Poker, in its many forms and variations, is relatively consistent in the hands that can be created. No matter the form of poker, there is one hand that lives in infamy: the dead man’s hand. What is this famous hand and how did it come to be?
The game of poker goes back centuries. In stories both real and fiction, poker has served as a backdrop to major moments. As it turns out, one of the most famous hands ever comes with a backstory like no other.
The dead man’s hand has a history that no other hand can come close to. There are many famous gamblers throughout history, but “Wild” Bill Hickok may be the most famous of them all. Here is the story of how the dead man’s hand came to be.
What is the Dead Man’s Hand?
Before we learn more about the history of the hand, it helps to know what it is. The dead man’s hand is a full house made of Aces and eights. More specifically, it is comprised using the Ace-eight of Spades and the Ace-eight of Clubs.
The fifth card in the hand can theoretically be anything. At times, it has been the five of Diamonds. Other times, it has been either the Nine or Jack of Diamonds. The focal point is the combination of Aces and eights, and it is never shown to include one more of either because that would make it a full house.
Wild Bill Hickok
James “Wild Bill” Butler Hickok was a folk hero known during the American Old West. During his life, he served as a showman, actor, soldier, and perhaps most notoriously, a gunfighter. He also happens to be one of the most famous gamblers in history.
Hickok became known for his loud mouth, oftentimes getting into arguments over games. He was also no stranger to involving a pistol in his arguments, leading to more than a few shootouts. The history of this hand would ultimately be his last shootout.
The Game
As the story goes, Hickok had been going at it with Jack McCall, known as “Broken Nose Jack” or “Crooked Nose.” Hickok had taken a good deal of money from McCall the night before and was bragging about it to anyone who would listen.
Sometime the next day, Hickok was already at the saloon, playing and drinking. Hickok normally sat in the corner of the saloon so that everyone would have to approach him from the front. Already drunk, Wild Bill was in a different seat at another table, his back unprotected.
As he took down another pot, McCall approached from behind. Without warning, McCall snuck up and shot Hickok in the back of the head right after Hickok had won another hand with Aces and eights. The hand would become infamously known from that point on as the dead man’s hand.
Is the Dead Man’s Hand a Good Hand?
Though the result for Hickok wasn’t a good one, it is important to note that he’d won the hand. Despite its infamous name, the question remains: Is the dead man’s hand a good poker hand?
The average winning pair in a game of poker or no-limit Hold’Em is two pairs. With a pair of aces and a middle pair (eights), it is one of the strongest pairs one could get. That alone makes it an above-average hand, one capable of winning many times.
That said, there is a bit of deception to the strength of the hand. Not having a strong kicker could leave an overconfident facing harsh disappointment.
