Superstitions In Poker

Gambling superstitions flourish in all games of chance, but poker should be considered a game of skill.

However, for many, it is all about the luck of the draw. The fact that so many players rely purely on luck in poker is what enables skilled poker professionals to prosper. For those non-skilled players, poker superstitions are key. Here are some of the best known ones.

Don’t Count Your Chips at the Table

Made popular by the Kenny Rogers song “the Gambler” this superstition states that you don’t count your money until you have cashed out. Presumably, the idea here is that knowing you are up or down a considerable amount may affect your play adversely.

However, it is crucial, especially in poker tournaments, to know how many chips you have in front of you. You need to know if you have opponents covered, how many bets you have left and how big your stack is relative to the blinds, as well as to the other players’ stacks.

Aces Always Get Cracked

Some players look at pocket aces in hold’em with delight, but many feel a sense of despair. They anticipate putting all their chips in and getting beaten by a far worse hand with a brutal bad beat. They anticipate this because it has happened before.

As a result, players with aces may routinely overbet the pot pre-flop so that everyone will fold and they don’t get a bad beat. This is a complete waste of aces.

Yes, they will get cracked sometimes. However, the odds say that aces are a big favorite over any other hand, so you cannot be afraid to play them.

Beginner’s Luck

Some people don’t want to play with someone who is new to the game because of “beginner’s luck.” While sometimes, beginners will get lucky, this superstition really arises from the fact that people who get lucky their first time gambling are likely to keep gambling and to be around to tell other gamblers their tale of beginner’s luck. Since you don’t know if this beginner is going to be sticking around, there’s no reason to think he has a better chance than anyone else does.