Gambling Superstitions: Can They Bring You Good Luck?

Gambling and superstition go together like two peas in a pod. Whenever people gamble, they are effectively taking a risk with their money, in the hope that things will turn out for the best. If the result comes up and you’ve been lucky, you’re quids in – happy days. If things don’t go your way, you lose your stake. Obviously, most players want to win more than they bet, and when luck plays such a crucial factor, it’s understandable that people turn to superstitions to help them through.

From lucky underpants to a white rabbit’s foot (why not even play white rabbit), there are plenty of weird and wonderful superstitions, both particular to gambling, and across the wider field. There’s no guarantee any of these will work, yet so many gamblers swear by their own superstitions and their own ideas. If you’re looking for inspiration, and hopefully a health dose of good luck, here are a few of the more common gambling superstitions players adhere to.

Good Luck Superstitions

Lucky Charms

Arguably the most common types of gambling superstitions are those that involve lucky charms, chattels that can often be stowed away in a pocket or small bag as you play. Obviously if you’re playing online at an online casino site, you can have these next to you, whereas it’s probably recommended you be a bit more discrete if you’re playing at a land-based casino. Common lucky charms include a rabbit’s foot, a horseshoe (rather heavy!), a four leafed clover and other similar lucky charms.

For some players, objects from their everyday lives become attached to good luck or good fortune, so in practice, virtually anything can be considered a lucky charm if the player believes it to bring them good luck. Ideally, the smaller and more compact the charm, the better – spare yourself the hassle of carrying around something bigger, at least until you’ve verified your charm’s luck-bringing properties!

Lucky Clothes

Not all superstitions are based on physical objects, and one of the most common alternatives is lucky clothing. From underpants to t-shirts to accessories like sunglasses and hats, players often attach mystical powers to items of clothing. This is more convenient, if you’re in a position to choose your lucky charm, because obviously you can wear it, rather than carry it about with you.

Underwear is probably the most popular clothing superstition, and even some professional gamblers like professional poker players have superstitions about lucky red pants, for example. This often stems from good fortune that happened previously, or a pattern a player has noticed developing around wearing the same clothing at the gambling table. It’s another one to bear in mind, particularly if you’re gambling regularly.

Leave The Table

Another hugely common superstition is that it is good luck to leave the table and return, or to look away when the result is coming up. Say for example you’re playing roulette, you might place a couple of bets, leave the table, and come back a moment later. Or maybe, you just look away when the ball is spinning to its conclusion. Similarly, if you are playing the online version of roulette, you may stand up and leave your computer until the ball has landed. This second idea is much more common amongst online players, who will look away while the result comes up, for good measure. Hard to say whether this works, but with all superstitions, it’s a highly individual choice.

Bad Luck Superstitions

Not all superstitions are good omens – there are some things that are considered really bad luck amongst gamblers, and you’d be a brave player to put these to the test.

Don’t Lend Money

Lending money to other players is a big no-no from a superstition point of view. There’s something in here about tempting fate by giving your money away that makes this one feel like a more appropriate superstition than most. Of course, there’s always the chance you won’t see the money again, so that’s doubly bad luck if you then go on to lose money from your own gambling. Don’t mess around with freaky superstitions like this – as far as other players are concerned, the bank of you is closed.

Don’t Cross Your Legs or Fingers

Often considered colloquially to be good luck, crossing your fingers or your legs when you’re gambling is often considered to have the opposite effect. When it doubt, simply don’t do it – imagine how you’d feel if you started crossing your fingers and triggered a huge losing streak. If ever you feel tempted, don’t do it – you have been warned.

$50 Bill

Another is the $50 bill, and some US gamblers in particular will even refuse to accept payouts in $50 bills, because they are considered so unlucky. Nice problem to have, mind you. Luckily for those that play at online casinos, the money goes straight into your bank account, or into your ewallet, so you never have to contend with any unlucky notes.

Superstition might be a lot of nonsense, or extremely important – depending on your point of view. If you’re a sceptic, it’s still open to you to give these good and bad luck omens a try. While we can’t guarantee you’ll get winning results, it’s surely worth a shot to see if it helps your gambling.