Dead Man's Hand - Cursed Poker Hand History Revealed Dead Man's Hand What was the fifth card of the dead man's hand? Queen of Clubs The card had not been dealt The question is moot Are you interested to bet on slots then I think you will like this page. The History of the Dead Man's Hand James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok (1837-1876) Despite the suggestive title, dead man's hand is an idiom and does not refer to the stiff and lifeless hand of a dead man. Dead man's hand refers to the poker hand that James Butler Hickok, aka Wild Bill Hickok, was holding when he was shot dead from behind on the 2nd of August in the year of 1876. The location was saloon no. 10 in one of the wildest cities in the old wild west; namely Deadwood in South Dakota. It is established that it was a game of five-card-draw poker but the exact hand that Wild Bill Hickok was holding remains elusive for there are no citations of the hand that are contemporary with his murder.

Things are further complicated by the fact that dead man's hand was an established poker idiom associated with a number of different hands well before Hickok was murdered. Apparantly a considerable number of people met their maker when playing poker in the old wild west. What we can learn from this is that alcohol, gambling, knives and guns are a bad mix. Dead Man's Hand The earliest known reference to a dead man's poker hand is from 1886 and it is there described as three jacks and a pair of tens. It was, however, not a reference to Wild Bill Hickok's hand. Although the evidence is lacking, it is generally "accepted" that Hickok's hand was ace of spades, ace of clubs, eight of spades and eight of clubs. There are many claims as to what the fifth card was and there is even reason to believe that it had been discarded and that Bill was drawing his final card when he was shot dead. Whether the fifth card was queen of diamonds, jack of diamonds, five of diamonds, nine of diamonds or queen of clubs, all of which have been suggested in various contexts, it is likely that Hickok was already holding the winning hand and that the fifth card would not have changed anything.

Whether the hand in question is cursed and a foreboding of death remains unknown, just like the actual cards of the hand. But this is only fitting for when you are gambling you are dealing with the unknown; you have the devil breathing at your neck and the abyss in front of you and the future is beyond your control. Any hand you receive could be a dead man's hand. Bear this in mind the next time you inspect the poker hand you have been dealt. Now don't go all superstitious over the whole thing. We are just speaking figuratively. To increase your chances of surviving in poker, don't stake all your poker money at once and don't play against criminals. That way the dead man's hand will remain a fable. poker history - What was the fifth card of the dead man's hand? - Poker Stack Exchange What was the fifth card of the dead man's hand? up vote 12 down vote favorite 1 What was the fifth card of the dead man's hand? Was there any proven information about fifth card of dead man's hand? 3 I just Googled exactly that, and this is what came up. Thanks for the help.

– user1065 Sep 8 '13 at 4:59 1 Fifth card was a bullet to the brain, from that point on, game over, cards no longer matter... – user3448 Jul 1 '15 at 23:11 why not the Death Lady the Q of spades – user4426 Jul 5 '16 at 2:46 I always heard it was another black ace, thus providing the reason he was shot. – Krotus Aug 28 '16 at 20:03 1 Do you have any reliable evidence to support your theory? – Soner Gönül Aug 29 '16 at 6:24 up vote 11 down vote accepted First of all, what is the dead man's hand? From Wikipedia ; The make up of poker's dead man's hand has varied through the years. Currently, the dead man's hand is described as a two-pair poker hand consisting of A♣A♠8♣8♠.

Along with an unknown "hole" card, these were the cards reportedly held by "Old West" folk hero, lawman and gunfighter, Wild Bill Hickok , when he was assassinated. In the fift card section on the same page; In accounts that mention two aces and eights, there are various claims regarding the identity of Hickok's fifth card, suggestions that he had discarded one card or that the draw was interrupted by the shooting and Hickok therefore never received his fifth card. Historical displays in the town of Deadwood, including one in a reconstruction of the original saloon, display the 9&diamond; as the fifth card. The Lucky Nugget Gambling Hall, at the historic site of Nuttal & Mann's Saloon, displays a J&diamond; instead. The Adams Museum in Deadwood has a display that claims to be the actual Bulldog Squeezers Playing Cards held by Hickok ( A&diamond; , A♣, 8♥, 8♠, and the Q♥). The old Stardust Casino on the Las Vegas Strip had used a 5&diamond; in related displays. As we can see, there are a lot of rumor about this subject.

Also there is a web site called DeadMansHand.us ; The earliest known reference to a dead man's poker hand is from 1886 and it is there described as three jacks and a pair of tens. It was, however, not a reference to Wild Bill Hickok's hand. Although the evidence is lacking, it is generally "accepted" that Hickok's hand was A♠, A♣, 8♠ and 8♣. There are many claims as to what the fifth card was and there is even reason to believe that it had been discarded and that Bill was drawing his final card when he was shot dead. Whether the fifth card was queen of diamonds, jack of diamonds, five of diamonds, nine of diamonds or queen of clubs, all of which have been suggested in various contexts, it is likely that Hickok was already holding the winning hand and that the fifth card would not have changed anything. tl;dr up vote 1 down vote It was the 5 of diamonds more than likely, shot in back of head fall on cards, blood drips on 5 of diamonds card and make it look like 9 of diamonds. No way it could be Q, or J. come on J's wild...

