Does "Beginners Luck" Really Exist? [article from Articleranks]

Does "Beginners Luck" Really Exist?

"Beginner's luck refers to the supposed phenomenon of novices experiencing disproportionate frequency of success or succeeding against an expert in a given activity. The term is most often used in reference to a first attempt in sport or gambling. The term is also used when no skill whatsoever is involved, such as a first-time slot machine player winning thejackpot" Wikipedia

At one time or another, most of us have experienced what is commonly referred to as "beginner's luck." This phenomenon happens when someone with limited experience achieves better than the expected results.Beginners luck is often associated with people who play casino and card games. Whether this is a statistical phenomenon or not there are many explanations and/or theories behind this.

• Due to the player being an amateur and inexperienced there is no pressure on them to exceed in the game and therefore this allows the player to actually concentrate more than the professional
• The experts of a game will believe in beginner's luck because they themselves have experienced a run of good fortune when they were amateurs
• Confirmation bias (Tendency for people to favour information that confirms their presumptionregardless of whether the information is true or not): occasions when a beginner performs unusually well are likely to be remembered, while occasions where a beginner performed badly are often forgotten

In order to have beginners luck you need a beginners mind. So how would one obtain this? If you look at Zen Buddhism they follow a concept called "Shoshin", which translates to having

an attitude of openness, eagerness and a lack of preconceptions even at an advanced level.

With this "attitude" one needs to stay open to possibilities at any time or place with complete focus and attention in the present moment, not letting the past experiences cloud their judgement. A beginner will commonly endeavour excitement and never have an ego which will show in his/her actions as spontaneous, pure and innocent. Lastly you should always follow your intuition and gut feelings.

Beginner's luck is often thought to end once the beginner is no longer a beginner and the player gets involved with a game. The "innocent" mindset is now replaced by one that is more concerned with the nuances of the game.

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." - Shunryu Suzuki

tags:beginners luck,gambling superstition,luck