Do You Believe in Superstitions?

The way I see it, superstitions are the product of uneducated beliefs which originated at a time when people were highly fearful of everything that was considered extraordinary and unexplainable (see 'Salem witch hunt' in any vocabulary). One such extraordinary thing was the deck of cards. In the past, playing cards were largely associated with fortune telling and gambling. Both of these practices were rendered as sins by the Christian religion and, thus, were feared of and even abhorred.

Although the vast majority of playing cards related superstitions have a negative aspect to them (meaning, if you do this... or that..., you'd get back luck), some of them have positive sides as well. For instance, one superstition claims that if you happen to touch your favorite card before game begins, you'd sure have Lady Luck on your side that night. Another positive superstition says that blowing upon the deck while shuffling brings good fortune as well. Personally, I haven't tried neither of the aforementioned superstitions so it's hard for me to judge their credibility.

Not surprisingly at all, the negative superstitions related to cards are indeed quite vicious. For example, it's highly unrecommended to have a dog in the same room where a game of poker takes place. This superstition originates in a popular belief of past times that dogs were loyal servants of the dark forces. Personally, I believe that demonizing harmless creatures, such as dogs, to the extent of avoiding their presence when playing poker is not only ridiculous but completely absurd. I wonder what C.M. Coolidge, the artist who painted the 'Dogs Playing Poker' series, would have thought about this superstition?

Another superstition of the negative kind says that picking up a card with the left hand is sure to bring the player his share of bad fortune. Apparently, the left hand has long since been considered having an evil aspect. After combing the web for quite a while, I found a website saying that the word 'sinister' originated from a Latin word that had two interpretations: 'on the left side' and 'harmful.' Thus, it's no wonder that some people believe that using their left hand during an activity delicate in terms of luck is totally unrecommended.

Finally, the most popular superstition having to do with playing cards is the one saying 'unlucky at cards, lucky at love.' But, why do I have to choose? I want to be lucky at both...