These are grown men that were playing not old ladies playing go fish. Try with a red marker to make a 5 look like a 9 of diamonds, then try to make it look like a Q or J, remember like blood dripping from head on cards. But know one knows he still had the winning hand and died. Sometimes when you win you really lose. What is the Dead Man's Hand? - DAVID MEYER DAVID MEYER What is the Dead Man’s Hand? Posted on by David Meyer On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was playing poker in Deadwood, South Dakota. Suddenly, a pistol fired. Hickok died instantly. His hand at the time, “aces and eights,” has become known as the Dead Man’s Hand. But is that a legend? Or is it real? Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok was originally known as “Duck Bill,” apparently due to a large nose and an upper lip that jutted out from his face. Eventually, he grew a mustache and in 1861, adopted the moniker, Wild Bill. His exploits in the Old West were legendary. He was a skilled scout and an expert marksman.

He fought and killed a bear with his bare hands, suffering severe injuries in the process. He killed Davis Tutt in the first known “quick draw duel.” He acted in a play called Scouts of the Plains with Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro. Calamity Jane, the famous American frontierswoman, claimed to have married him. In July 1876, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane arrived in Deadwood, South Dakota via wagon train. Some say he had a premonition of sorts regarding his impending death. “Well, as to that, I suppose I am called a red-handed murderer, which I deny. That I have killed men I admit, but never unless in absolute self-defense or in the performance of an official duty. I never in my life took any mean advantage of an enemy. Yet, understand, I never allowed a man to get the drop on me. But perhaps I may yet die with my boots on.” ~ Wild Bill Hickok to Mrs. Annie Tallent, Several months before his death, Pioneer Days in the Back Hills, John S.

McClintock On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok entered Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon No. 10. He usually sat with his back to the wall. However, the only available stool required him to put his back to the door. He sat down and started to play five-card-draw. But he was uncomfortable with the arrangement and twice, asked another player named Charles Rich to switch stools with him. Rich refused. Dead Man’s Hand During the game, a former buffalo hunter named John McCall strode into the saloon. He parked himself a few feet away from Hickok and drew his pistol. “Take that!” he shouted as he fired it. The bullet careened through Hickok’s skull and Wild Bill died instantly. According to popular legend, Hickok held two black aces and two black eights at the time of his death. The fifth card, or kicker, is a source of mystery. Some claim it was the queen of clubs. Others say it was the nine of diamonds, the jack of diamonds, the five of diamonds, or the queen of hearts. Still others say no fifth card ever existed, suggesting Hickok was in the middle of drawing a new card when he was murdered.

But what about the “aces and eights” part? Is that accurate? Well, no contemporary sources exist that indicate what cards Hickok was holding at the time of his death. “Aces and eights” was provided by Frank J. Wilstach in his 1926 book, Wild Bill Hickok: The Prince of Pistoleers. Wilstach quoted “Doc” Peirce, the town barber, who was asked to serve as an “impromptu undertaker.” “Now, in regard to the position of Bill’s body, when they unlocked the door for me to get his body, he was lying on his side, with his knees drawn up just as he slid off his stool. We had no chairs in those days — and his fingers were still crimped from holding his poker hand. Charlie Rich, who sat beside him, said he never saw a muscle move. Bill’s hand read ‘aces and eights’ — two pair, and since that day aces and eights have been known as ‘the dead man’s hand’ in the Western country.” ~ Ellis T.

“Doc” Peirce, Wild Bill Hickok: The Prince of Pistoleers This account was published 50 years after Hickok’s death. It has yet to be collaborated by any outside source. Guerrilla Explorer’s Take If Peirce was right, then aces and eights was known as the dead man’s hand in “the Western country.” However, newspapers from that location and period tell a different story. The first known mention of a Dead Man’s Hand, a July 1, 1886 article in the Grand Forks Daily Herald, not only disagrees with the Hand itself but also its origin. “I was present at a game in a Senator’s house one night and saw him win $6,000 on one hand. It was the dead man’s hand. What is the dead man’s hand? Why, it is three jacks and a pair of tens. It is called the dead man’s hand because about forty seven years ago, in a town in Illinois, a celebrated judge bet his house and lot on three jacks and a pair of tens…When his opponent showed up he had three queens and a pair of tens.

