Beliefs of lucky charms are as old as civilizations and are developed by cultures and kept in place by habit and public opinion. They have no scientific proof and people believe that if a certain event occurs, a resulting good or bad event will follow.

In the West, the most common good luck charms are: a rabbit's foot, a horseshoe, 4-leaf clover and finding a "lucky" penny. Bad omens are a black cat, opening an umbrella indoors, walking under a ladder and spilling salt. Lucky numbers are the number 7 and the number 13 is considered unlucky especially Friday the 13th.

The rabbit's foot is a lucky charm from early history. It is thought to have started with African American folklore and also made popular by President Theodore Roosevelt who received a rabbit's foot and horseshoe as gifts. The horseshoe is regarded as good luck and a common tradition is that if a horseshoe is hung on a door with the two ends pointing up then good luck will occur (In China, the symbol Fu which means fortune, is displayed during Spring Festival inverted to attract fortune because the homonym for upside down is to come: Dao. However, if the two ends point downwards then bad luck will occur. Another theory concerning the placing of horseshoes above doorways is to ward off evil spirits; the theory being that supernatural beings are repelled by iron and as horseshoes were an easily available source of iron, they could be nailed above a door to prevent any unwanted guests.

The four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common, three-leaved clover. According to tradition, such leaves bring good to their finders, especially if found accidentally. In addition, each leaf is believed to represent something: the first is for faith, the second is for hope, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.

Bad luck charms such as Black cat are folklore surrounding that varies from culture to culture. The Scots believe that a strange black cat's arrival to the home signifies prosperity. Black cats are also considered good luck in the rest of Britain and Japan. Furthermore, it is believed that a lady who owns a black cat will have many suitors. However, in Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of associated with witches, and so most of Europe considers the black cat a symbol of bad luck, especially if one crosses paths with a person, which is believed to be an omen of misfortune and death.

Many professional sports teams in the West will have different rituals that individual players will follow as they believe they will break the their luck if the do not follow the same step by step process that they usually do. This is especially true if their team is on a winning streak. Watch the hockey games, the players will tap their own goalie in a special way; players will arrive and sit in the spot. Even dressing, they will do the same routine exactly so they won't break the trend of winning.

In China, common lucky charms include: a gecko, fish, willow trees or branches, and there is the extensive tradition of Feng Shui which literally means "Wind and Water" and is the study of physical placements and harmonizing oneself with your environment to correct possible bad luck to favorable settings. Bad omens are crows and bats and if your friend is a gambling person, there are many ill omens you should be aware of, since gambling is mainly dependent on luck. A person who is a gambler would never want to receive a book as a gift, since the homophone for book Shu is to Lose. On the other hand, they would appreciate the expensive dish of a type of seaweed called Fa Cai which is a homonym for FaCai whose literal meaning is getting rich.

The Gecko BiHu is a small salamander that is usually found in tropical climates and eat insects so most homeowners will tolerate them within their homes since this is a good control of houseflies, mosquitos and roaches. Fish are also considered good luck as the homophone for Fish in Chinese is Yu which means extra or surplus and Chinese interpret this as fortune or expanding one’s wealth, that is why during New Year celebrations and other important occasions, fish is an important dish. However in coastal cities, the local belief is not to turn the fish over when eating as it means bad luck such as turning over a boat. Many businesses will have a large aquarium with fish, again a symbolism of good fortune of business in the future.

In China, some people carry willow branches with them on the day of their Tomb Sweeping or Qingming Festival. Willow branches are also put up on gates and/or front doors, which they believe help ward off the evil spirits that wander on Qingming. Legend states that on Qingming Festival, the ruler of the underworld allows the spirits of the dead to return to earth. Since their presence may not always be welcome, willow branches keep them away.

Numbers play an important role as lucky or unlucky, depending upon the culture. In the West the number 7 is considered lucky, it is shown prominently on all slot machines. The number 13 is thought to be unlucky; many people feel that because of the Last Supper of Jesus, the 13th person was Judas, who betrayed him. For China the unlucky number is 4 which is pronounced Si in Mandarin and is a homophone for Si the character which means death or to die.

The Chinese lucky numbers are 8 and 9 whose homophones mean prosperous and longevity . These numbers in China are so sought after that people will pay large sums to buy them in license plates, telephone numbers and addresses. So next time you see a car with all 8s or 9s, you will know that the owner probably paid dearly for it.

In China, you will see a combination of Western and Chinese belief of what is unlucky so many buildings will not have the 4th, 13th and 14th floors. If you want to impress a client, make sure you are aware of the lucky numbers of 8 and 9. If you have an opportunity to assign them numbers, for example, table seating skip the 4 and concentrate on 8 and 9.

Just remember that luck good and bad is not scientific and by definition are by chance. The problem is some people believe and rely on luck so much that they will tend to blame bad outcomes on "Bad Luck" and look for "Good Luck" to have positive events. These people are said to living a life of self fulfilling prophecy and trying to escape responsibility from their actions. By relying too much on chance, a person might as well just hope they will win the lottery. There is a saying that "Good Luck comes from hard work". So don’t just rely on rewards from luck, and on chance – rely on yourself.