“Piggy” in gambling

Since the turn of the year is imminent and with it the hope for more success, health and wealth is often associated, often symbolized by exchanging small lucky charms, the expectation of a streak of luck in gambling is great. In Greece, for example, December 31st is all about gambling. There the belief is pursued that the turn of the year is all about happiness. If you win the New Year’s Eve game, luck should be by your side for the whole of the coming year.

Belief in happiness

Especially on New Year’s Eve, small horseshoes, four-leaf clovers or the chimney sweep are used to ring in luck in the New Year. The figure of a little pig is also often found among the talismans. The phrase “pig had” its origin in the card game of the Middle Ages, in which the ace was called “pig”. Whoever drew this card had the trump card and therefore the most luck. The tradition of the lucky pig was born and is still used in gambling today. The German lottery company’s scratch card series “Schweinhaben” was probably named after it. We also find a little cartoon lucky pig as a symbol of luck in the win2day lottery in Austria.

Belief in luck in gambling does not necessarily mean laying tarot cards and looking deeply into the crystal ball. As mentioned at the beginning, these can be simple habits that maximize the players’ confidence and give them more confidence in winning. A ritual already includes a preference for a certain behavior in the online casino, such as betting on a certain number or color.

Numbers

In Asia, the number 8 is a must among the lucky charms, as the word “eight” in the Chinese language is very similar to the sound of the word “prosperity”. The numbers 9 and 6 are also given good attributes. The 4, on the other hand, is avoided in Asian gambling. Their sound is too similar to that of the word “death”.

The number 13 is known to have negative effects beyond the Asian culture. Both the number 13 at table games and the 13th floor of a casino hotel or room 13 should be avoided according to superstition. The background of 13 as an unlucky number differs from culture to culture: In some Catholic circles the 13 is put in a negative context, because the apostle Judas Iscariot was the thirteenth in the round of the Last Supper and he ultimately betrayed Jesus. Some gambling operators turn the tables with the number 13 in terms of advertising and offer special offers on this day.

The 50 US dollar bill, also known as “frog” among players, is also said to bring bad luck. It is not entirely clear why this is so. According to stories, criminals are said to have carried the $ 50 banknote they stole from their victims as a trophy.

Colours

The color red, in particular, is said to have lucky properties and is particularly popular in Chinese culture. It is a tradition for some casino visitors in China to wear red underwear or a red pocket square in order to attract luck and joy at the game.

It goes without saying that a certain attraction of gambling lies in the fact that the outcome of the game is partly in the hands of chance. Nevertheless, it is human nature to like to think in patterns and to establish connections between possible influencing factors and event outcomes and to learn from them. This is only possible to a very limited extent in gambling, which is why some players like to refer to the influence of luck or bad luck in a somewhat irrational way.

In particular, an extremely positive gaming experience, such as a big win, but also a long dry spell, is often put in a harmless connection with influences of a higher power or with certain rituals or aids such as lucky charms. One tries so quickly to put positive game outcomes in context with a factor that was supposed to be the reason for it and tries to take this into account again in the next game. The same applies to negative experiences, which of course want to be avoided in the future.

Who knows, maybe some of you will recognize one or the other behavior pattern or rely on the positive influence of your talisman on New Year’s Eve.