Tag Archives: Superstition

The Weird & Wonderful World of Luck Superstitions

Superstitions are irrational belief usually based on the unknown. Most of us have had our fingers crossed at some point in life. Individual birds like magpies bring out a feeling like no other in us. Welcome to the world of superstition where 13 might be the unluckiest number in the world. Here are some of the common superstition objects in the world.

Four leaf cloverFind a four-leaved clover and you will be lucky. It is a variation from the three-leaved clovers. The clover, when found accidentally, will bring good luck. Four leaved clovers are not that common so good luck finding one.

Black cat

Have you ever met a black cat on your way from home? Well, it could mean a whole lot of possibilities. In the UK, it is often seen a sign of good luck. However, most Africans would rather go back home when a black cat crosses their way. They believe it to be a bad omen.

Do not break that mirror

Seven years of bad luck are bound to follow you. It is believed that the reflection in the mirror represents the soul. Breaking the mirror equals to crushing your soul. Why it is seven years of bad luck? No one knows. You can always test and see if it is true

Putting new shoes on the table

New shoes should not be put on the table. The old tales hold that doing so attracts death. Once you put new shoes on the table, a member of the family is going to die. The superstition has thorough consequences and no dares try it.

An itchy palm

In the superstition world itching, your palm is a good sign. It means more there is good luck and money coming your way. It is believed that if you itch your palm then you are sending a message for better things to come.

Beginners will always be lucky

Ever heard of the term beginners luck? Then you know how it is for beginners. They always seem to perform better at first than those who are experienced. Superstition holds that beginners always win against the experts. The superstition usually has ground as many experts may be tensed up when doing an activity.

A Cricket in the house

Crickets are very noisy and disturbing especially at night. However, it believed that they might be a sign of good luck. It seems like a lie to most of us. Whether it is true or not depends on one condition. Are you superstitious?

Have Yourself a Very Welsh Christmas – Past Celebrations of Christmas in Wales

In Wales on Christmas morning, it was traditional for men to go to church very early to sing in harmony and welcome in the dawn with a service that would go on for 3 hours. They would then go home and begin the day of feasting and drinking. This tradition called Plygain is being revived in some parts of Wales and can now be enjoyed by both women and men. Families would wait up together for Plygain and whilst waiting would make taffy – a special kind of toffee. This is called Noson Gyflaith.

Many Welsh traditions actually pre-date Christmas itself. A well known one of these is Mari Lwyd, which is Welsh for Grey Mare. In December or on New Year’s Day, a horse’s skull is decorated with bells and ribbons plus false ears. A sheet is used to represent the body of the mare. People then take the Mari Lwyd around the neighbourhood calling on local households. The residents are challenged to a battle of wits using Welsh verse. After the battle, which is called pwnco in Welsh, the visitors are then invited in to refresh themselves with drinks. This led to the tradition being associated with drunkenness, which led to the tradition dying out in some areas during more austere periods. Mari Lwyd is still celebrated though in some parts of Wales, in particular in Llangynwyd on each New Year’s Day.

A very popular New Year’s custom in Wales was to give a gift, called a Calennig. Much like modern day trick or treating, children would go from door to door with symbols of good luck such as skewered apples plus evergreen twigs and a cup of water from the local well. They use the twigs to splash people with the water and are given the calennig as a present. This would often be small coins. This tradition has mostly died out but in some places children still call door to door to be given gifts of money.

5 Odd Chinese Superstitions Which May Just Bring You Luck

Chinese superstitions can be prevalent within Asian gambling culture. For example, baccarat players in Macau believe that even the manner in which cards are squeezed or creased can determine the outcome of a game. Practice these 5 Chinese gaming rituals and who knows? You too may hit a winning streak!

Mind Your Numbers

In Chinese culture, certain numbers are considered to be lucky depending on their similarity to words that sound prosperous.

The number 8 is therefore a very lucky number, as it sounds much like the Cantonese word for “prosper” or “wealth.”

To create fortuitous outcomes, Chinese gamblers often combine the number 8 with other lucky numbers such as 3, 6 and 9.

Wear Red

The Chinese believe the colour red to be a symbol of life, joy and prosperity.