Upon seeing the queens the judge fell back dead, clutching the jacks and tens in his hand, and that’s why a jack-full on tens is called the dead man’s hand.” ~ Grand Forks Daily Herald, July 1, 1886 Later accounts show different versions, including jacks and eights, tens and treys (threes), and jacks and sevens. Regardless, none of these articles connect the Dead Man’s Hand to Wild Bill Hickok. At this point, the definitive origin of the Dead Man’s Hand remains an unsolved mystery. If the Wild Bill Hickok story could be proved by contemporary sources, it would be the oldest known version of the legend. For those of you in the New York area, consider taking a trip down to the New York Public Library. That’s where Wilstach’s papers are located . Perhaps there’s some additional information in “Doc” Peirce’s letter. Or maybe, just maybe, there’s some other evidence waiting to be found. If you find anything, let us know and we’ll cover your discovery right here on Guerrilla Explorer. Who knows? You just might solve one of history’s most puzzling unsolved mysteries!

Dead Man's Hand - Aces and Eights Dead Man's Hand Aces and eights. Folklore Wild Bill Hickock was a legendary gambler, gunfighter and lawman in the 19th century. As the story goes, he was murdered on August 2, 1876 by Jack McCall in a poker game while holding two pair, Aces and eights, which became known as the "Dead Man's Hand." The event is depicted in an episode of the HBO show Deadwood as well as the Bob Dylan song, " Rambling, Gambling Willie. " Exact Hand While there is no definitive account or proof of exactly what Hickok was holding, it is generally accepted that he held both black Aces and both black eights. The kicker is unknown, but is supposedly either the Jack or Queen of Diamonds. Oddly, no well known display or recreation of the hand uses either of those two cards as the kicker. Even the Saloon no. 10, which is where Hickok was shot, uses the nine of Diamonds. Importance of Position When Hickok played poker, he would normally position himself in the corner of a room so that nobody could attack him from behind.

On the day he was killed, he was unable to find such a seat, so he sat with his back to a door. McCall entered through that door and shot Hickok in the back of the head. The Straight Dope: Was Wild Bill Hickok holding the "dead man's hand" when he was slain? A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge Was Wild Bill Hickok holding the "dead man's hand" when he was slain? May 5, 1978 Dear Cecil: On a recent pilgrimage to Troy Grove, Illinois to visit the home of Wild Bill Hickok, one of our company happened to mention that according to legend Wild Bill was shot while holding "black aces and eights." This hand has come to be known as the "dead man's hand." Is the story apocryphal, and if it is true, what was the fifth card in Wild Bill's hand? — Larry N., Chicago Cecil replies: You've settled on one of the few bits of Western lore that has some basis in fact.

Wild Bill was indeed holding black aces and eights when he was plugged by Jack McCall on the fateful day of August 2, 1876, in the charming suburb of Deadwood, deep in the Dakota Territory. Bill's fifth card was the deuce of spades, which must have made for a pretty grim-looking hand. I'm surprised he didn't commit suicide. John Ford got things a little confused when he tried to lay the curse of the Dead Man's Hand on one of the heavies in the movie Stagecoach. Poor Luke Plummer found himself holding the appropriate black eights, but one of his aces was red — diamonds, to be specific. Luke's fifth card was the queen of hearts, all of which made for a much nicer composition than the real thing. John Wayne offed him anyway. Update Further investigation has cast doubt on whether Wild Bill Hickok was holding the "dead man's hand." SamClem of the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board provides this report: The idea that Wild Bill Hickok was holding black aces and eights when he was killed comes to us from Frank J.

Wilstach, whose biography Wild Bill Hickok: The Prince of Pistoleers was published in 1926. Wilstach's was the most throughly researched and accurate account of Hickok's life that had appeared up to that time. He corresponded with people who had known Hickok, including Ellis T. "Doc" Peirce, who at the time of the killing was the Deadwood town barber. After Hickok was shot, the authorities locked the doors to the saloon in which the killing occurred and called on Peirce to prepare the body for burial. Wilstach writes: In his letter to the writer Mr. Peirce gives several details that have not heretofore been revealed. Doc Peirce was the impromptu undertaker who took charge of the remains and looked after the details of the burial. “Now, in regard to the position of Bill’s body,” writes Mr. Peirce, “when they unlocked the door for me to get his body, he was lying on his side, with his knees drawn up just as he slid off his stool. We had no chairs in those days — and his fingers were still crimped from holding his poker hand.

