Superstitions

Remember Lucky You with Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore? The man seated at seat #3 I think was this old guy with a toy on the table. It was of a tiger with the head nodding which reminds you of those trinkets cab drivers put on their dashboards.

A lot of poker players have their own toys they bring in to the table to serve as card protectors. Most popular are commemorative coins or chips which several players protect their cards with. I've seen Del with his, well I don't know what the little gold thing is exactly. I first used a small toy of Superman flying, then I used a lighter to cover my cards. At the time I couldn't play if I didn't have the Superman toy or the lighter with me. I would even opt to go home and not play at all just because I don't have it.

Then there's some superstition about the chip stacks. Some like the lines on the sides to be in line. Some like all the stacks to be even.

Then there are the cards. Those favorite cards you couldn't quite resist playing. I would play with J9s or J9o even with a raise. I've heard some would always play 32 or whatever random hands they'd won with once and never forgot.

Then there are some mannerisms people do either out of habit but often because it somehow makes them feel lucky. John knocks on the button everytime it's on him. I actually feel that when the cards are dealt and they're on top of each other, it's a good hand; if the dealt cards do not touch, they're probably rags.

Then there are superstitions about dealers. I would most likely call with a draw if Sonny is dealing rather than, say, Dainty. A lot of people have their preferred dealer, mine is Sonny.

But I'd like to share my experience yesterday. I was smoking outside of our building when I felt something drop on my shoulder. It felt like a drop of rain but the sky was very clear. I looked up and there was this bird right above my shoulder. I had bird crap on my shoulder. Now it's never a good feeling to have crap on your shoulder even if it is just from a little bird. However, they say that it's lucky to have a bird crap on your shoulder. If a little bird can give good luck, imagine what an ostrich can do.

So the day went by uneventfully until we were in a bar having a couple of beers. I felt my hand itch terribly. Elders say that when the palm is itchy, money is be yours. I figured, I have bird crap on my shoulder, my palm is itchy, and I'm in Metrowalk. So I went to the ATM, withdrew 1 buy-in for the 25/50, then headed to The Metro.

I had to wait for a seat to open for the 25/50, when it did, I sat down and played. I basically played my normal game. And went to win twice what I bought in for. I never had bad beats, nor were there any hands with hard decisions. Everything went smoothly.

My point is this, I've seen people really on luck to win. And although there really is no harm in believing, there's so much to be lost when the view narrows because of a superstition. Believe all you want but never make it decide for you.