Gambling and Superstitions: Two Peas in a Pod
Friday, August 29th, 2008Gambling and superstition were made for each other. Did you see that guy at the roulette table with a rabbit’s foot hanging from a chain around his neck? Good luck for the gambler, bad luck for the rabbit.
Good luck also comes if you blow on the dice before you roll them. But what happens when it’s a woman who blows on a man’s dice? Remember the floating craps game in the movie Guys and Dolls?
A lady never leaves her escort
It isn’t fair, it isn’t nice
A lady doesn’t wander all over the room
And blow on some other guys dice.
Such an act is bound to bring bad luck.
Scientific research
More than a decade ago, two psychologists from the University of Laval in Canada, who researched the subject of superstition and gambling, invited participants to think aloud while gambling and observed that 70 percent of the verbalized perceptions were erroneous.
Some of the comments by gamblers were: “The machine is due; I need to continue”; “Here is my lucky dealer; I always win with him”; and “Today I feel good; it must be my lucky day.” Similar results were observed with all the different games, blackjack, roulette, lotteries and video lotteries.
Superstition geography
The Chinese can be very superstitious, especially when it comes to gambling. Some Chinese gambling superstition thinking and behavior have become essential parts of the Chinese culture and are popularly accepted by most of the population. (more…)

