Millions of people all over the world are playing poker nowadays since the advent of the internet. Where you once had to travel to a casino or a poker parlor to play a game, you now have the luxury of being able to play in the comfort of your own home. Even though US legislation may have reduced some of the players in that country, many others have the freedom to play when and where they want. Poker has always had a history with its colorful characters, wild stories, amazing wins and bad beats. There have been many famous poker players throughout the years with famous hands named after them. Here is one of them that in my opinion stand’s out from rest.
Dead Man’s Hand
It was 1874 when gold was discovered in the Black Hills that a settlement quickly formed and was called Deadwood. Over the years this rough and unlawful town of the classic Wild West grew with all sorts of people looking to get rich quick. One such person was James Butler Hickok or better known as the famous Wild Bill Hickok. Wild Bill was made famous by his shooting skills and was also a professional gambler who traveled from town to town looking for a good game.
Actually drawn to the town for a job as the local sheriff Wild Bill was playing a friendly game of poker in the local saloon on one August 2nd afternoon when he was fatally shot in the head from behind. Ironically enough Wild Bill was normally very careful to always sit with his back against the wall when he played cards as he had more than a few people who would love to take a shot at him. This particular day there was only one seat at the table with a door to rear and Bill decided it was worth the risk which was his downfall. Wild Bill was killed instantly but the hand he was holding when shot was a pair of Aces and a pair of eights (no one is sure what the last card was) thus the hand got the name “The Dead Mans Hand” and even to this day superstitious poker players try to avoid it whenever possible.
There have been many stories about Wild Bill and his exploits, but among poker players he will always be remembered for this particular hand. Poker books, songs, and movies have all been made depicting this gunslingers life and adventures and are well worth looking into further.
