In a 4th floor casino with no #8 seat, your chances of winning Asian gamblers are baccarat, or zero.

Knowing their gambling superstitions (like lucky numbers) and choice of casino games (like baccarat) is half the battle over Asian casino gamblers, the newest ‘it’ group this side of town. Whether immigrants or tourists, Asian gamblers have indeed become a segment no casino can afford to lose, from Las Vegas to Macau and Native American Indian casino gaming reservations.

Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino, the world’s two largest casinos, are both Indian casinos situated in Connecticut. It is the wealthiest US state per capita, with a population that is predominantly white, at 76%. Only 3.2% are Asian American, yet this market is indispensable enough that both casinos send buses out to pick up Asians customers at the neighboring Chinatowns of Boston and New York.

Asian & Chinese Gambling Superstitions

Over 2,000 Asian Americans gamble daily at Mohegan Sun, or 20% of all customers, says VP Rocco Santoro. It is imperative that their casino dealers and floor supervisors, half of whom are Asian, be trained to be culturally correct. “For instance, when introducing oneself to an Asian player, the lower you bow, the more respect you show,” he says.

As for the numbers game, Santoro says Asians consider the number 4 as unlucky and the number 8 as lucky. For this reason, Mohegan Sun would include a No. 8 seat but skip a No. 4 one, going from 3 straight to 5, at the Asian gaming tables. Also, any special event where Asian casino players are invited is never held on the fourth floor.

While loosely designated as Asian, these gambling superstitions are Chinese in origin. No. 8 is lucky and No. 4 is unlucky because the Chinese associate 8 with prosperity but 4 with death. Ironically, in the West, 8 is an illegal number for basketball jerseys.

1- The Chinese link between luck and numbers extends to number combinations. Good ones: 18 in Cantonese sounds like ‘definitely prosper’ / 84 is ‘prosperous ’til death’ / 168 is ‘prosper all the way’ / 998 is ‘prosper for a long time’ / 1388 is ‘prosperity in one’s lifetime’. Bad ones: 58 in Cantonese sounds like ‘won’t prosper’ / 1358 is ‘won’t prosper in one’s lifetime’.

2- Red is lucky. In practice, this translates to: wear red underwear when gambling; females are luckier when gambling during their period.

3- Feng shui is good for the casino, not the gambler. Do not enter a casino through its main entrance. If feng shui’s been used on there, it would be to attract fortune towards the casino, which means away from the gambler.

4- Males should avoid sex, and females, before gambling.

5- Do not mention the word ‘book’, which in Cantonese sounds like ‘lose’.

6- Do not gamble after you’ve just seen a monk or nun; or after you’ve just touched someone else’s shoulder while they’re gambling.

7- Do switch on all the lights in your home before going out to gamble.

8- And this one’s specifically on baccarat: do call out the Cantonese word ‘deng’ or Mandarin word ‘ding’ before the cards are dealt to start a game.

Next up: Baccarat and other popular Asian & Chinese casino gambling games.

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