Talisman

Alligator teeth and alligator feet are regularly used in African-American mojo bags to increase gambling luck. The teeth of other species of animals — including badgers and bears — are also considered lucky for gamblers, as are such natural curios as rattlesnake rattles, bat hearts, rabbit feet, nutmegs, buckeye nuts, Lucky Hand roots, five-finger grass, John the Conqueror roots, and lodestones dressed with magnetic sand.

The use of alligator teeth as gamblers’ charms seems to be an American notion, for alligators are indigenous to the Americas. I can find no discernible precedent for the custom in African, European, or Asian folklore, even using the teeth of the related crocodile species. The crocodile, however, does appear on a penis amulet from Thailand that is worn for personal strength and mastery.