Superstitions and Lucky Charms in Gambling

Like with anything else in life, there are many superstitions and lucky charms while gambling. While some of these are personal beliefs, based on past events, there are some practices that are widely thought to bring good luck while gaming.

Whether you are headed to the casino or are looking for something to bring a friend some luck, here are the biggest superstitions and lucky charms in gambling.

10 Superstitions in Gambling

While following or ignoring a superstition isn’t likely to change your odds of winning a certain game, there are individuals who swear that certain actions can change the outcome of a game.

1. Certain Numbers Carrying Lucky

Lucky numbers are a widespread phenomenon, spanning to include pretty much each and every continent around the globe. What’s interesting, however, is that the numbers considered lucky change depending on the culture.

In the Western world, 7 is considered the luckiest number, with other nearby prime numbers like 11 and 21 coming in a close second. In most of Asian, however, 8 is the lucky number with many prices, casino names, and more emulating this number.

2. Certain Numbers Carrying Bad Luck

Just as there are lucky numbers, there are also unlucky numbers in almost every country in the world. The most famous is 13, which is considered unlucky in the West, and 4, which is unlucky in most of Asia. These superstitions are so widespread that many casinos will “skip” unlucky floors when building casinos to keep gamblers happy.

3. Blowing on Dice

No one is really sure where the practice of blowing on dice came from, but it rose to prominence in the 1950s thanks to the Guys and Dolls musical, even though the practice was around long before then. So if you’re at a craps table, and someone asks you to blow on the dice—just do it.

4. Don’t Cross Your Legs While Gambling

Again, we aren’t sure exactly when this practice started, but there is a superstition that if you cross your legs while gambling (either at tables or slots), you are less likely to win. This leads most players to play with two feet planted firmly on the floor, no matter what they are playing.

5. Slot Machines Need to Have Their Volume All The Way Up

This is a modern superstition, but many slot machine players believe that you can only win while playing slots if the volume is all the way up. This is why it is such a noisy journey across the casino floor. Not only that, but many casino workers will turn the volume down while cleaning, only for the next player to return the machine to full blast.

6. Whistling is Bad

Supposedly, back when the only way to cross the Atlantic Ocean was by ship, whistling was said to be bad luck as it brought rough seas and weather. When you consider that many of the early gamblers were sailors, it’s no surprise that this practice carried on to be bad luck for gambling in general.

So basically, if you like to whistle, stop that habit before heading to the tables as it is sure to make your fellow players feel on edge.

7. Don’t Count Your Money

We believe this was more of something that annoyed people, so they started saying it was bad luck. But basically, this superstition states that if you count your money while playing, you are inviting bad luck. So better wait until the end.

8. $50 Bills

The hatred of $50 bills in the gambling community started with the mafia and Las Vegas, when there was a rumor that if the mob killed you, they would bury you in the desert with a $50 bill in your pocket. While we aren’t sure if this is true, it is still a superstition among many gamblers, especially poker players, who would rather have any other size bill.

9. Dead Man’s Hand

On the subject of Poker, there is a well-known superstition involving having a hand with a certain mix of cards. The rumor of a Dead Man’s hand started in the Wild West in the 1800s when James Butler Hickock was shot and killed while holding a 5-card hand of only aces and 8’s. Now, two hundred years later, individuals still go out of their way to not hold this hand, folding when it starts to look like that might be all they are going to be dealt.

10. The Front Door

In Asian Feng Shui, entering a casino through the front door can allow the bad luck of leaving players to rub off on you. For this reason, many individuals will even go out of their way to enter a casino through a side door, which is one of the many reasons Las Vegas casinos have numerous doors. (Mostly thanks to MGM Casino, which had to move its front door due to this issue in 1998).

3 Lucky Charms in Gambling

Lucky charms are images that are thought to bring the player luck, especially if they have something small in that shape to grasp or place on the table while playing. Although exact lucky charms depend on the person, below are some common ones.

1. A Four-Leaf Clover

The legend of the luck-bringing four-leaf clover goes back to ancient Ireland, when they were used to ward off evil spirits. How that transfers to gambling, we aren’t sure, but we do know that a four-leaf clover is a good luck symbol to millions around the world.

They are very rare, though, so good luck finding one!

2. A $2 Bill

In the United States, it is rare to find a $2 bill, though they are still actively printed today. Due to their rarity, and the fact that modern cash registers aren’t built with a slot for them, they’ve become synonymous with luck. The superstition is so widespread that many individuals keep a $2 bill in their wallets at all times.

3. Something Red

In Asian cultures, the color red is associated with luck, posterity, and riches. As such, red colored good luck charms are common to find in casinos. While these charms can come in many shapes, it is also common for believing individuals to wear red—to bring themselves the most luck possible.