The Dead Man's Hand

The two songs I'm working on at the moment - These Cards Rolled Me and Game - both have the connotations of gambling and cards, and those that notice such things will have seen the reflection...

So what is the Dead Man's Hand? As usual, particularly in gambling myths and legends, the truth is hard to pin down. But the most fun definition - and the one that turns up in most pop references - is Aces over Eights. That might even be a term you've heard (a band, a game, several songs, a bar...). Specifically (so the legend goes), black Aces over black Eights, with an undetermined hole card.

What makes it famous is its association with Wild Bill Hickok who, after a colourful life, was shot dead in Deadwood while playing poker. Yes, that Deadwood, as brought to even further fame in the TV series of the same name (with Keith Carradine - half-brother to one of my favourite actors, David Carradine - bringing Wild Bill to life on the screen in that show). The hand that Wild Bill was meant to be holding at the time of his murder? Yes, you guessed it.

Of course, there have been other poker hands that have been labelled "Dead Man's Hand", and the version of Wild Bill's hand varies too (sometimes cited as AD AC 8S 8C QH). The term dates back to at least the 1880s, but only seems to get pinned to Wild Bill from the 1920s in tales of his exploits (he died in 1876).

Personally, I think my AC AS 8S 8C J version is fitting hand - but hopefully not a dead man's one!

These Cards Rolled Me cover in the making