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Dead Man’s Hand
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Dead Man’s Hand

poker hand
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Quick Summary

The "dead man's hand" in poker refers to a hand consisting of two pairs: aces and eights, or jacks and eights. This poker hand gained notoriety due to its association with the legendary frontiersman Wild Bill Hickok. Hickok was shot and killed on August 2, 1876, in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, while holding this specific hand. The cards he held at the time of his death—a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights—became known as the "Dead Man's Hand".12

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