{"id":25226,"date":"2020-11-13T11:35:09","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T17:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=25226"},"modified":"2024-01-24T05:00:44","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T11:00:44","slug":"poker-superstitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/poker-superstitions\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Weird And Wonderful Superstitions You\u2019ll See In Poker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While poker is undoubtedly a game of skill, there is an element of luck to it, especially in the short term. And wherever there\u2019s luck, superstition will follow \u2013 a perfect topic to cover on Friday 13th<\/sup>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of people believe there are things you can do to bring you good luck or ward off bad luck at the table. And whether you believe in them or not, poker superstitions give people a feeling they have a greater degree of control<\/a> over random events and can help boost their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the best players in the game are superstitious to some degree, and they don\u2019t even try to hide it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, most people who have spent many years\ninside casinos and poker rooms have at least a few irrational beliefs, even if\nthey don\u2019t talk about them or want to acknowledge them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you\u2019re new to the poker scene, you\u2019ll likely encounter some of the behaviors discussed in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Lucky Card\nProtectors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of all poker superstitions out there, this one\nis by far the most common, and I\u2019m not even sure I\u2019d call it superstition. Many\nplayers have a special item on them at all times and use it as a card protector.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could be a chip from a different casino\nwhere they won a big tournament, a small figurine that\u2019s of some significance\nto them, or anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think a majority of these players\nactually believe their card protectors have magical powers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather, having them at the table makes them\nmore confident, which is usually a good thing for them. Anything that helps you\nfeel better while playing and doesn\u2019t hurt other players can only be a good\nthing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there will always be those who take\nthings too far. Some players will refuse to sit down to play if they\u2019ve forgotten\ntheir protector. They\u2019d rather drive home and back to get it than risk playing\nwithout their lucky charm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without passing any judgment, if you notice\nthis kind of behavior from someone, you can safely assume their knowledge of\npoker strategy might be shaky, to say the least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lucky
Image: WorldPokerTour\/Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Believing In \u201cUnlucky\u201d Players Or Dealers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Poker has its ups and downs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the best players in the game don\u2019t book a\nwinning session every time they play. Losing is just a part of the game and\nthere is no way to avoid it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, not everyone would agree with this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people hate losing, and they\u2019ll always\nfind an excuse for why it happened. And one of the most common excuses I\u2019ve\nheard over the years is that a particular dealer or a player brings them bad\nluck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve been playing in a live setting for\nany significant period of time, you\u2019ve probably had an opportunity to see this\nkind of behavior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as a certain dealer sits down for their\nshift, you might hear comments like \u201cNot you again\u201d or \u201cI never win when he\/she\ndeals the cards\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or even worse, they start shouting, insulting,\nor blaming the dealer for a bad run of cards or an unlucky river, which made\nthem lose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that is ridiculous if you ask me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This happens with players as well but to a\nlesser extent. Dealers usually rotate at least once an hour, while the\n\u201cunlucky\u201d player could hang around for the entire evening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, superstitious players are more likely to\nblame a particular dealer, fixating on a few big hands they lost over the years\nwhen the dealer in question was on duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike card protectors, this is a very\nirrational belief that has no foundation in reality and is probably bad for\nyour game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you get up every time a particular dealer\nsits down, you\u2019re wasting time. If you keep playing with the idea in the back\nof your mind that they will screw you over, somehow, it will adversely\ninfluence your game and you\u2019ll probably make some suboptimal decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, to make things even funnier, I\u2019ve seen\npeople blame dealers even when there is an automatic shuffler at the table,\nwhere their only job is to pass the cards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk about taking things to the extreme\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Card Shuffling\nSuperstitions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I heard it countless times at the tables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDealer, please do a better job of shuffling the\ncards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When players happen to get on a cold streak or\nget into a couple of cooler situations, they\u2019ll often look for the reason why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since there is no real reason (coolers and cold decks<\/a> are part of poker, sometimes you get them, and sometimes your opponents do), they\u2019ll blame it on the lack of dealer\u2019s shuffling skills<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact of the matter is, if there is no\ncheating going on, the way cards are shuffled doesn\u2019t matter at all. And the\ntheory that cards get \u201cstuck\u201d together doesn\u2019t hold true, either, as they\u2019re\ndealt one at a time, and there is a cut before each deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it can be a bit annoying and slow down\nthe game, they\u2019ll still get their fair share of coolers, big hands, and trash,\njust like everyone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Stacking Chips In A\nCertain Way<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For some players, the way they stack their chips<\/a> is very important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll have players who only do stacks of 20,\nfor example, or who never do stacks bigger than 10, even if they\u2019re running out\nof the space on the felt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some, this is just a habit; for others,\nthough, it is much more than that as they believe the way they stack their\nchips could influence their results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Poker
