When it comes to weird gambling habits, nobody can beat the Asians. Believe it or not, they are superstitious about absolutely everything from the colour they wear, to staying away from books and dogs before and while gambling. But they are not the only people with such beliefs, as the Thai are coming strong from behind with their own eerie superstitions. Here is a top of the weirdest convictions concerning gambling. Warning, some of these superstitions might shock you.
10. Red means Go! Wait! What?
Yes, ladies and gentleman, the colour red doesn’t always symbolise a stop or warning sign! Chinese people believe that red is not only a lucky colour, but the only colour when it’s time to gamble. And believe me when I say that they take this very seriously, because in Chinese culture, red represents joy and good fortune and that is just what you need when you gamble, right?
9. Reading enriches the mind, books empty the pockets
Kind of a paradox, right? Well, I did say that there is nothing ordinary about the Asians and when it comes to gambling habits, they are dead serious and they believe that it’s plain bad luck to carry or even as much as look at a book when you plan on gambling. Why? Here comes the craziest part: they don’t like things that even sound like unlucky things. And the Chinese word for ‘book’ is similar to the one for ‘lose’. So, try to stick to your Kindle when you feel like reading, OK?
8. The Cold Shoulder
The Chinese believe that it’s not only bad luck, but even a gross lack of manners to touch their shoulder while they are playing. This is partly because Chinese people don’t like to be hugged, patted on the back or touched on the shoulder by strangers and I guess in casinos many people have the urge to touch them. Really?
7. Female virgins good, male virgins bad. Excuse me?
This particular superstition is strictly related to one game of dice – craps. It is said that having a virgin female player throw the dice is good luck for the whole table – it doesn’t have to be a real one, just one that hasn’t played dice before. The same superstition states that having a virgin male player throw the dice will bring misfortune to the table. So, female virgins only, please.
6. Wash your hands, not your luck
Nowadays, even Westerners believe that washing your hands can help wash out the bad luck and change the course of your fortune. Unfortunately, that also implies that one should not wash ones hands during a winning streak, even after having used the bathroom. Yuck! No high five for you, my friend!
5. Voodoo will succeed where you have failed. Say what?
South Africans think that a little bit of voodoo or ‘multi magic’ will do wonders for you during your gambling sessions. In fact, they actually go as far as to smoke the dried brains of vultures. Yeah, talk about desperate measures. This is supposed to give them special powers and the ability to foresee lottery numbers and results of sport events. Actually, due to this belief, the vultures are even facing extinction in South Africa. Seriously, guys, who are the true vultures in this story?
4. Align your Feng Shui and use the back-door
It is no secret that Asian people believe in the power of Feng Shui and that all around us is represented by positive and negative forces that can be manipulated or let’s say channelled to our advantage. That being said, it comes as no surprise that they believe it to be bad luck to enter the casino using the main entrance. What do you mean, why? Because it is cursed by feng shui masters, of course! An intriguing case is that of the famous MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, which is believed to have started this superstition, by designing the whole casino with the shape of a lion and customers had to enter the casino through the mouth of the animal. Due to numerous complaints from the visitors which stated that they are ‘made to walk right into the mouth of the beast’, the company was forced to redesign the entrance altogether. Perhaps they should have tried a female lion? Just saying..
3. Number 4 is unlucky. What about 13, then?
Chinese believe that the number 4 caries misfortune, for the same reason books do – they sound similar to unfortunate words. The number 4 in Chinese sounds like the word ‘die’ in the Cantonese language. You don’t want your luck to four, right? I mean die.. I guess it only makes sense in Chinese.
2. Never count your money, cross your legs or whistle at the tables
Again a little bit of Chinese superstitions – plenty of them out there, which states that it is bad luck to count your money, cross your legs or whistle at the tables while you are playing. With so many superstitions to remember, how can they remember the rules of the games they are playing? What happens if you do any of these things? The gambling God will probably punish you and take away your good fortune. So, I guess that’s not a bad thing, if you are on a losing streak or..?
1. Thai gamblers wear medallions of male private parts around their necks
This superstition takes the cake, no doubt about it! When reading this, please keep an open mind and a naked neck. In Thailand, it is considered good luck for men to wear the so-called ‘Palad Khik’, which translates ‘honourable surrogate penis’ in Thai. These wooden medallions are not only meant to bring them good fortune, but they are also supposed to make them irresistible to women. Yeah, somehow I don’t see that happening.