Carrying a lucky charm is a popular ritual that players will do to try to bring about good fortune. Some of them will display them out in the open while others will keep the secretly hidden away. Many Poker players like to use their lucky charms as card protectors. They think this will disguise the real purpose for having them at the table. Wishniks and Trolls seem to be the lucky charm of choice among the Bingo crowd. Walk through any Bingo hall and you will see more different hair colors than you will find in a box of Crayola crayons. Some of these strange colors are even on the dolls. Teddy Bears and other stuffed animals can sometimes be seen on the casino floor. A couple was seen playing the slots with a bear dressed in a Chicago Cubs uniform. Since the Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908 I wonder why they thought this bear would be lucky.

Many players like to check their horoscopes or biorhythms before they start their trip. I don’t know about you but I have never see a horoscope that read, “Today is your unlucky day. Stay away from the casino!” One of the strangest sights was a man at a Las Vegas casino who played slots with a large Teddy bear, about the size of a four-year old child, on his knee facing the machine. He talked to the bear in a very animated way between spins and even used its paw to hit the spin button. I don’t know who was the luckier of the two. Some of them even try to get closer to the machine with their luck and we call it manipulating the machine.

Perhaps the most common ritual performed is tossing money into any fountain or body of water in or near the casino. These “Wishing Wells” are quite lucky for the casinos who net thousands of dollars each year from players who think that throwing away money will bring them good luck as long as they make a wish while they do it. You can even make your own luck, there is no proof that charms, clothes, spouses or any other rituals you perform can change your luck at the online casino poker.

Apparently some players believe in the power of prayer as they play. Numerous times I have seen players holding Rosary Beads and Crosses in one hand as they pushed the spin button with the other. Some even pray out loud. There was a guy at a Midwest riverboat who prayed between holding cards and hitting the deal button on every hand of video poker hat he played. It was not just a quick bow of the head but an earnest plea with an evangelical tone complete with promises to quit if his prayer was answered. He kept playing so it might not have been working for him.