Live casino gaming is growing in popularity, offering you the allure of sophisticated in-house gambling, enhanced entertainment and the option to put your skill, strategy and self to the test 'for real'. Whether you hit the tables via a laptop or your mobile, you need to be a cool customer to beat the house regularly – and not fall for the style and sophisticated fashion sense of the live dealers themselves.
Why? Because as human beings we're susceptible to having our behaviour and gambling game affected by factors relating to our subconscious psychology – and this includes how the dealers look and act. Fortunately, by being aware of the 'halo effect', you can hit the live tables with awareness and a better chance of maintaining your poise!
Understanding the Halo Effect
Scientists have studied the concept of 'enclothed cognition' for decades in an attempt to understand how the clothes you wear and see on other people affect your mood, thoughts, feelings, perceptions and actions. It's in our DNA to instinctively label everything we see with a symbolic meaning – this includes the clothing and style of that dealer at the live-play poker table you like to visit at your online mobile casino. 'The Halo Effect' takes the concept of enclothed cognition another step further, explaining how fashion at the casino table can leave us exposed to cognitive bias and bad psychology.
Scientific research into the Halo Effect has demonstrated that human beings analyse someone's appearance (e.g. looks and clothing) and instantly start forming an impression based on assumptions, which may be completely false when you're facing a dealer at a live online casino table (hence viewing someone with an 'angelic halo' when they may be anything but). A classic example of the Halo Effect is beautiful movie stars or glamorous people – science tells us that we view them as sexy, attractive, intelligent, higher status, powerful, kind, funny and a host of other positive traits.
The impact of fashion on one's gambling habits isn't set in stone, but it can potentially have both positive and negative effects on your psyche and chance of playing with discipline and strategy. On the positive front, finding a dealer who makes you feel calm, content and focused could help you bring your A game to the casino table. However, being influenced by the dealer's fashion and demeanour could lead to a reduction in your poise.
What to Watch Out For
- Subconsciously wanting to impress (even though the dealer can't see you).
- Being sucked in to making more bets due to their appearance.
- Playing at a table simply because the dealer is beautiful and wearing nice clothing.
- Feeling excessively relaxed and forgetting your discipline.
- Revenge betting because you suddenly don't like the 'smug dealer'.
The Impact of Colour on Gambling Moods
The range of fashion in live online casinos is vast – from classic black and white suits all the way to 'glamour model' styling. It's clear that online casinos are spreading their wings wide, to cater to every whim and taste of male and female players. With this in mind, it's worth asking yourself if you're drawn in by different looks – and does it influence elements of your game, such as staking, strategy, discipline and emotional betting? One element of the fashion game in casinos is colour, which can feature both on the dealer's clothing and the décor of the room. Colours can have profound subconscious effects on your brain – so ask yourself how you feel and react to different colours worn by dealers:
- Black: Exudes sophistication, but can lower confidence and encourage feelings of inferiority in excess.
- Red: Stimulating to the gaming mind, but can cause aggressive feelings.
- Pink: Soothing and nurturing, but weakening too.
Paradoxically, colours can have both positive and negative effects on your mind – depending on whether a colour is used sparingly, or completely dominates a dealer's fashion. Equally, your general mental state may also influence whether a colour is right for your personality type and indeed whether it's a good match for your current mood. If you're feeling a bit tired, a glamorous roulette dealer dressed in red may help you to feel more alert. In contrast, if you're feeling anxious and angry about something, you may be better off opting for a calming blackjack dealer dressed in blue:
- Orange: Stimulates fun, but can also lead to a lack of discipline.
- Yellow: Elicits confidence in small doses, but can influence anxiety and doubt.
- Purple: Suggests luxury and authenticity, but can look tacky and cheap when overused.
- Blue: Stimulates intellect and calm, but appears cold when used negatively.
Naturally, anyone playing at a live online casino wants to have an entertaining time. And this may include picking live tables with a dealer you like – whether it's for their beauty, fashion style, voice, sophistication or general presence. It can pay to remember that the fashion and person on display could have an influence on your mood, thoughts and betting approach. Keep your poise, apply your strategy, maintain discipline and walk away knowing you weren't influenced by the dealer.
