It's Friday the 13th, so it must mean it's time to drag out my Daily Racing Form column that originally ran Oct. 13, 2000. It's definitely a ViewFromVegas on Friday the 13th. However, I'll try to resist the temptation to do this again next month as we have back-to-back Friday the 13ths.

This is also a good chance to let you know about the free ViewFromVegas poker tournament next Saturday, Feb. 21, at 5:05 p.m. VFV Time (aka 5:05 p.m. Pacific). You can read all the details in the VFV Forums. You can use the link on the ViewFromVegas.com home page to sign up for a Bodog account (which is also free, but you can deposit if you like to play their live tables and tournaments) so you can download the poker software. If you do sign up, you get a 10% bonus on top of your deposit, plus you can earn up to 100% more based on your play.


By Dave Tuley

LAS VEGAS - T.G.I.F. may not be a valid saying today.

It's Friday the 13th, the unluckiest of days, especially if you suffer from triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13). Be afraid, be very afraid. Don't break any mirrors, don't walk under any ladders, don't open an umbrella indoors, and don't let a black cat cross your path. And don't bet on any hockey teams unless the goalie is named Jason and carrying an ax instead of a stick and glove.

Las Vegas is very aware of this superstition and does it best to help visitors avoid this unlucky number. At McCarran International Airport, there is no Gate 13. In addition, no airlines have a Flight 13 and many airlines delete the 13th row of seats.

As a standard practice, most hotels don't have a 13th floor. However, there are some notable exceptions. The Las Vegas Hilton, Circus Circus, and Imperial Palace all have 13th floors. The recently closed Desert Inn had a 13th floor, but its rooms were numbered starting with 3100. When Caesars Palace was built in 1966, they included a 13th floor but only made the Roman Tower 14 stories high because 15 was considered an unlucky number for Caesar, as in March 15, the Ides of March.

Reference materials vary on the origins of this widely held fear. Some say it came from Norse mythology in which 12 gods gathered for a banquet at Valhalla (no, one wasn't Tiger Woods) and Loki, the spirit of strife and mischief, crashed the party. Balder, the gods' favorite, died, leading to the superstition that if you have 13 people for dinner one will die within a year.

Others say it comes from the Greek mathematician Pythagoras, who in the sixth century B.C. said the number 12 embodied perfection. He implied that by trying to surpass it, 13 was unstable, imperfect, and evil. The most popular theory is that the superstition comes from the 13 (Jesus plus his 12 disciples) at the Last Supper and the belief that Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

In the Middle Ages, Friday was "hangman's day." A coven has 13 witches, and Friday has been known as the Witches' Sabbath. Chapter 13 bankruptcy isn't considered good, especially for creditors. And if you think gas prices are outrageous, consider that there are 13 OPEC countries.

Maybe you've tried to avoid all bad omens on this day. Maybe you're carrying a lucky rabbit's foot and a four-leaf clover and only intend to gamble at Binion's Horseshoe or the Lady Luck. But don't feed any $1 bills into any slot machines.

Why? Grab a $1 bill from your wallet. Look at the eagle on the back. It's holding 13 arrows in one talon and a branch with 13 leaves and 13 berries in the other. Above his bald head, there are 13 stars surrounded by 13 clouds. Over his chest is a shield with 13 horizontal lines over 13 vertical stripes. E. Pluribus Unum has 13 letters, and the pyramid to the left has 13 levels. Our founding fathers obviously weren't superstitious when they approved 13 colonies.

The majority of the research for this article was done at Gamblers Book Shop ("Gambling and superstition go hand in hand," said Peter Ruchman, general manager of the store, when I told him my topic). The GBS is located on 11th Street, just north of Charleston. When I left, I wondered if there was a 13th Street (my research told me that's a rarity in most cities).

I headed north on 11th, turned right on Bonneville and then left on Maryland Parkway. I came to a strange fork in the road and opted to veer to the right. I found myself on a stretch of road called Rue 13, which proceeded to intersect with 13th Street. As Count Floyd used to say on "SCTV": "Ooooohhhh, scaaarrry." I lived to write about it, but I won't be going to that hellish intersection on Friday.

Despite doubts that creep into my head, I truly believe you make your own luck. Besides, luck is relative. One person's misfortune is another person's luck. If bettors are having a bad day, that means the casino is lucky, and vice versa. You might carry a rabbit's foot for good luck, but it sure wasn't lucky for the rabbit, was it?

And I may be tempting fate: This column is exactly 13 paragraphs long.