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9 Lucky Charms Gamblers Carry to Help Them Win
So many of the United States Founding Fathers were said to enjoy gambling.
In a sublimely ironic twist, Benjamin Franklin was perhaps the only one who wasn’t partial to a bet. The irony is that his face is what you want returning to you most when you’re betting at the casino.
Some believe we can summon an abundance of “Benjamins” by using auspicious totems. But if you could ask Franklin, he might claim that good luck charms for gamblers are utterly useless. There is even a chance he would have doubled down on his claim that “Diligence is the mother of good luck” and not some random horseshoe.
Do I agree with that? I’ll give you a definitive answer once we’ve looked through all the lucky charms for poker players and casino dwellers below.
Four-Leaf Clover
One of the most iconic good luck charms for gamblers, the four-leaf clover is a symbol that has pervaded all four corners of the planet.
Although related to the shamrock, one of the more omnipresent symbols of Irish culture, the four-leaf clover is a more universal symbol of positive fortune.
However, those who cannot discern between the different species of the Trifolium family commonly mistake one for the other. And I mean, you’d want to be some plant geek to know the difference.
This is arguably the most prominent of popular lucky charms for gamblers in the western hemisphere. Mainly because the chances of finding one are estimated at 1 in 10,000.
But for its popular depiction in modern gambling imagery? Much easier. If you don’t believe me, check out its presence in things such as casinos, lotteries, and Irish-themed slots, and tell me I’m wrong.
Chinese Pinyin
Have you ever come across a pinyin?
No, not an opinion. To be inundated with those, you don’t have to do much more than open Twitter or Facebook.
If not, you might be surprised to know that this is one of the more popular lucky charms for gambling among Chinese players. It’s an ancient symbol that has survived to the present day, despite being first introduced under the Zhou Dynasty in 256 B.C.
You’ll often see an assortment of pinyin symbols on the casino floor around the Chinese New Year. But they are not exclusive to that festival.
Lucky Underwear
If you managed to drop a jackpot slot while wearing your best Calvin Kleins or those black panties, they wouldn’t be forgotten easily.
You can understand the logic for why some consider their underwear as fortunate in certain scenarios. As good luck charms for gamblers, lucky boxers or pants are not uncommon at all. This practice is also present in other walks of life. For example, a ton of sports stars wear lucky underwear.
The key to keeping that thong of yours among your treasured casino good luck charms is not to expose it.
Trust me; I learned the hard way.
The Horseshoe
We talked about the four-leaf clover earlier. Another popular lucky charms for gambling in that realm is the horseshoe.
As a kid, I remember a lucky horseshoe hanging on the wall that led to my back garden. Of course, there were no horses anywhere. We lived in the city center. Urged on by the oblivious curiosity of youth, I asked my older brother why it was there.
He muttered something explaining what happened to Shergar, and that was that. In later life, I discovered a few interesting theories involving lucky horseshoes. The most credible of them all include:
- Horseshoes were made by blacksmiths. The occupation of a blacksmith was considered lucky.
- Most horseshoes had seven holes. Seven is a lucky number.
- When held or mounted in a “U-shape,” the horseshoe was said to ward off evil spirits.
Perhaps the last one is not credible to some, but it makes sense.
Ergo, a lack of bad luck could mean positive fortune. Hence, it’s commonly considered one of the good luck charms for the casino.
Lucky Money
We all heard the “find a penny, pick it up, then all day; you’ll have good luck” rhyme at some point in school.
The look on that kid’s face when you told them their hair was on fire was priceless…
Joking aside, this one is not too dissimilar to lucky underwear. You’d be surprised how many innocuous bills and coins are considered good luck charms for gamblers.
Although pennies tend to be more popular as lucky charms for casino goers. At least, in my experience.
What a better world it would be if folks paid more attention to avoiding bad establishments rather than trying to win a jackpot by rubbing a lucky coin.
Related: 4 Signs of a Bad Online Casino
Imagine you were losing everything but the dirt under your nails in a poker game. Then, you turned things around with your last $20 bill. That is more than enough for some to anoint this piece of cotton-linen fabric as magical.
In cases like that, you can wave goodbye to logic and reason.
Auspicious Poker Hoodies
All right. I’ll admit it. In terms of gambling good luck charms, this is probably not as iconic as others on this list.
But if you don’t think poker players are as prone to convincing themselves that a random object can improve their fortune, you don’t know jack.
Naturally, not all poker players have lucky hoodies. Most don’t wear hoodies at all. But if you put yourself in the shoes of someone who crushed a tournament while wearing a hood, seemingly against all odds, you might wonder if the best poker hoodies have magical properties after all.
Rabbit’s Foot
Ever heard of the old saying, “Going at it like rabbits?” Of course, you have.
Well, here’s something for you to ponder. Why are rabbits, or bunnies within the widely-accepted colloquial context, associated with easter? If you guessed right, good on you. If you have no idea where I am going with this, trust me when I say it is more than relevant.
Easter is a Christian festival based on the Celtic spring equinox. This celebration, in Gaelic, is known as “Eostre,” after an ancient goddess.
Still, lost? Let’s get to the brass tacks here. The Irish and other Celts wore the rabbit’s foot as a symbol of success and a harbinger of good fortune. I mean, fewer things back in the day said “jackpot” quite like… you know.
Furthermore, they believed that as subterranean dwellers, the creature had a good relationship with the gods.
As time has gone on, the popularity of the rabbit’s foot has waned. But it’s still considered one of the iconic casino lucky charms in some quarters.
Oranges
Some Chinese gamblers carry oranges to the casino, and it’s totally normal.
They are also considered to be on the golden side of the color spectrum, putting them into a special category. Compared with, say, an apple. Thus, the fruit is common among the more superstitiously inclined bettor.
Of course, if you had a citrus allergy or lived inside the fictional realm of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather franchise — where oranges seemingly foreshadow death — you might disagree with that.
Carp Scales
You won’t find much worse in terms of good luck charms for gamblers that stink.
Some European countries carry the carp scales to curry favor with the gambling gods. Fewer things in the world stink as bad as rotten fish, so I am being literal in my assertion that this particular charm could empty a casino floor faster than a rampaging rhino.
The link between gambling and magic has never entirely been broken, though, as gambling is still a focus for 'superstition', such as the carrying and wearing of lucky charms and mascots. Normal causality does not seem to apply in the psychology of the gambler
— Dr Francis Young (@DrFrancisYoung) October 7, 2019
So, if you consider bringing carp scales to the casino, ensure they have been washed first.
Do Casino Lucky Charms Work?
If lucky gambling charms worked all the time, we’d all be rich.
Try to enter a casino dressed in an orange suit emblazed with four-leaf clovers and pinyins while wearing a rabbit’s foot around your neck. Get a horseshoe tattooed on your forehead and wear your lucky undies for added impact. Then, place your bets.
But if you lose, you’re going to feel most unfortunate.
Not only will that make you feel bad, but you will look like the biggest jackass that has ever set foot in civilized society while crying into your Manhattan.
Sometimes you win; sometimes, you lose. That saying underpins the entire nature of gambling. But there are better ways to improve your chances of good fortune. For instance, learn positive money management and study the strategy of games with an element of skill.
But most importantly, take some time to find the best US casino online and play smart.
