somehow improve their luck on the next spin. Craps players have much of the same superstitions when it comes to handling the dice, and players can often be seen blowing on or even speaking a word of good luck to the dice before throwing them.
Lucky (and Unlucky) Numbers
Lucky numbers are a very varied form of superstition, and will vary from culture to culture and person to person – and often widely. In Chinese culture, four is considered to be bad luck because it sounds too close to the word for death. Many buildings compensate by skipping the fourth floor entirely. In some Western cultures, the same superstition surrounds the number thirteen, while in others – such as in Italy – 13 is considered good luck. Lucky numbers can also be highly personal – what’s yours?
No Sex!
In many cultures, it’s believed that having sex before a gambling streak or bet means that you will have a run of bad luck. It’s interesting to note that to some other players, it’s instead considered good luck – and this belief extends to the world of professional sports and sports betting, too. Is it lucky or unlucky, then? We guess it depends who you ask…
Here are some related articles
We’ve written a few articles on this topic because it’s endlessly fascinating!
Gambling Lucky Charms: 10 Popular Lucky Objects People Often Bring To Casino
Slot Machine charms and Superstitions
What’s Luck Got to Do With It? Good Luck Charms & Totems