The Superstition of the Gambler


Gamblers do some funny things sometimes. They get ideas in their heads about actions or objects that are lucky for them. The example of Sid James in "Carry on at Your Convenience" is extreme, but I wouldn't disbelieve it if you told me that some punter thought he had a lucky budgie. The worst thing is when they decide that you are their lucky mascot, and they insist on touching you as you take their bet. It inspired this extract from "Pollywasher".

"Well anyway, one day not long after Barbara started calling round she ended up writing the bet out for me. She used her own pencil and I tore off a bit from my little notepad. I was that hassled, I think the baby had been poorly or something. So I just managed to remember and shout out what I wanted and she wrote it out with my secret name at the top and then she showed it me to make sure that she’d got it down right. Anyway, the first time she did it, this here bet went and won. It was a double and one of the horses was six-to-one and the other four-to-one so I got a right decent payout that day. It really did buck me up no end. So, from that day onwards, Barbara was my lucky charm and I had to make her write my bet out for me every day. And I think I did start winning a bit more than I had done before so it worked. She was lucky to me. I had a couple of very good returns while she was writing my bets out so I daren’t change back and stop her from doing it for me."

"Pollywasher" by Sarah Miller Walters is available from Amazon - click here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pollywasher-Sarah-Miller-Walters-ebook/dp/B0BQN6GKN5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2IAGQLWQKDVJD&keywords=polywasher+sarah+miller+walters&qid=1671636043&sprefix=pollywasher+sarah+miller+walters%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-1

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