DEAD MAN’S HAND

DEAD MAN’S HAND

No matter where you are playing poker, you will often hear the term “Dead Man’s Hand.”

Most players know the term refers to  Aces and 8s, or Aces over 8s. What they don’t know is how it got the name: It was purportedly the hand held by the late  Wild Bill Hickock when he was shot in the back while playing cards.

The term Dead Man’s Hand existed long before Hickock’s murder, but the common origin of today’s reference comes from the famous gunfighter’s last hand.

Hickock was allegedly holding the Ac8C and As8s in a game of five-card draw. The fifth card was believed to be the 9d.

Hickock was known as a gunfighter, but like many in the old West of the United States, he fancied himself a gambler and card player. Like other Western legends such as Doc Holliday, he was often considered a card cheat. The preferred game of the day was five-card draw, a game that lended itself to such chicanery.

The Old West of the United States was home to many of the original “rounders,” who made their living playing and cheating at cards. Most were Eastern Europeans and from the U.S. East Coast come to make a fortune.

Hickock died with his hand in Deadwood, South Dakota, but the name lived on. Now, when you hear it at the table, you can tell the story of where it came from.

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