Are Fifty-Dollar Bills Really Unlucky?

A dealer told us that $50 bills are supposedly unlucky because when Bugsy Siegel was killed, the three fifties he had in his pocket were the only cash he had on him. Is this true?

How, when, and why this superstition started is lost in the mists of history, but it's certainly real and isn't just limited to the gambling community. Many non-gamblers subscribe to this belief, though it probably started with gamblers (poker players, in particular) and spread from there.

There's another, chicken-and-egg, part of this scenario as well. Partly because they're considered unlucky, not too many $50 bills are in circulation; hence, they become more unusual and unfamiliar, making them even more suspicious to the superstitious.

As to how it all started, yes, we've heard the Bugsy story. There's also a variation; legend has it that when the Mob ran the town and took out a hit on someone, they buried the body with a $50 bill in the jacket pocket of the victim.

A second variation has it that "Wild" Bill Hickock had only fifties on him when he was shot playing the infamous "dead-man's hand" in that Deadwood saloon in 1876. No source we came across could cite support for this account, any more than there's any evidence of the Siegel connection, so we'd bet a $50 of our own that both of these explanations are entirely apocryphal.

Here are some of the other stories we've heard.

At one point, the $50 bill, as opposed to the $100, was primarily targeted by counterfeiters; hence, gamblers chose to avoid accepting fifties in case they got stuck with a fake bill.

Another version has it that a dislike of fifty-dollar bills relates to the Civil War and an antipathy for Ulysses S. Grant, who appears on the front of the bill (and didn't have a great record when it came to money and the economy, either).

The only other explanation we've come across, which is the one most widely circulated, is that $50s tend to be confused with $5s and/or $20s, leading to a reluctance to use them in transactions for fear of being short-changed.

We have to say that none of these theories strikes us as particularly satisfactory, but these are the only accounts we've come across.

In the meantime, one thing we can say definitively is that if you want to remain generally on people's good side in Las Vegas, it's advisable to avoid the use of a $50 when paying or tipping for anything -- superstition or not.

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[email protected] Jun-03-2018

Large bills in Michigan

Laundering money originally meant washing out the printing to use the paper to counterfeit. This was often done on $50's. $5 bills were used.  In Michigan, the 50 is almost the new 20 as gas prices spiral upward. Here, 100's seem to be unlucky as they are always suspect of being bogus. There is a similar dislike of $2 bills and the new $1 coins?

Kevin Rough Jun-03-2018

Blame Grant

The story I have heard is that Southerners refused to use the $50 bill because it depicted a Union general on them.  Since many of the old-time gamblers were from former Confederate states, they also didn't use them.

Jean Haka Jun-03-2018

$50s on Cruise Ship

Recently on a cruise ship--I went to the casino cage to get change.  They gave me mostly 50's -- I told them that this wouldn't be the case in Las Vegas as 50's were considered unlucky.  The gal giving me change looked at me like I was a degenerate gambler!

Sandra Ritter Jun-03-2018

$50 bills

I always bring lots of $50's when I gamble.  I feel it saves me a bit when the machines are cold, which is often.  Otherwise I'd be putting $100 in, and I could lose more. Notice I say could, not definitely would, since I could also throw another $50 in when the first one is gone.  It's psychological ;-)

Dave in Seattle. Jun-03-2018

$2 bills.

I carry some for tips. It's just easier than peeling off a pair of one's.My money clip is for the bigger bills and a separate rubber-banded 'folders'is for tips and miscellaneous.
I use an RFID proof container for my credit cards.
Fifties? I don't mind 'em.

Debra Grimes Jun-03-2018

No $50 bills

I recently changed a $50 bill to smaller bills for my son to use on a trip.  I put the $50 in my billfold at the back of my paper money (organized smaller bills in the front to larger bills in the back) and forgot about it, since I typically use a credit card for just about everything.  A week or so later I shared a cab with someone, and decided to pay cash for my half of our $40 ride. I grabbed the bill from the back of my billfold and fortunately glanced at it just as I was about to put it in the driver's hand.  It was that *@# $50 instead of the $20 I thought I had. I very shortly thereafter got that $50 changed myself.

Andrew Karnes Jun-04-2018

Another theory

Another story is older cash registers usually only had four slots for bills. They also didnt have the removable coin tray that was used later to store them. Sometimes they would be forgotten and when the person got fired because they were short at the end of the day was another reason. BTW, I think half dollars are bad luck too, but that's saved for a later QOD

Question of the Day - 03 June 2018

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