Why Poker Superstitions Still Rule at Today’s Games
Why Poker Superstitions Still Rule at Today’s Games
Regardless of how civilized the current generation has been, superstition still exists in every culture. The poker world is no exception. Although poker is a game where skill determines the winner, poker superstitions surprisingly still rule at the tables today.
Gamblers are infamously superstitious. But unlike true believers who spend their lives shunning evils plus bad omens, gamblers are usually not superstitious until the moment they get to the casino.
Although they rely on using skill and logic at the table, a good number of poker players surprisingly put their reasoning aside when it comes to weird customs they actually think bring them good luck. In fact, there are even some very famous and successful poker players that are known to have faith in poker superstitions. You can tell it from their actions.
Lucky Charms, Objects
A good number of them bring along lucky charms or do some things at the table that demonstrate their poker superstitions’ beliefs. In numerous instances, a player might attach meaning to a lucky item or object just because it worked for them in the past. It so happens as players are inclined to have rather selective memories, recalling their winning games and forgetting everything except their biggest loses. As a result, a very real link between the gamblers’ lucky objects and their having won the games creates this selective memory.
Research Findings
Psychologists have researched extensively on how gambling and superstitions are related. The results have indicated that there is a likelihood of superstitions developing in several gamblers hence becoming the foundation for upcoming gambling sessions. The player will consider whatever emerged, whether it was during the winning or losing session.
In case the player won, he may conclude that a piece of clothing or a certain action was behind their good fortune. Similarly, should a player loses, he will try to figure out what may have been responsible for his misfortune. A player might start feeling that a particular dealer is unlucky and invincible if he happens to have one or two losing sessions with him.
Not every superstition is developed by individual observations. Scores of gamblers simply subscribe to the prevailing beliefs that have through many generations been passed down. While some might opt to believe that a certain thing is unlucky and shun it to avoid tempting fate, others may actually dare to test one of the superstitions only for them to realize a self-fulfilling prophecy.
For instance, if you believe that sitting at the table playing poker with your legs crossed is unlucky and you actually do it, you might lose. This is because, in your subconscious, you expect this to happen. Your belief will be reinforced if you indeed lose.
Popular Gambling Superstitions
Although the majority of gamblers have some form of superstition – whether or not they are aware of it – poker players are some of the most superstitious lot. There are several superstitions that are popular in the world of gambling. To begin with, many gamblers believe that entering a casino through its main entrance is unlucky. Many will not accept payment in $50 bills as they believe that these bills are unlucky. Casinos using $50 often realize that gamblers will flatly refuse to be paid with them. They also don’t count their money when they are sitting at the table. Many poker players actually wear red attire when playing the game because red is mostly recognized as a good luck colour.
Considering the above, it is obvious that poker superstitions will continue to rule at today’s games.
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