Definition of The Luck of the Draw

What does the term "the luck of the draw" mean? What is meant by the term "luck of the draw"?

"Luck of the draw" is a term used to describe a situation where the outcome is decided strictly by chance.

The term is derived from any casino game that uses playing cards. In these games, the "draw" occurs when players are dealt a card.

For instance - let's say that you are playing blackjack. You decide to stand on 17, and the dealer has a Six in front of them.

The outcome of this hand will be decided entirely based on the "luck of the draw".

You have played the hand correctly up until this point, but now your fate lies in the "draw".

If the dealer, for instance, draws a 9 and a 6 to make 21, you will lose the hand.

This happened strictly due to chance (luck), and your losing this hand had nothing to do with skill.

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The term "the luck of the draw" can apply to real-life situations.

For instance - you get on an airplane that has to make an emergency landing due to a mechanical error.

This was a random event that occurred due to chance - there is nothing that you could have done to alter this situation - instead, it was entirely the "luck of the draw".

In this case, the luck was bad.