Gambling has deep seeded roots in history, with superstitions surrounding certain games dating back hundreds of years. In the modern age, there are all kinds of superstitions that punters hold about certain casino games, from their own fixations on “lucky” numbers to the ample time to place bets.
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You’d think that today’s technologically advanced pokie machines, both online and in land based casinos, would be free from superstitions and wacky strategy theories, with players recognising the results have no way to be influenced, but guess again.
While the outcome of any slot game absolutely just comes down to pressing a button and hoping that fate is on your side, we debunk some of the (sometimes delusional) superstitions that many punters still seem to adhere to.
The machine owes you something
This is an easy myth to fall for due to the genuine desire for it to be a reality. Many players believe that if they dedicate themselves to one machine or one online slots game for long enough and put enough money into it, there is no choice but for the machine to eventually reward them for their hard efforts.
This is perhaps one of the most damaging superstition of all and is highly detrimental to problem gamblers as it’s simply not true and a sure way to lose a lot of money. Pokies run entirely from random number generators (RNGs) which are not influenced in any way by time or playing patterns.
There is as much chance of triggering a win on one single $1 spin as there is after putting in hundreds of dollars over several hours.
Your wardrobe influences the outcomes
This is an oldie that remains as strong today as ever, applying not just to the pokies but to other casino games like roulette and blackjack. Many players truly believe in the existence of a “lucky” item of clothing, for example a t-shirt that carries some sentimental meaning, or a hat that a player happened to be wearing once when they struck it big.
The belief lies in the hope that by wearing the same clothes you stand a chance of duplicating your luck. While this suspicion is of course entirely delusional, it’s also quite sweet and completely innocent.
If you truly believe in your lucky pair of underwear, then we say wear ‘em with pride – just don’t get your hopes up that they constitute hitting a pokies jackpot.
The temperature of the coin matters
Many punters playing the pokies in land based casinos or pokies lounges truly believe that the temperature of the coin has the power to influence the result of a spin. The superstition changes depending on who you speak to, with some players believing that a hot coin has a higher chance of triggering a jackpot while others believe it’s the cold coins that the machine really wants.
These temperature myths result in players sitting on coins or rubbing them furiously between their hands to generate warmth, or keeping coins chilled in a cup of ice before dropping them in the slot.
Considering that the game is entirely computerised with wins determined by software, rest assured that coin temperature has absolute zero way of influencing the result of a spin.
Numerology is everything
Like the lucky item of clothing myth, superstitions surrounding numerology date back to the earliest days of casino gambling. Many people hold certain numbers dear to their heart in everyday life, considering things like the date of a special anniversary to hold fortunate powers or Friday the 13th to be incredibly unlucky.
Gamblers often use numerological beliefs to determine how they place bets on the pokies, using their lucky or unlucky number to control how many reels they play, how many spins they make or which machines they avoid. No harm can come from this superstition, but also no success.
Rub me for luck
If you’ve ever frequented a pokies lounge or casino you may have noticed some punters enthusiastically rubbing the glass screen of the machine as the reels were spinning, like a crazy person. Many pokies fanatics truly believe that rubbing, touching or tapping on the screen will have some kind of effect on where the reels land, or that rubbing the jackpot amount on the pay table will bring greater chances of receiving it.
This superstition probably has roots in the power of positive energy, or perhaps it just makes some players feel better to reach out and touch their dreams in the hope that it might make them more obtainable. Ultimately, this practice serves no purpose other than leaving your fingerprints all over the screen for the next person.
The newer, the better
This myth applies equally to online pokies and real life slot machines, with some players genuinely believing that a newer game or machine stands a much higher chance of producing a win. This misconception comes through the belief that new games are rigged to be looser within their first few days of operation in an attempt to draw more players in to try it.
While there is absolutely no truth to this, casinos have been known to take advantage of this myth by making a big song and dance about new machines and games in the knowledge that superstitious players will come flocking.
Booze is bad luck
This is one of the pokies superstitions that we actually whole-heartedly agree with. In fact, it’s not a superstition at all, the reality is that alcohol and gambling simply do not mix. While it may be relaxing to sip a gin and tonic while spinning those reels, alcohol clouds judgement and leads to poor decision making.
Having a tipsy confidence certainly won’t increase your chances of winning, but it certainly will increase your chances of taking bad risks with bad consequences. Why do you think American casinos hand our free drinks? Operators know that a couple of drinks will loosen punters up into betting more than they intended to. Our recommendation is to lay off the sauce completely.
Location, location, location
Many punters believe that the location of a machine has an effect on its winning potential and that its positioning on the casino floor plays a part in how lucky the machine is. There is some truth to this otherwise ridiculous sounding myth, as some casinos have been known to put looser machines closer to the entrance in the belief that visibly excited winners will entice more people to play.
The downside to this is that there really is no way of knowing which machine this “lucky position” may relate to, with venues also frequently shuffling the positioning of machines around.
The luck of the spin
With some of these common pokies superstitions debunked, we hope players will understand that when it comes to the slots, it all comes down to the luck of the spin. It is 100% impossible for pokies to be influenced by any external factors, but hey, if it makes you feel better to play with a lucky item in your pocket, a lucky hat on your head or on a certain day of the week, then there is absolutely no harm in that, just don’t feel defeated when your superstition turns out to be a fantasy.
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