Image: WorldPokerTour\/Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the scale of superstitions, this is a minor one for the most part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can only become problematic if a player\ninsists on keeping mixed stacks because \u201cthey like it that way\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This makes it harder or even impossible for\nother players to figure out how many chips they have in front of them. The same\ngoes for players who prefer to \u201ckeep their big chips in the back\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can have your superstitions, but they\u2019re\nonly tolerated for as long as they don\u2019t mess up with other players\u2019 play.\nKeeping \u201cdirty\u201d stacks or hiding your big chips may be okay in a home game, but\nno casino or poker room will tolerate this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you\u2019re particular about the way you like\nto stack your chips, make sure your desire is along the lines of house rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Hanging On To Lucky\nChips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In most player groups, there is always at least\none player that others see as the lucky one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is because the player is good or\nthey\u2019ve been running super-hot (or both), others insist they are just so lucky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, for some players, winning chips off of\nthese lucky players have a special significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ll often want to hold on to these chips\nfor as long as possible because it can bring them some of that good luck as\nwell. More often than not, this is a joke they don\u2019t really believe (at least I\nhope so), but it can create a lot of fun banter at the tables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this is something you strongly believe in,\nyou might not want to let other players know about it because they might take\nadvantage of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the lucky player might adjust their\nplay knowing their chips have a special value assigned to them. Or, other\nplayers at the table might want to bluff more frequently, knowing there is a\nportion of your stack you\u2019d rather not lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Wearing Lucky\nClothes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve seen some interviews with poker\nplayers, even some of the best ones, you\u2019ve probably heard them talk about an\nitem of clothing they believe brings them luck at the tables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could be a hat, a hoodie, a shirt, or even lucky\nunderwear. They\u2019ll often wear it for important tournaments and especially for\nfinal table appearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is another harmless superstition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll be wearing some clothes at the tables\none way or the other, so if wearing your lucky shirt or hat makes you feel\nbetter, go for it \u2013 and don\u2019t let anyone tell you otherwise. Even if it doesn\u2019t\nbring you the good luck you\u2019re hoping for, it can\u2019t hurt your chances, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Skipping The Hand\nAfter A Misdeal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some players actually believe there is some\ngreater power involved with poker, call it luck or whatever else, and they\ndon\u2019t want to mess with that power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when there is a misdeal, requiring them to\ngive back their cards or receive a different card, they\u2019ll skip on the repeated\nhand without even looking at their cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reasoning behind this is that \u201cthose are\nnot the cards I was supposed to get.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, I have seen this a couple of\ntimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess this only makes sense if you believe\nthere are actual hands you are and aren\u2019t supposed to get. If you look at every\nnew deal as a separate and random event (as you should), then there is\nabsolutely no reason to pass on a hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t suggest doing this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You only get a limited number of hands in a session or a tournament, and every single one of them is important. This is especially true for later stages of a tournament, where one hand can significantly boost your chances of winning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Unlucky Hands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While professional players don\u2019t believe any hands to be lucky or unlucky by their own merit, many casuals who have been around for a while have hands they deem unlucky, like the dead man\u2019s hand<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This superstition usually stems from them\nremembering one or two ugly bad beats they had in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, the funniest part is, people who are\nsteadfast in this belief often deem Aces and Kings, the most powerful starting\nhands in Hold\u2019em, as very unlucky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all had our Aces cracked more than a few\ntimes, but these players just can\u2019t get over it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of this superstition, they\u2019ll often\nplay these hands poorly and miss a lot of the value. I\u2019ve seen people shove\n200+ big blind stacks with pocket Aces over a normal-sized raise to avoid\nlosing with them again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can You Afford To Be\nSuperstitious At The Tables?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5SLEz16rmCU\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking at all these various examples of irrational\nbeliefs, it is clear that not all of them are on the same level. Some of them,\nlike card protectors or lucky clothing, are pretty much harmless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others, though, like believing some hands are\ninherently unlucky or that a certain dealer brings you bad luck, can have\nadverse effects on your play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing wrong with being a bit\nsuperstitious, but you can\u2019t let it hurt your game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, take what you will from this article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you recognize yourself in some of these, at\nleast give it a think and see if you are leaving money on the table because of\nirrational decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, if you aren\u2019t a professional player\nmaking a living at the felt, there is nothing wrong with having these\nsuperstitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If sticking to some of your beliefs help you\nfeel better or have more fun, go ahead and do it \u2013 just don\u2019t take things to the\nextreme and you\u2019ll be just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not had enough of lucky charms and superstitions\nyet? Check out these similar posts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
10 Weirdest Lucky Charms Around The World<\/a><\/blockquote>