left his drivers license in the dead guys hand

Hickok, who normally sat in the corner of the saloon so no one could get behind him while playing at the poker table, was sitting in a different seat, and McCall snuck up behind him and shot him in the head, right after he had won another pot with the now infamous dead man’s hand - aces and eights. When McCall came into the saloon the next day, he was already drunk. The man who shot Hickok in the back was Jack McCall, who was more infamously known as “Crooked Nose” or “Broken Nose Jack.” According to legend, Hickok had taken quite a lot of money from McCall the night before. He certainly made a name for himself in the area as a loud talker, and one who didn’t mind getting into a pistol shootout here and there. James Butler Hickok was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, showman, actor, and in this case, a gunfighter known for his gambling. The altercation took place at Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota Territory. Ever since, the hand has been synonymous with Hickok’s death.

Hickok’s hand was aces and eights, with the ace of spades and the ace of clubs, and the same suits for the eights.Īfter the hand, John McCall, another gambler Hickok had won money from recently, shot Hickok in the back of the head.

Legend has it that “Wild Bill” Hickok was playing a game of either five-card stud or five-card draw. The origin of the Dead Man’s hand dates back to 1876 in a story straight out of the Wild West. Wild Bill Hickok and the story of the dead man’s hand Let’s learn more about the dead man’s hand. The nickname carries over to this specific two-pair in any poker game being played. In the game, his final winning hand was two pair, aces and eights. It’s named the Dead Man’s Hand in honor of Wild Bill Hickok, who was famously killed after a poker game. Published by: Staff Posted on: Ap3:06 pm EDTĭead Man’s Hand is a popular nickname for the five-card hand of aces and eights, specifically the ace-eight of spades and the ace-eight of clubs.

Left his drivers license in the dead guys hand