Charlie Rich, who sat beside him, said he never saw a muscle move. Bill’s hand read ‘aces and eights’ — two pair, and since that day aces and eights have been know as ‘the dead man’s hand’ in the Western country. It seemed like fate, Bill’s taking off. Of the murderer’s big Colt’s-45-six-gun, every chamber loaded, the cartridge that killed Bill was the only one that would fire. What would have been McCall’s chances if he had snapped one of the other cartridges when he sneaked up and held his gun to Bill’s head? He would now be known as No. 37 on the file list of Mr. Hickok.” This account, published 50 years after the murder, was the first to link Hickok to the "dead man's hand." It remains the only indication we have of what cards he was holding — no corroboration has ever turned up. In Wild Bill Hickok: The Man and his Myth (1996), Joseph Rosa, a prolific Hickok biographer, writes: Despite some intensive research, no contemporary reference has been found to the hand of cards Hickok was holding when he was shot.

In later years, however, the hand was to become immortalized as the "Deadman's Hand" and was reported to consist of the ace of spades, the ace of clubs, two black eights, clubs and spades, and the jack of diamonds. But the last card is disputed — some sources suggest it was the queen of diamonds … The origin of Hickok's Deadman's Hand may be found in the correspondence between Ellis T. Peirce and Frank J. Wilstach. According to Peirce, "Bill's hand read 'aces and eights' — two pair, and since that day aces and eights have been known as 'the dead man's hand' in the western country." Further research into the legend of the Deadman's Hand has revealed an ongoing argument between vested interests in the Black Hills and others interested in perpetuating an air of "destiny" or "fate" concerning Hickok's poker hand. The expression "dead man's hand" appears to have had some currency in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although no one connected it to Hickok until the appearance of Wilstach's book.

Members of the American Dialect Society have collected numerous cites from newspapers and books, the earliest from 1886: 1886 — Dead Man's Hand = three jacks and a pair of tens (Grand Forks [Dakota Territory] Daily Herald, July 1) 1898 — jacks and eights (Eau Claire [Wisconsin] Leader, November 3) 1900 — tens and treys (Trenton [New Jersey] Times, May 22) 1900 — aces and eights are called "the gambler's hand" (Waterloo [Iowa] Daily Courier, April 25) 1900 — dead man's hand = aces and eights (Cedar Falls [Iowa] Gazette, May 1) 1903 — "Jacks and sevens are called 'the dead man's hand.' In a poker game, it is very unlucky to hold them and win the pot" ( Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences , volume 2, Cora Linn Morrison Daniels et al, editors) 1907 — "

Dead man's hand.

Jacks and eights, at poker" ( Hoyle's Games ) 1922 — "'Yes," he said slowly, 'aces and eights. That was queer, wasn't it? The dead man's hand'" ( The Boy Grew Older by Heywood Broun) 1924 — "He picked up his cards, two black aces, two eights of the same color, and a red queen. The dead man's hand, in the game's parlance" ( Everybody's Magazine , volume 50). The fact that there was no agreement on the cards in the "dead man's hand" until late in the day makes it unlikely anyone had definite knowledge of what cards Hickok held. Possibly Peirce's original letter would shed more light; it may be among Wilstach's papers, which are in the New York Public Library. So far, no one has looked. (Posted September 14, 2010) — Cecil Adams Dead Man's Hand | Poker Terms | PokerNews Home Strategy Poker Terms Dead Man's Hand Dead Man's Hand Two pair - Aces and Eights.

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10 Saloon, in Deadwood, South Dakota. A Dead Man's Hand, also known as "aces and eights", is a poker hand containing two black aces and two black eights. It was supposedly the hand drawn by Wild Bill Hickok before his death, although this is unsubstantiated. (No-one knows what his fifth card was; there are various conflicting claims as to what it was, and some believe he discarded it to draw another, but was shot before he could make the new draw.) This hand is now considered unlucky, despite being better than over 95% of five-card hands. It is the lowest/weakest hand in poker to have a name. In modern fiction, this particular hand is often used as a type of Portent of Doom , often signifying that the character who drew it is soon to die. Particularly likely to be found in The Western . For cards that are literally deadly, see Death Dealer . If you're looking for the book in the Wild Cards series, it's here . Not to be confused with the Old West tabletop RPG, Aces & Eights . Examples: open/close all folders Comic Books In the prologue of Batman RIP , Batman speaks to The Joker in Arkham Asylum.

The Joker taunts Batman with his upcoming destruction while dealing out a dead man's hand. This doubles as a Stealth Pun ; the eighth letter of the alphabet is H; the manner the Joker dealt the cards spelled out "HAHA". In the appropriately-named Spider-Man one-shot comic-book Spider-Man: Dead Man's hand, a coroner turns himself into the third - and most powerful - version of Carrion, and unleashes a disease on New York using a virus that turns people into zombie-like creatures under his control. The only clue is his gloating of "aces and eights" right after turning himself into Carrion. (After Spidey consults the High Evolutionary, who was a mentor to Miles Warren, who created the original Carrion, it turns out that the virus alters the first and eighth gene of the human genome, which is important in finding the cure for it.) In one Justice Society of America comic, the villain Sportsmaster deals a dead man's hand, which he proceeds to throw at the heroes ( the cards being razor-edged ). Film - Live-Action In Stagecoach , Luke holds this hand. He is shortly therafter gunned down by the Ringo Kid.

