Dead man's hand

Basic Definition

The dead man's hand is two pair, black aces and black eights. According to legend, the gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok was holding it when he was shot and killed during a poker game in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, in 1876.

Specific Situation

• In Texas Hold'em, you hold A8 and the board shows A83K2. You have aces and eights, the dead man's hand.


• The name comes up mostly as poker trivia or as a joke at the table. It has no special ranking in the game.

Important Information

• In hand rankings, it is ordinary two pair, aces and eights. It beats one pair and loses to three of a kind or better.


• The details of the story are uncertain. Hickok's death in 1876 is historical fact, but the description of his hand appeared in accounts written much later, and the fifth card is disputed.


• See poker hand rankings for the full order of hands.

Examples of Term Usage

"Aces and eights on the river? The dead man's hand. Hope that's not a bad sign."