A pair of aces and a pair of eights – the Dead Man’s Hand, made famous by a true legend of the old west, Wild Bill Hickok. The renowned lawman, sharpshooter and expert gambler spent his final moments at a poker table, where he was shot in the back by a man who fell victim to Hickok’s superb gambling prowess. As he slumped over in his chair dead, his hand revealed to an eyewitness at the scene a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights. From that time, it was forever known as an unlucky hand due to its association with Hickok’s untimely death. 

Dead Man’s Hand: The Life & Death of Wild Bill Hickok

That’s the story…but is it the truth? This is where fact and fiction blur, and where reality and exaggerated stories, handed down over generations, come together to leave a questionable finality to Hickok’s final moments. Here, we’ll explore the story from all angles and try to determine if Hickok truly created the Dead Man’s Hand, or is it just another tall tale from the Wild West?

What We Know

There are some facts surrounding Hickok and his Dead Man’s Hand that are without question. First, Hickok was a highly experienced and skillful gambler and enjoyed his time at the poker tables showing his skills and winning much money in the process. Second, he was a well respected lawman with a long history of impressive gunfights and keeping the peace with his no-nonsense, iron hand approach. The incident occurred on August 2, 1876. Hickok, one day earlier, was winning big at the poker table with a buffalo hunter named Jack McCall on the losing end. McCall didn’t even have enough money left to buy breakfast, so Hickok generously paid for the man’s food. However, to McCall, this was taken as pouring salt into his wound and McCall wouldn’t let this go. When the next day came around, Hickok once again hit the poker table.

However, there was only one seat open and it was positioned so the user’s back was towards the entrance. Hickok, through years of being cautious and careful, always wanted his back to the wall to be able to have a view of the entire room. Unable to convince anyone to switch seats, Hickok reluctantly chose the only open chair. Soon after, an enraged McCall entered the saloon, and with the words, “Damn you! Take that!”, shot Hickok at point blank range and killed him. As the story goes, Hickok fell over and was still holding his poker hand which displayed a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights (with the fifth card never identified.)

Why It’s Questioned

Not only were the newspapers known for stretching the truth in print about Hickok’s exploits over the years, but Hickok himself was most often at the center of telling exaggerated tales about his life and adventures. After constant repetition from Hickok, they became truth in many people’s eyes. For example, journalists at the time of Hickok’s fame made claims that he had shot and killed over 100 men during his lifetime, further confirmed by Hickok himself.

However, this fact is highly debatable today, with the final total from biographers and historians alike to be closer to less than a dozen. Not only were the embellishments of Hickok’s exploits a possible contributor to the validity of the events of August 2, 1876, but even more importantly, there was little discussion about the Dead Man’s Hand between the time of Hickok’s death and the 1920s. This mysterious fifty year gap didn’t help to solidify the story as fact. Furthermore, the story only gained legs, as they say, when a book about Hickok’s life was published around that same time, dropping in that dubious information. 

Weak Eyewitness Reports

Another factor concerning the ambiguity of Hickok’s Dead Man’s Hand is the lack of eyewitnesses at the scene of his death. Allegedly, there was only one person who witnessed the entire event, including viewing the poker hand that was firmly still gripped in Hickok’s dead hand. However, as with any witness for any crime, what one may think they see is not always the way it unfolded, and this could surely be the case here. One eyewitness alone doesn’t allow the events to be corroborated or refuted. 

The Mystery Endures … As Does the Legend

Unless some solid evidence arises, there may never be a finalization to the origin of the Dead Man’s Hand. Too many years and too many conflicting accounts, plus nearly 150 years has passed, which keeps this fascinating story shrouded in mystery. There truly is no harm in accepting it as fact, just as dismissing it as a sensationalized story is also perfectly fine. It all comes down to superstition. If  you are a superstitious person, perhaps the next time you get the Dead Man’s Hand during your poker game, maybe you should fold and take your loss, so nothing bad comes your way.