Gamblers can be a superstitious bunch, and it might seem that some of the beliefs about lucky and unlucky numbers seemed to be based on nothing more than tall tales told over the years. But regardless of their origins, many of these digits have come out of the world of gambling and into public consciousness.
Regardless of whether they’re based on stories from the bible or ancient legends, these numbers can have different meanings to different people. People will change travel plans, delay making purchases, or even spend every penny they have on lottery tickets. So where did these influential numbers originate? Let’s have a closer look!
People are so afraid of the number 13 that it even has its own name, if you can pronounce it: triskaidekaphobia. It even has the power to ruin economies, as millions are lost in businesses every Friday the 13th. To appease the suspicious, architects often skip the 13th floor in building plans, going straight from 12 to 14.
So why is this? What is so terrible about 13? The roots of this superstition lie in Norse mythology, which stated that if a 13th guest turned up to a party attended by 12 gods, one of the gods must die, and tremendous destruction would not be far behind. It’s also thought that 13’s bad reputation can be blamed on Judas, the 13th guest to arrive at the Last Supper, and we all know that didn’t end too well.
While 13 is considered the unluckiest of unlucky numbers, the number 12 is a rare lucky number that also happens to be even (see below). This, like many superstitions, has slightly sketchy origins, but it has been suggested that 12 is lucky because it can be so very easily divided - a small number that can be divided into halves, quarters, and thirds.
However, this also contradicts our next point…
It’s often believed, especially by gamblers, that even numbers are unlucky, but odd numbers can bring a bit of luck. The reason behind this is not quite clear, but one theory is that even numbers are more easily divisible, and thus lessen and reduce their power, while odd numbers can’t be halved, making them stronger.
Just like De La Soul sang, three is considered to be a magic number. A man and a woman can have a child and become a unit of three, and there’s the Holy Trinity, which is seen in regions all around the world - the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost of Christianity, the three holy sites of Islam, Hinduism has it’s own Holy Trinity of sorts. Some pagan traditions celebrate the trinity of the land, sea, and sky that make up the Earth.
There are also popular sayings, such as ‘third time’s the charm’ and ‘third time lucky’ suggesting that after two failures, a third attempt will bring good fortune.
What do you get when you multiply the magic number by itself? The number nine is considered to be very lucky as it is three times three, the magic number squared. Having a good day? You’re on Cloud 9. Looking rather dapper for a night out? You’re dressed to the nines!
Even the fearsome cat-o’-nine-tails, the painful whip used to punish sailors, was thought to transform the offender with its magic nine power, making them a worthy seaman.
However, in Japan, the number is seen with some distaste, as the word for nine in Japanese sounds very similar to the Japanese word for torture or suffering.
To demonstrate how contradictory superstitions can be, the number three is also regarded to have some quite negative connotations. Some people believe that bad things happen in threes, or the idea that celebrities die in groups of three, or even that lighting three cigarettes with a single match will lead to death.
The number seven is a digit with legendary status for gamblers and lottery players and has long been the universal symbol for slot machines and those huge Las Vegas jackpots. The number seven has long played a part in history, culture, and legend, lending it its mythical status.
There are the seven wonders of the world, the seven seas, the seven days of the week, and the number of days God took to make the Earth (although strictly that’s only six, as he had a nap on the seventh day), and the ancient cultures knew of seven planets. If you want to get some real luck, then you need to seek out the seventh son of the seventh son, who is said to have magical healing powers and an unending pool of luck.
Never mind individual or groups of numbers, there are also negative and positive connotations associated with the very act of counting numbers. One ancient folk remedy suggests that if you count the number of warts on your body and tell that number to a stranger, the warts will go away.
But you should also never count your money, children, or possessions, as this can also make them go away. And we all know you should never count your chickens before they hatch. Some superstitious people claim that weighing a baby at birth brings bad luck, as does counting the stones in an ancient monument.
Some numbers are considered lucky, but only when viewed as an age. The number 21 is considered a little magical as it is the product of three times seven, both lucky numbers. In contrast, 63 years old is considered unlucky, but if you make it this far and to 64, you can expect a long, lucky life.
The Japanese have a name for unlucky ages: Yakudoshi. If you’re a woman, then be prepared for bad luck when you reach 19, 22, and 37, while for men, it’s 25,42, and 60.
Another rare instance of an even number being considered lucky, superstition suggests that the number four is lucky due to the amount of things in nature that occur in groups of four - the points of the compass, the seasons, and the four elements of nature - air, water, earth, and fire. And of course, the four-leaf clover!
But once again, in Eastern cultures, specifically China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan, the number four is thought to be unlucky, as the word sounds similar to the word for ‘death’ when spoken out loud. It means that in many places in Asia, the number four is avoided as much as possible, such as in prices, house numbers, and even the fourth floor of a building might be labelled as ‘F’ to avoid using the number.
In Italy, the number 17 has the same sinister connotation as the number 13. In Roman Numerals, 17 is written as XVII, which is an anagram of VIXI, which then roughly translates to ‘I am now dead’. As with the number four in Asia and the number 13 in Western cultures, 17 is bypassed wherever possible.
However, the Italians consider 13 to be quite a lucky number.
If you had trouble pronouncing triskaidekaphobia - the fear of the number 13 - then good luck with this one, the word for the fear of the number 666: hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia.
You do not have to be overly familiar with the Book of Revelations, or with the music of Iron Maiden to know that 666 is considered to be the Number of the Beast, or the devil’s number. Many people will avoid anything that contains 666, such as flights, hotel room numbers, or even phone numbers.
Once again, head east to China, and 666 is about as lucky a number as you can get. The word for six in Chinese sounds similar to the word for ‘smooth’ or ‘flowing’, so three sixes in a row is bound to help get the good luck flowing.
The number eight is one of the few instances of the Western and Eastern worlds being in agreement. The Chinese consider eight to be lucky as it sounds like the Cantonese word for ‘prosperity’, and car registration plates that contain the number eight are seen as very lucky, and often fetch hundreds and thousands in bids.
Lucky, Unlucky, or Silly Superstition?
Do you have any lucky numbers? Is it all just a bit of harmless fun, or superstitious nonsense? Maybe the next time you’re visiting Coral Island Casino, you’ll think twice about what numbers on the Roulette wheel you’ll place your bets on!
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