Page 27 - March 2012 • Southern California Gaming Guide

by Gail Anders
Intent on the screen of a ashing slot machine at a popular Southern California casino, Gloria T. was ready for a jackpot. On her favorite day of the month—the 7th—she had traveled from Los Angeles for a day at the casino. And she was dressed to win.
“I’m wearing my lucky shirt,” she said, referring to a yellow silk blouse covered in what appeared to be sea-like creatures.“When I wear this, I never, ever lose.”
Superstitions are quite common amongst gamblers. Lucky shirts, lucky days, lucky underwear — you
name it, some casino player believes it. Some
gamblers have lucky jewelry and charms,
lucky rituals they perform on the day they prepare to go the casino, and even lucky positions at the blackjack table. At a casino in Connecticut, for instance, blackjack dealer Hal B. says he has customers who won’t sit down unless they can get the table’s last seat, a spot known as
“third base.” e bene t of this seat is that
the player who is there can control what card the dealer pulls rst for himself. He said some players won’t even think about playing unless they can sit in that spot. But he also added that other players feel the same way about sitting in the rst seat, though there are no real strategic advantages to that spot. Go gure.
So what’s luck all about? I’m a believer. I’ve had my share of what can only be called lucky days and events in my life, and I want to understand more about luck, so here’s a little of what I found out.
Luck is a way of understanding a personal chance event. Luck is de ned as good fortune that occurs beyond one’s control, without regard to will, intention or desired result (thank you, Wikipedia). You could say that luck is a supernatural concept; that there is a force that determines certain events occur, much like the way the laws of physics prescribe certain events occur. But luck can be good or bad. Just ask any casino player on a losing streak. So, luck can refer to something that is beyond a person’s control. My friend Barry, who is a psychologist, says that luck is probability taken personally. He is a pure rationalist who thinks belief in luck is a result of wishful thinking.
March 2012
Cultural views of luck vary from perceiving luck as a matter of random chance to attributing explanations of faith or superstition to luck. Many cultures and religions have their own distinct luck
concepts.
Did You Know...
e concept of luck fascinates me, especially luck for casino players.
Enough trying to de ne luck, and let’s move on to what is lucky for those of us who play games of
chance. Some of these lucky things may be new to you.
 Acorns: Native Americans believe both the acorn and its bearer, the oak tree, brings good fortune.
 Numbers: Lucky numbers in the casino abound, with 7 the favorite, and 8 vying for top position, then 9 — both amongst Asian gamblers.
 Bamboo: e lucky tree grows fast, with little water.
 Colors: Green, yellow (signifying gold), and red.
 Horseshoes: We all know horseshoes are considered lucky — but only when turned upwards. ey’re unlucky when turned down.
 Four-Leaf Clovers and Shamrocks: Particularly lucky on St. Patrick’s Day.
 Fish: Fish scales resemble money to many cultures. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
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Dragonflies: As a creature of the wind, dragon ies represent change, and are associated with prosperity, strength, courage, peace, harmony, and purity.
Alligator Teeth: Considered in the South as lucky gambling charms.
Pigs: Good luck tokens in the shape of pigs are believed to bring good luck, as they are a symbol of wealth, good fortune, and prosperity.
Frogs: e frog has been a symbol of prosperity, wealth, friendship, and abundance in many cultures, and a symbol of fertility in others.
Dreamcatchers: In Native American culture, dreamcatchers are considered good luck because they catch bad dreams and let the good dreams through.
ese are just a few lucky symbols that gamblers I’ve met believe in. Some have jewelry or charms of these items that they always wear
to the casino, and swear brings them good luck. Do you have a lucky charm for the casino?
Back to Gloria T. in her lucky yellow shirt. Over the course of thirty minutes while I sat next to her, she won over $200. For all I know, she may have played all the money back later in the day, but
for a while, that lucky shirt did its job.
Gale Anders plays in Southern California casinos and writes about gambling and casino games.
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