We all have something in our lives that we believe brings us luck- a lucky item of jewellery, mascot, t-shirt, pants…well, everyone has something. In the world of gambling and games, the most common lucky token to have is a number. Given that a number isn’t a physical object, this has been viewed as quite bizarre to outsiders of this subculture- however, the whole idea of luck being generated from a specific item has been deemed as superstitious waffle generally, so why should numbers be any different?
Well, numbers really could be magical. The belief that a number/numbers possess magical powers, so to speak, is called numerology. By exact definition, numerology is “any belief in divine, mystical relationships between a number and one or more coinciding events”. For example, if you pick your lucky numbers and end up winning the lottery and then the bingo and then the top prize at a raffle with those numbers, you would have reason to believe that they were lucky for you. If you picked specific numbers and lost at the lottery and the bingo and the raffle, you’d believe that those numbers were unlucky.
Numerology itself has been around for a very long time, but there is no one way to experiment with it. It is treated differently from varying countries and cultures. The most commonly known methods, however, include Alphabetic Systems, the Abjad System, Chinese Numerology and Indian Numerology and Gematria.
Alphabetic Systems.
Alphabetic Systems is the name given to the act of assigning numbers to specific letters of the alphabet. This happens across many countries in slightly varied ways, as we are about to explore.
Indian Numerology.
In Indian Numerology, numbers are assigned to different letters of the alphabet. These are as follows:
1- A, I, J, Q, Y
2- B, K, R
3- C, G, L, S
4- D, M, T
5- E, H, N, X
6- U, V, W
7- O, Z
8- F, P
Chinese Numerology.
When discussing Chinese numerology, it more often than not refers to Cantonese numerology- the meanings may change with the difference in languages across China.
The Chinese give each number a meaning based on the sound it makes when you say it and what word that most sounds like (hence why meanings in the numerology differ across the country). Typically for the Cantonese though, the meanings are as follows:
1- Sure
2- Easy
3- Live
4- This is the unlucky number, as it sounds the same as the word for death and suffering.
5- Myself.
6- Smooth.
7- Swearing in Cantonese, again considered unlucky for this reason.
8- Prosperity.
9- Enough.
As you can see, Chinese numerology differs quite a lot from Westernized numerology, as we commonly associate the number seven with good luck- in China, or at least for the Cantonese, this is not the case.
The Abjad System.
The Abjad System is the idea of numerology believed in Arabic speaking countries. A number is applied to every letter in the Arabic alphabet. The Abjad System is under the subcategory of Alphabetic Systems, so calculations are completed with the letters and numbers in the same way. Other examples from the subheading of Alphabetic Systems that act in a similar way to the Abjad System include the Hebrew Numerals and Greek Numerals.
Gematria.
Gematria is the Jewish version of Alphabetic Systems numerology. Like in Indian numerology, numbers are matched up to letters in the alphabet like so:
1- A, J, S
2- B, K, T
3- C, L, U
4- D, M, V
5- E, N, W
6- F, O, X
7- G, P, Y
8- H, Q, Z
9- I, R
Words are then made, the numerical value for each letter in that word is added up and then the total is split in two, added together, with the final product being the final number. For example:
HAPPY= 8+1+7+7+7=30 3+0=3 Your end result is 3!
Right, so all of this is a load of letters and numbers and is as bad as being back at school studying algebraic equations in maths. What we really want to know is what numbers are lucky and how this can help when it comes to gaming and gambling, yes?
Well, pick any number you like as your lucky number…scientific experiments and psychological tests have shown that the vast majority of people will pick the number seven. Why?
Seven is a prime number that can not be created by being multiplied or divided with the first ten numbers (1-10). This makes it unique and therefore subconsciously we pick up on this fact. It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are at maths- somehow, your brain makes this connection.
Furthermore, the number seven is linked to a lot of positive things- such as the number of colours in the rainbow, the number of virtues there are, there were seven ancient wonders of the world and, religiously, the number seven is very significant in the bible. God made a whole world in seven days apparently, so its got to be a pretty good number, right?
It also happens to help that over time- like, a long, long time- the number seven has been superstitiously deemed lucky by so many people that most of us now take it as the Bible truth that seven really is lucky!
However, when it comes to gambling, I’m afraid it’s not lucky. Which numbers are lucky? Well, none of them. There is absolutely zero evidence that “lucky numbers” boost anyone’s chances when gambling. The odds of a game will never be increased because you’ve picked specific numbers. However, be warned; when you get to a casino, card dealers and other gamblers will try to convince you to pick ‘lucky’ numbers in order to keep you playing and in order for you to keep on supplying them with money. Don’t fall for it! Remember, there is no evidence.
Whilst sometimes a happy coincidence may occur when you pick a lucky number in the raffle or in the lottery, or buy a really nice house with a door number that matches your lucky number, it’s important to remember that it really is nothing more than a happy coincidence. Numbers hold no magical, mythical powers. That’s the beauty of maths. Numbers can always be solved.
