While the exact game played by Wild Bill Hickok is unclear, the hand he died with is the strongest hand in 5-card stud. He had Two Pair, Aces, and Eights when he was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall in 1876. The hand he was holding was still visible on the table when he was shot. This is a common question, and we can learn a lot about his poker playing style by looking at his poker hands.
One of the most famous stories about Wild Bill Hickok involves a game of poker played at a Deadwood saloon. According to legend, Wild Bill was playing five-card stud when he was killed. A drunken Jack McCall joined the game, and the two ended up losing a lot of money. Wild Bill asked McCall to leave the game until he could regain his losses.
The term “dead man’s hand” has been used as a part of Western lore since 1886. The term was first used in reference to the hand of Wild Bill Hickok. However, the citation of Hickok’s final hand didn’t appear in print until 1926, fifty years after his death. The mystery surrounding Wild Bill’s hand will probably never be fully solved.
The infamous poker hand that he played when he was killed was known as the Dead Man’s Hand. This was an important hand in history because it ties Wild Bill’s death to the infamous Black Jack. His hand is called the Dead Man’s Hand because it features two black aces and two black eights. It is no wonder Wild Bill’s hand has remained a part of poker legend.