In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance , the titular character Liberty draws this hand right before being shot. In Along Came a Spider , aces and eights is referenced as the winning hand that gave ownership of a Turkish hand-made shotgun to the father of Agent Flannigan and later in the feature was the clue that revealed her involvement with the kidnapping plot. The opening scene of Dick Tracy shows several gangsters are playing poker in a warehouse, and one of them mentions "aces and eights" several times — right before Big Boy's goons bust in and gun them all down. Literature Dead Man's Hand is the name of the seventh book of the Wild Cards series by George R.R. Martin . Aces are the murderer's literal calling card. Alluded to in the title of Final Destination : Dead Man's Hand. The fifth book of the Kitty Norville series is named this. Considering the title character is nearly killed by Ax-Crazy bounty hunters, then sacrificed to a dark chaotic Babylonian Cult , the Portent of Doom aspect is apt. It also references the Big Bad of the overall series who first appears in that book, a vampire (a "dead man") whose hand is behind everything .

In the novelization of the movie Dick Tracy , the opening scene with the gangsters playing poker is expanded. One of them draws this hand, and folds immediately after showing a bout of fear. The rest call him a fool, saying he could have won with that hand. (One of them saying, "This ain't Deadwood and you ain't Wild Bill Hickok.") Unfortunately, a few minutes later, Flattop and the other mobsters storm in with guns blazing, as they did in the movie. The J.T. Edson short story "Deadwood August 2nd 1876" in J.T.'s Hundredth is a fictionalised account of the killing of Wild Bill Hickcok. In it, he has just discarded his fith card and is reaching for another when he is shot. The novel The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin focuses on the fictional 1960s rock band Nazgûl. One of its songs, "Prelude to Madness", contains the chorus "Queens beat aces every time, yeah! Dead man's hand, dead man's hand!

And Charlie is the joker in the deck!" Live-Action TV The X-Files episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose", has the titlular character playing poker with Agent Scully and holding a full house of aces and eights with the ace of hearts as the fifth card. As one might suspect from the episode name, he dies. Surprisingly averted in Deadwood , which featured Wild Bill as a character and dramatizes his murder at the hands of Jack McCall, but does not show what cards he was holding, possibly because there is little solid evidence that Hickok really was holding such a hand. Mythology and Folklore The Tarot deck is the parent of the deck of cards used for gambling. The numbered suit cards have a one-for-one correspondence with each other and the gambler's cards may be substituted for those of the Tarot. The tarot equivalent of the Dead Man's Hand would be the Eight of Wands (swiftness) the eight of Swords (serious misfortune) the Ace of Swords (can connotate sudden unexpected violent force) and the Ace of Wands(a swift new direction your life is going to take).

Or: you are about to receive a very sudden and unexpected violent blow with something either heavy and sharp, or heavy and blunt. Take your pick. Music The Motï¿½rhead song Ace Of Spades refers to this hand: "Pushin' up the ante, I know you got to see me Read 'em and weep, the dead man's hand again" "Rambling, Gambling Willie" by Bob Dylan contains a direct reference to this hand, as well. The Uncle Kracker song "Aces and Eights" is named for the Dead Man's hand. The Bring Me The Horizon song "Alligator Blood" contains a reference to it.

The song "Aces & Eights" from the Lita Ford album Stiletto has the lyrics: "The dead man's hand holds aces and eights" Reckless Kelly's song "Nobody Haunts Me Like You" also makes reference: "...like a shot in the back holding aces and eights..." Brutal DLX also references this in their lyrics: " I dreamed I was the dealer of a dead man's hand..." In the song "Fire Lake" by Bob Seger : "who's gonna play those eights and aces?" Michael McDermott has written a song titled "Aces and Eights". The song says that life can make you feel like: "Looking over my shoulder, holding aces and eights." In the song "Little Wille the Gambler" by Townes Van Zandt: "Willie's cards fell on the floor they were aces backed with eights" "Dead Man's Hand" is the name of the latest album released by metal band Dezperadoz.

Of course it's a Western Metal act, so that's a great name to go with the theme Professional Wrestling The Acolyte Protection Agency ( A P A ), who were usually shown playing cards backstage, would occasionally have the aces & eights on their tights. The biker gang that has been invading TNA as of summer/fall 2012 uses the dead man's hand as their calling card and actually goes by the name of Aces & Eights . Tabletop Games In the wild west supplement to the Munchkin card game, Dead Man's Hand is a curse card that forces you to discard your whole hand. Traveller . Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society magazine #14 adventure "Aces & Eights". A set of playing cards (two aces, two eights and the joker), will, when put in an X-ray machine, create a map to the location of a 20 million credit treasure. The money was the payroll of the 1188th "Aces and Eights" Lift Infantry Brigade. The man with the cards is killed by the bad guys and the cards stolen, and the PCs must retrieve them.