Therefore, wearing red at a casino (and in particular red undergarments), is thought to appease the gods and bring players good luck.

Side Entrances

Many Chinese gamblers think it bad luck to enter a casino through the main entrance. There are two reasons for this.

Firstly, it is thought that these doors have been cursed by Feng Shui masters.

Secondly, they believe that if you happen to rub shoulders with a loser on his way out, his bad luck may be transferred to you.

Trends

Chinese players will often obsessively looks for patterns or trends in a game.

If a player wins 3 times in a row, they will bet on the player winning a fourth time.

If a player starts to lose, they will bet against him to improve their chances.

Players can often be seen studying other tables looking for these patterns.

Wash Your Hands

If you hit an unlucky streak, the Chinese believe it is best to go and wash your hands and so wash away your bad luck. Some even carry their own lucky soaps for this very purpose.

Conversely, it is considered bad luck to wash your hands whilst winning, as this will wash away good luck.

These superstitions may seem odd to some, but with millions to be won at casinos, they may be worth some serious consideration.

New Year Superstitions

The new year is a time for partying, celebration and the inevitable resolutions. It’s also a time for superstitions. According to traditional beliefs, what happens on New Year’s Day influences what happens during the rest of the year, so if you’ve already had bad luck this year, not abiding by these superstitions may just be the reason.

A traditional English belief holds that you should never take anything out of the house, pay a bill or lend anything on the first day of the new year — if you do, you’ll find your wealth leaving your house all year. The house was believed to be vulnerable to the mischief of evil spirits at this important time.

Similarly, in Scotland, the first person to step through the door (the “first foot”) should bring gifts such as cash, food and whisky; if he does, the house will have a plentiful supply of these things throughout the coming year.

 

Chinese New Year Gambling Traditions

The Chinese are often seen as a superstitious bunch, warding bad luck off with seemingly unusual actions. Gambling around the new year is no exception to the rule.

Specific traditions that have been built on for centuries are often still acted out by the more mature and superstition bound gamblers. Here are some examples as to the lengths they go to to ensure a big win:

  • Religion is often practiced before going gambling. The gambler would pray and/or make an offering to their God(s) to try and sway their all powerful deity’s benevolence in their favour.
  • Switching on all the lights before gambling is apparently a sure fire way of getting luck on your side. Although, we’re not sure if that luck would subsidise the electricity cost.
  • If you are one of those people who believe in the power of lucky pants this one may not seem so strange to you. Wearing red underwear (or undergarments) is apparently very lucky.
  • This one is probably the strangest one of all. Some Chinese people believe that behind every gaming table lives a ghost. To ensure that ghost helps them with their monetary goals, people would come up to the table and feed the ghost with human food such as sugar. If the ghost isn’t fed, it can become frustrated and stop you from winning. Well, the ghost theory would at least explain why our chips seem to go down so quickly.

 

With many cultures that believe in superstitions, there are also things you shouldn’t do under any circumstances.

  • Don’t dare even whisper the word ‘book’ when gambling. In chinese, the word book sounds very similar to ‘lose’.
  • This is a good tip even without superstition governing it, don’t hit or touch people’s shoulders when they’re gambling.
  • We think maybe the house spread this one around, but don’t count your wins or losses during gambling. It will apparently end in loss.

These actions may seem odd to us but hey, they may be really effective. Try giving them a go in the New Year and tweet us at @LesCroupiers to tell us if they work.

Behind Lucky Numbers

For some, luck resides in a rabbit’s paw, a certain shirt or a ritual blow on the dice. Others find luck in numbers themselves. What makes a number ‘lucky’ depends on many influences, some personal, some cultural.

In China, the number eight is particularly revered because, when spoken, it rhymes with the word for ‘wealth’. In Christian societies three is popular, reflecting the Trinity but also the ‘three wishes’ of folklore. Seven has enchanted the European mind for centuries – notes in an octave, colours of the rainbow, the seven classical planets, and days of the week. The number seven crops up throughout the Old Testament, too.

Prime numbers, which can only be divided by themselves and one, are popular choices for lucky numbers, with one exception: thirteen.

Perhaps the luckiest numbers though, are those that show odds in your favour.