Superstitions are such an ingrained part of the human psyche and DNA that we can apply so many deep, riveting questions about what shapes the ideas in our minds. There are countless examples of superstitions, some ranging from lucky pairs of socks to five showers a day, and that’s just among NBA players.
However, what drives us to put such stock in these superstitions, and why are they more prevalent in specific areas of gaming, such as roulette, than in other sectors of the industry? Let’s dive in and find out.
The Concept Of Superstitions – My Personal Experience
For me, when I am playing on the PlayStation, I have a range of superstitions I will use. If I am trying to complete a mission on Grand Theft Auto, I will use a specific lucky car that helped me with earlier missions. Given that Grand Theft Auto’s latest landmark title has already cost $2 billion to design, you’d like to think the innovators behind that game design are weighing up other intangibles rather than the concept of luck.
If I’m in a sports game, I’ll stick to a set strategy with a specific team, especially if it has paid dividends in the previous games. Sometimes strategy in FC 26 can be arbitrary, depending on the algorithm your team ends up on, especially online. It can tail off into bizarre scenarios, highlighted in multiple reviews, where it genuinely feels as though the game is just going on a path of its own.
That’s not just sour grapes from my point of view either; sometimes superstitions must deal with the weight of your gaming destiny and feel as though they are simply random ideas we have come up with to try and add another sprinkle of gaming mystery to our strategy.
When it comes to roulette, I’ve got a range of superstitions and numbers I pick based on birthdays, old home addresses, and even the odd number that provided me with a good return way back when.
There are some numbers that crop up in roulette more often than others, though, and given that the game itself is purely down to luck, with no strategy you can use to get one over on the house – what are some of the beliefs that drive people to place big bets on these numbers at the roulette table?
Where Does Lucky Number Seven Originate?
It depends on who you ask. Some people have different reasons for their lucky numbers in roulette. Millions of roulette gamers rely on superstition rather than strategy when they play at a roulette table online, and believe certain bets bring good fortune.
For some, this superstition can be a birthday, maybe a parent or spouse, or it could be their own date of birth. However, if we peel back the layers and look at how popular the number seven is, it dates to the early days of slot gaming, when it became one of the most popular symbols on slot machine reels.
Credit – https://pixabay.com/photos/roulette-casino-pay-numbers-zero-248995/
While this was certainly the case throughout North America, seven has a mystique further afield, too. Seven is a number that has symmetry right throughout our world: seven days of the week, seven wonders of the world, seven notes in the music scale, seven seas, and a visible part of advertising strategies across multiple sectors and industries.
There are plenty of angles to look at it from, and while some put it down to these factors, it’s often a lot simpler, such as a birthday or a number that has provided a bit of luck in the past. Ultimately, the superstition behind it is in the eye of the beholder.
Theory vs Practicality
The Fibonacci method is an approach that fuses mathematical strategy with game theory. The retracement theory is applied to many markets; people use it to trade gold and other commodities, such as crypto, and it is often integrated into strategies used by some of the world’s most prominent hedge funds. As you can see in the link below, some even apply the Fibonacci method to roulette strategy.
Ultimately, though, superstitions do not give you an advantage, and in games like roulette, while they can be an intriguing talking point, the odds are in the house favor.
Understanding The Global Appeal & Other Lucky Numbers
Seven is a rare number in terms of popularity across multiple casino game types and numerous international markets. Many analysts have dubbed it the world’s lucky number, given its popularity and the weight it holds across cultures and countries.
These lucky numbers, or unlucky, speak directly to different cultures. In Western culture, 13 is considered incredibly unlucky, but if it’s the date of your birthday, you might have it as part of your roulette number spread alongside number seven.
Credit – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:7NumberSevenInCircle.svg
In Asian culture, particularly in China, the number 8 is considered highly auspicious. However, I’ve played at roulette tables where huge bets would pile onto the number 17, some say because it sits in the middle of the table, but again, there are a myriad of reasons that people will highlight when it comes to any number, really.
Honestly? I often bet on number 17 in roulette, and I can’t remember why it is one of my chosen numbers. Sometimes it wins. Sometimes it doesn’t, and it’s this purely random luck that applies to all numbers.
Final Thoughts
Superstitions can be fun, and they might give us a framework to place our roulette bets, but ultimately, every number on the table has an equal chance of being spun like all the ones around it.
Roulette gamers will often hedge their bets by betting bigger pockets on the table with a smaller return. Again, these can have their own superstitions attached to them, particularly among people who prefer betting red over black, and vice versa.
There are professional sportspeople out there who would argue until they were blue in the face that their superstition has been able to get them over the line during the big moments. Some of them are almost too weird to comprehend.
So, while all numbers have the same chance and luck weighted on them, lucky number seven is the standout integer, and given that it is so ingrained in so many cultures and casino gaming ideas, it’s likely to remain integral in casino gaming for many years to come.