Originally Published: January 5, 2011, 04:18 AM

An Interesting Poker Hand and Wild Bill Hickok

Posted By Diego | Poker-Pics News | January 5, 2011, 04:18 AM |

Poker has been around for many years, so it is not surprising that a large folk lore has been built around it. Many interesting hands have occurred and some of these have gone down in poker legend, so we will take a look at a one of the more famous ones.

One famous poker hand dates back to the days of the Gold Rush has become known as “Dead Man’s Hand”. The Gold Rush was one of the major mechanisms by which the game of poker spread and gained general popularity amongst the pioneers and frontiersmen, though in those un-policed times it was not unusual for a poker game to get out of hand, and many lost their lives playing it.

Wild Bill Hickok, real name James Butler Hickok, was born in 1837 and survived until he was 39 years old when he was shot dead. He had been playing poker in a saloon called the Nuttal& Mann's in Deadwood a town located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, in Native Indian territory. Hickok had an uneasy feeling about the place, and often spoke of seeing his nemesis as being there.

Hickok was sitting with his back to the door, a position that made him feel uneasy but he could not find anybody who was willing to exchange seats with him. The cards had not been going his way and he had run out of cash and had been forced to borrow stake money from the man behind the bar.
Jack McCall was a nasty looking buffalo hunter with a crooked nose and staring eyes. He lived in Deadwood under a false name. He walked into the saloon, took out his .45-caliber revolver, and shot Wild Bill in the back of his head shouting “Take that Hickok”. Hickok died instantly.
There are various explanations for the murder. One is that it was a revenge killing as Wild Bill supposedly had killed McCall’s brother, and another is that McCall had been in a drunken rage engendered by previously losing his money to Hickok.
Although initially being found not guilty, McCall was retried in Yankton, his first trial been deemed unlawful. This time he received a guilty verdict and was hanged, aged 24.

The murder had been bad timing. At the time of his death Hickok held two Aces and two eights, all in spades and clubs. The fifth card remains a mystery. All poker hands containing black Aces and eights are now known as “Dead Man’s Hand”

Embed Poker has been around for many years, so it is not surprising that a large folk lore has been built around it. Many interesting hands have occurred and some of these have gone down in poker legend, so we will take a look at a one of the more famous ones. <br><br /> One famous poker hand dates back to the days of the Gold Rush has become known as “Dead Man’s Hand”. The Gold Rush was one of the major mechanisms by which the game of poker spread and gained general popularity amongst the pioneers and frontiersmen, though in those un-policed times it was not unusual for a poker game to get out of hand, and many lost their lives playing it. <br><br /> Wild Bill Hickok, real name James Butler Hickok, was born in 1837 and survived until he was 39 years old when he was shot dead. He had been playing poker in a saloon called the Nuttal& Mann's in Deadwood a town located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, in Native Indian territory. Hickok had an uneasy feeling about the place, and often spoke of seeing his nemesis as being there. <br><br /> Hickok was sitting with his back to the door, a position that made him feel uneasy but he could not find anybody who was willing to exchange seats with him. The cards had not been going his way and he had run out of cash and had been forced to borrow stake money from the man behind the bar. <br> Jack McCall was a nasty looking buffalo hunter with a crooked nose and staring eyes. He lived in Deadwood under a false name. He walked into the saloon, took out his .45-caliber revolver, and shot Wild Bill in the back of his head shouting “Take that Hickok”. Hickok died instantly. <br> There are various explanations for the murder. One is that it was a revenge killing as Wild Bill supposedly had killed McCall’s brother, and another is that McCall had been in a drunken rage engendered by previously losing his money to Hickok.<br> Although initially being found not guilty, McCall was retried in Yankton, his first trial been deemed unlawful. This time he received a guilty verdict and was hanged, aged 24. <br><br /> The murder had been bad timing. At the time of his death Hickok held two Aces and two eights, all in spades and clubs. The fifth card remains a mystery. All poker hands containing black Aces and eights are now known as “Dead Man’s Hand”<br /><a href='http://www.myspacepoker.net'>Poker</a> | <a href='http://www.myspacepoker.net/Poker-Pics/An-Interesting-Poker-Hand-and-Wild-Bill-Hickok'>An Interesting Poker Hand and Wild Bill Hickok</a>