Deadlands : If you cast Soul Blast and draw a Dead Man's Hand, it becomes an automatic One-Hit Kill . Unlike the one mentioned in the trope description, it requires the Jack of Diamonds. The Deadlands Collectible Card Game Doomtown uses poker hands to decide who wins shootouts. The Dead Man's Hand outranks all other hands (unless countered with That's Two Pair!). KenzerCo.'s Western roleplaying game Aces & Eights takes its name from the dead man's hand. Hoyle's Rules of Dragon Poker takes the hand's bad luck to its (il)logical conclusion and kicks any player who uses it out of the game. Video Games In the Fallout: New Vegas expansion "Dead Money", the player can get an achievement for getting the dead man's hand from the deadly, abandoned casino Sierra Madre. In The Curse of Monkey Island , if the player has Guybrush keep losing against King André and then looking at the losing hands, one of the random comments Guybrush will make is "Aces and eights... that can't be good." This being a LucasArts game, Guybrush of course doesn't die... though he does fake his death at one point. Happens twice in the Wing Commander series.

In Wing Commander II, Spirit gets dealt the hand and later kamikazes a Kilrathi-controlled space station. In Wing Commander IV, Vagabond gets the killer hand, and dies later in a mission that goes badly wrong. Bonus points for it being one of the few times the card shark had lost... and to Maniac , no less. Payday 2 has a track called "Dead Man's Hand", fittingly, it's the theme to the Golden Grin Casino heist. Western Animaton In one episode of The Real Ghostbusters , the team was investigating a haunting in Tombstone, Arizona, which turned out to be none other than the Earp Brothers and Doc Holiday. In one scene, Peter played cards with the four of them, and all four of the ghosts had this hand. After Peter ended up with four aces, Wyatt decided that someone obviously had to be cheating, given that it added up to twelve aces. Naturally, that's when Peter decided to make a run for it. Real Life The evidence for Hickok holding such a hand is scant.

The first documentary evidence comes in a letter written by a witness fifty years after the fact, and said letter doesn't specify the suits of the aces-and-eights pairs. Additionally, the phrase "dead man's hand" was attached to several different card combinations in the years after Hickok's murder. See Straight Dope column here . Historical displays in Deadwood, SD, depict the fifth card as the nine of diamonds. Which is also considered unlucky, under the name of "the Curse of Scotland." The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Section use the dead man's hand as their insignia ◊ Dead Man's Hand Dead Man's Hand The Death of Wild Bill Hickok, by D. J. McAdam. There are a number of poker hands that are famous for one reason or another, but perhaps the most sinister is the Dead Man's Hand, so named because it was the hand held by James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok when he met his untimely demise. The incident occurred in Deadwood Gulch, in the Black Hills of the Dakotas. Gold had been found in the region in 1874, leading to the establishment of the town.

There is a tradition that, when Hickok first laid eyes on the place, he had a premonition that he would not leave town alive. Whether or not that is true, it can be verified that Hickok was playing poker in Nuttal and Mann's saloon on August 2nd, 1876. A man by the name of Crooked Nose McCall approached Hickok and shot him in the back of the head. Theories as to McCall's motive vary; some say that he was simply drunk (not too uncommon in those days, and those environs), while others speculate that he may have been hired to assassinate Hickok before the latter could be appointed sheriff of Deadwood and bring law and order to its citizens. The shot was fatal, and Wild Bill Hickok slid to the floor, still holding his cards. Poker back then was draw poker, and so Hickok would have had five cards in his hand: two aces, two eights, and a queen. There are a few unimportant additions and variations in some accounts. Some say that all five cards were black, others that the fifth card (the kicker) was a ten, not a queen.

But all agree that Hickok was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights when he was shot, and that combination has become known as the dead man's hand. There are superstitious poker players to this day who will not play a hand with a pair of aces and a pair of eights. Copyright © D. J.McAdam· All Rights Reserved Poker & Pop Culture: The Long, Strange Life of the Dead Man's Hand | PokerNews Poker & Pop Culture: The Long, Strange Life of the Dead Man's Hand Martin Harris Sharelines From Wild Bill Hickok to John Wayne to Bob Dylan and beyond -- the story of the "dead man's hand." Poker & Pop Culture: Did you know the "dead man's hand" hasn't always been aces and eights? This week we conclude our survey of "saloon poker" with some consideration of the most famous hand ever played in a saloon, the last one ever played by James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok — a.k.a, the "dead man's hand." "I'm Sort of Public Property" Hickok was a well known figure for several years prior to that fateful August afternoon in Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No.

