“Dead Man’s” Hand

The first recollection I have of gambling is card games in ‘cowboy’ movies or Westerns.  As a kid I never knew what card games they were playing but it had to be a serious game if you could lose your life or have to kill someone…

… a smoke filled saloon, tough looking, unshaven… hard drinking, ruthless heros that were always fighting, and would not think twice about killing… but was it really like this???  or did Hollywood create the image???

Lets talk about some of the famous characters of the ‘Wild West’.  There was ‘Doc’ Holliday at the O.K. Corral.  ‘Wild Bill’ Hickock… never far from the barrel of a smoking gun… he certainly created a name for himself.. a legend really! But when you are that notorious you have to watch your back, not everyone is going to like you!!

“Wild Bill” died playing poker, he was shot in the back of the head… with a pair of aces and a pair of eights… which is still known as “Dead Man’s” hand.