Online Bingo and Bingo in general is as rife with superstition as all other branches of gambling that revolve around luck. Look around a Bingo hall and you'll probably find a number of people surreptitiously fingering lucky charms, crossing and uncrossing their legs in specific ways and even murmuring little personal charms under their breath.

Superstition is defined by the dictionary as being ?an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome. ? These include throwing salt over your left shoulder when you've spilt some and never walking under a ladder. Take a closer look at these beliefs and it becomes a bit clearer where they came from. Salt, for instance, was once thought to be a very powerful magical substance strong enough to ward off various forms of evil. When one takes into account that the ancients used salt to cleanse wounds, preserve meat and even had a rudimentary understanding of its biological importance, it makes perfect sense that they attributed supernatural powers to this substance. Furthermore, the tradition of never walking under a ladder, seen by some as common sense (i.e. it may fall on your head), was originally a way of ensuring no-one disturbs a symbol of the Holy Trinity (the triangle created by the ladder, the wall and the ground).

Sound a bit flimsy? Interestingly enough observation studies conducted in England revealed that a whopping 70% of modern-day Britons still refuse to walk under a ladder if there is an alternative route.

In 1984, behavioural psychologist BF Skinner observed a type of superstition amongst the pigeons he was using as test subjects for his experiments concerning operant conditioning. He observed that the pigeons, after being reared on a fixed ratio/interval feeding schedule, would routinely flap their wings and do turns in their cage as if to influence the feeding times. It seems that this behaviour had once or twice corresponded with food being dispensed and an erroneous connection had been made between their behaviour and the resultant food pellets.

This theory has been hotly disputed but some psychologists still use the theorem in order to explain the phenomenon of human superstition. It seems that partial reinforcement, i.e. winning a game of Bingo while you were wearing a certain shirt or after you took a different route to the Bingo hall, gives rise to a sense of persistence within some individuals. The person feels that by continuing this action they will ensure the same desirable outcome and continues to believe this whether or not it makes logical sense. Research suggests that the basic cognitive error lies in the person's notions concerning randomness.

Many superstitions are purely personal, but there exists a few universal gambling beliefs. Particularly widespread notions suggest gamblers should never gamble with their legs crossed, let dogs near the table, always stack their chips neatly, blow on the dice and whenever possible, carry the toenail of a horned toad.

Some beliefs are culturally bound. The Chinese, for instance, put great stock in numbers. Many will avoid sleeping in hotel rooms with the number 58 which, in Cantonese sounds similar to the term ?won't prosper?. Instead they prefer the number 84, which sounds similar to ?prosperous until death?. Red underwear, prolonged abstinence and entering the casino through the back entrance may also contribute to good luck. Just look out for those vexatious nuns - if you spot one while you are on your way to go gambling you'd better button your lip until you see a four-legged animal.

Yes, there sure are some strange people in this world. My opinion? To each his own. If you feel that clutching a bunch of dried sage or plaiting your moustache counter-clockwise will help you win the online Bingo jackpot, then go right ahead. Positive thinking makes a world of difference. Just don't expect me to do the same, as my lucky pebble will do the trick.