Friday the 13th at the Poker tables

Luck has nothing to do with it or does it?
By Lady Luck October 13, 2006

Paraskevidekatriaphobia: the worst hand you could possible get in 13 Card Stud, a Poker Variation played by pirates sailing towards the Bermuda Triangle. Well if you are one of those people who believe walking under a ladder, killing a ladybug or seeing a black cat will bring you bad luck, then you might as well believe this.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia is actually the fear of Friday the 13th considered by many as one of the most superstitious days of the year. This fear is so bad that many people won’t drive in their own cars, eat at a restaurant or touch a deck of cards.

But what does Friday the 13^th have to do with poker? Poker is after all a skill based game and if you ask any professional poker player they’ll tell you that poker has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with your own ability to play. Poker is, however, loaded with superstitions about death hands, stats, seat numbers and who’s playing at the same table as you. You’ll also find while Friday is an unlucky day for playing cards, playing on the 13th, is bad, regardless of the day of the week. So you’re bound to see some strange behavior at the Poker room tables today.

Here are some interesting Poker Superstitions:

* Never sit with your legs crossed at the poker tables.
* Always move clockwise when changing seats.
* Sit on a handkerchief to break your bad luck at the tables.
* The unluckiest poker card is the four of clubs.
* Online poker players will reset their hand statistics to zero if they had a bad run of cards.
* Some online poker players will also shut down the poker room and restart if it they’ve been losing badly.
* Table position is a big deal and having players seated before you are considered bad luck.
* You can change the run of cards by walking around your chair three times.
* Players will flop a Death Hand (a certain hand that players constantly lose with), even if this hand is suited and the player is in the big blind.
* Trust your Poker sense and walk away from a table if you get a bad feeling.

Now that I’ve told you about some Poker Superstitions and possibly have you sitting on a handkerchief while folding the four of clubs, I want to end of with my own personal advice for Friday the 13^th at the Poker Tables:

You are not unlucky, regardless of today being Friday the 13^th. I do not believe that bad luck exists in online poker and over a long period of time, no one player gets more than his or her share of good luck at a poker table. Your own perception of being "lucky" or "unlucky" comes from how strongly you identify with the emotions of winning or losing when they happen. People who'd classify themselves as "very lucky" or "very unlucky" should avoid poker and stick with the scratch tickets - or maybe consider sailing to the Bermuda Triangle.