10. Born in Illinois in 1837, by his late twenties Hickok had already collected a number of adventures, including enduring a bear attack, working with the Pony Express, and serving the Union Army in various capacities during the Civil War. He'd also been involved in a couple of shootings, most notably the first widely reported "quick draw" duel in which he killed a man named David Tutt following a dispute about poker debts (and, likely, a woman). In the fall of 1865 — not long after the Tutt duel — Hickok's notoriety had grown enough to earn him a visit from journalist George Ward Nichols. Later, in the February 1867 issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Nichols would tell Hickok's story to a national audience, going to great lengths to present Hickok as some sort of gunslinging god among men. Wild Bill Hickok (ca.

1873-74) Upon meeting Hickok, Nichols sketches him as the epitome of rugged, Old West manhood, possessed with the "handsomest physique I had ever seen" and "a singular grace and dignity of carriage." Nichols seems spellbound by Hickok's appearance, describing his eyes as "gentle as a woman's." Continuing his impression of Hickok, he even suggests "the woman nature seems prominent throughout" — until, that is, Nichols remembers that "you were looking into eyes that had pointed the way to death to hundreds of men." In case you missed that, Nichols repeats it. "Yes, Wild Bill with his own hands has killed hundreds of men. Of that I have not a doubt." It's an exaggeration, of course, not unlike the fabricated story about Bat Masterson having killed 26 men by the age of 27 published a few years later in the New York Sun. Such hyperbolic tales of "Wild West" figures were popular, though, in post-Civil War America, often creatively enhanced by audience-seeking journos like Nichols. Nichols briefly relates the story of the shootout with Tutt, then asks Hickok if he himself ever felt fear.

Hickok admits he has. "They may shoot bullets at me by the dozen, and it's rather exciting if I can shoot back," Hickok explains. "But I am always sort of nervous when the big guns go off." A demonstration of Hickok's skill with a pistol follows, then Nichols wraps up his report noting "it would be easy to fill a volume with the adventures of that remarkable man." Before departing, Nichols asks Hickok if he might be permitted to share with the world his story. "Certainly you may," Hickok replied. "I'm sort of public property." Wild Bill Hickok at Cards The Harper's story catapulted Hickok to nationwide fame, accompanying him wherever he went as he proceeded to work in various locales as a lawman. Stories of his poker playing continued as well, and it was in both contexts — as an upholder of the law and at the card tables — that Hickok would become involved in more shootouts. One such scene is imagined in N.C. Wyeth's 1916 oil painting of "Wild Bill Hickok at Cards" (appearing above). Another oft-repeated (and perhaps invented) story attributes a classic Old West poker line to Hickok.

While playing an opponent he suspected was cheating, Hickok called a bet and saw his opponent turn over jacks full. Hickok responded by showing his hand and declaring a winner, aces full of sixes. When his opponent saw only three aces and a single six, he objected. "There's only one six," he said. Hickok then pulled out his pistol. "Here is the other six," he said, and his opponent conceded the pot. Eventually Hickok's career as a lawman would end with his losing a position as a marshal in Abilene, Kansas after accidentally shooting and killing a deputy. (Poor eyesight, perhaps caused by glaucoma, may have contributed to the mistake.) He'd marry an older woman in Wyoming, and soon after a 39-year-old Hickok would travel to the Black Hills of South Dakota in search of gold while his new wife stayed behind in Cheyenne. He'd reach Deadwood in July, not long after another notorious Old West figure, Martha Jane Cannary, a.k.a. "Calamity Jane," had arrived. Rumors of a romance between the two (later furthered by Jane herself) were said to be unfounded.

Hickok had only been in Deadwood about three weeks when on August 2, 1876 he found himself in a poker game at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10. Some accounts say the variant being played was five-card stud, others five-card draw. At around three o'clock a man named Jack McCall stepped into the saloon and after saying "damn you, take that" fired a pistol into the back of Hickok's head, killing him instantly. Speculation about McCall's motives have included his having lost to Hickok in an earlier game then taken offense at Hickok's loan offer afterwards, his having been under the impression that Hickok had earlier killed his brother, or his having been encouraged and/or paid by others who desired Hickok's death. Hickok's fame likely bore some significance, too, as it surely made him a target previously both of gunslingers and card players. After a couple of trials, McCall was eventually hanged for the crime. One oft-repeated facet of the story is Hickok sitting with his back to the saloon entrance, against his usual custom.

