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Home / Uncategorized / ANZPT Perth Day 2: Very superstitious

Friday the 13th.

Supposedly the most unlucky day of the calendar year.

Perhaps it isn’t an ideal date for the superstitious to pull up a chair at the poker table for Day 2 of the ANZPT Main Event.

Gambling and superstition have always been inextricably linked. From mundane stories such as lucky card protectors, to the outrageous, like players wearing the same underwear for an entire tournament series.

For some, superstition is unavoidable.

The players today will most likely be safe from black cats in the poker room, but according to some, there are many things that can bring on bad luck.

A widespread adage of the superstitious, and one that Kenny Rogers echoed in his song The Gambler, is that “You never count your money while you’re sittin’ at the table.”

A sure-fire way to go broke, some insist, you should never count your chips until you’ve finished a session. Maybe players should think about that next time they ask for a count in the middle of a big pot.

Team PokerStars pro Bryan Huang explains one of the more prominent superstitions in Eastern culture.

“The Chinese believe it’s very bad luck to touch shoulders while playing” Huang said. “If someone touches your shoulder you’re bound to have a losing session.”

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Bryan Huang at Crown Perth for Day 2

Superstitious or not, as the current chip leader here on Day 2, it seems Huang has faded all the bad luck so far. A huge hand was pushed his way earlier, which saw 150 big blinds in the middle preflop. After a three-bet from opponent Ronald Bean, Huang clicked it back to around 13,000.

Bean put in a five-bet to approximately 26,000 before Huang moved all in for an extra 66,200 in chips. His opponent called off with a little behind and Huang tabled A♦ A♠ . Bean showed 9♥ 9♦ and was in rough shape.

The board ran out K♠ 5♥ 7♦ 4♥ 6♣ to see Huang double through and claim the chip lead. Shortly after, Huang finished Bean off when he found aces again. Bean moved his short stack all in with ace five and with no help from the run out he hit the rail.

Whether superstition plays a part in run good is yet to be confirmed, but we’ll be watching here at Crown Perth to see how the players fare as we approach the end of Day 2 in the ANZPT Main Event.

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