The seat was only one available when Hickok joined the game, with a player named Charlie Rich (who would later become marshal of Deadwood) reportedly having refused a request from Hickok to switch chairs. The other always-included detail, of course, was the hand Hickok held at the time of his death — two black aces and two black eights. Or, as it would later come to be called, the "dead man's hand." Dawn of the "Dead Man's Hand" In 1926, Frank G. Wilstach wrote a biography of Hickok that provides evidence both of the hand and its having earned the nickname. Aces and eights -- the dead man's hand Wilstach had corresponded with Ellis T. "Doc" Pierce who had been the barber in Deadwood and was given the duty of preparing Hickok's body for burial. Pierce shared with Wilstach details of the scene, including how Hickok's "fingers were still crimped from holding his poker hand...

which read 'aces and eights.'" (The image makes draw seem more likely than stud as the variant being played.) Wilstach underscores how "since that day" aces and eights was thereafter known as the "dead's man hand." Wilstach's account via Pierce is in fact the only one from a witness that identifies the actual hand. Meanwhile there has been a great deal of conjecture about what Hickok's fifth card was, though no consensus. In his 2008 book Ghosts at the Table, Des Wilson makes an entertaining and somewhat heroic effort to pin down the fifth card, but is forced to conclude it remains a mystery. Less well known is the fact that during the half-century between Hickok's killing and Wilstach's book, several other poker hands were known as the "dead man's hand." In 1978, Cecil Adams shared some research performed for his "The Straight Dope" column uncovering a number of references to other dead man's hands in articles and books, including...

jacks full of tens — Grand Forks Daily Herald, 1886 jacks and eights — Eau Claire Leader, 1898 tens and treys — Trenton Times, 1900 jacks and sevens — Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences, 1903 jacks and eights — Hoyle's Games,, 1907 From these intervening decades, Adams also shares a few references to aces and eights, the earliest coming in 1900. He concludes that by the time Wilstach wrote his book in 1926, even with the barber-slash-undertaker's account there's at least some doubt over (1) whether Hickok actually held aces and eights, and (2) whether aces and eights were thereafter exclusively known as the "dead man's hand." John Wayne, Bob Dylan, and the LVMPD Thanks to the hundreds of cultural references to the hand that have followed Wilstach's account, however, aces and eights have easily become the last "dead man's hand" standing. Or lying on the ground, as it were.

Numerous films — some about Hickok, some not — have highlighted the hand, including John Ford's 1939 western Stagecoach in which a character holding aces and eights is killed by the hero portrayed by John Wayne. Several television shows have incorporated references as well, as have works of fiction including several novels in a variety of genres carrying the title Dead Man's Hand. In Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the protagonist R.P. McMurphy is described early on as having a couple of tattoos, one being "a poker hand fanned out across his muscle — aces and eights." (Later McMurphy will run poker games among the patients in the psychiatric hospital to which he's been assigned after faking insanity to get out of a prison sentence.) The "dead man's hand" is a frequent reference in song lyrics, with Bob Seger's "Fire Lake," Motörhead's "Ace of Spades," and Bob Dylan's "Rambling, Gambling Willie" among the better known examples.

The LVMPD Homicide Section's logo Dylan's 1963 song tells the long and winding story of a gambler named Will O'Conley who rides a lengthy winning streak before getting killed in a poker game when an opponent shoots him through the head. It "was a tragic fate," sings Dylan, and "when Willie's cards fell on the floor, they were aces backed with eights." There's a "Dead Man's Hand" video game set the Old West (a first-person shooter, natch). It's the name of both a Belgian-brewed stout and a Las Vegas bar. And the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Section has even adopted aces and eights as its logo, a grim allusion to history's best known poker-related murder. Conclusion Just as Hickok himself recognized he'd become "sort of public property" thanks to his fame as a gunslinger, the dead man's hand has been appropriated by the public at large — whether ironically or in earnest — as an all-purpose method to convey ominous foreshadowing.

In terms of poker's history, the hand stands as an ultimate symbol of "saloon poker," instantly evoking both the image of the Old West cowboy and the game's frequent association with danger and violence — a legacy that has extended well into the 20th century and still exists today. The story behind the hand perhaps adds further nuance to the symbol, in particular Hickok being caught completely unaware, never having had an opportunity to defend himself against his murderer. If we were to extend the mythologizing of Hickok begun in Harper's Magazine nearly a century-and-a-half ago, poker becomes a fatal flaw for our "hero," the concentration required by the game — or the exhilarating thrills it sometimes offers — proving for him a deadly distraction. In other words, as storytellers and others continue to wax lyrical about the dead man's hand, its endless reiterations haven't necessarily helped poker's image in the culture at large, suggesting as it does a sinister deadliness potentially revealing itself with every deal. Photos/images: " Wild Bill Hickok, ca.

1873-74 ," Public Domain ; " Dead Man’s Hand ," cavenaghi9, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic ; LVMPD Homicide Section's logo, LVMPD . From the forthcoming "Poker & Pop Culture: Telling the Story of America’s Favorite Card Game." Martin Harris teaches a course in "Poker in American Film and Culture" in the American Studies program at UNC-Charlotte. Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+ ! More Stories

Question: What is known in poker as "dead man's hand"
Answer: Aces and eights