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Gambling Legends: The Dead Man’s Hand story or how Wild Bill cursed aces and eights

There are many combinations in poker and some of them have really fascinating stories to tell. One such combination is the Dead Man’s Hand of Black Aces and Eights, which owes its existence and name to the legendary Wild Bill.

BestAuCasinosOnline tells how Wild Bill cursed aces and eights, and his death started the history of the famous poker combination.

Who is Wild Bill

James Butler Hickock, better known as Wild Bill, is a legendary Wild West personality. He was a soldier, a sheriff and, of course, a professional poker player.

Fighting for justice was the most important thing in a man’s life. He was known as the defender of the weak and disadvantaged, but criminals and scoundrels could not even hope for his mercy.

Gambling also had its place in Bill’s heart and life. Poker has always been his passion. In his later years he became addicted to alcohol and often spent his time drinking at the gaming table.

It was there that he died. In August 1876, at the age of 39, Wild Bill was murdered during a poker game. Hickock’s ancient enemy Jack McCall shot him twice in the head from behind. He argued his act was revenge for the death of his brother, whom Wild Bill supposedly killed.

Because the laws there at the time allowed for ‘blood feuds’, the murderer was acquitted. A few years later, however, another hearing was held and Jack McCall was sentenced to death.

Dead Man’s Hand

Wild Bill died with five cards in his hands. Among them were two black aces and two black eights, a combination which has since been called the “Dead Man’s Hand”. Subsequently, it came to be considered cursed. It was said that whoever held the Black Aces and Eights would follow Wild Bill and soon die.

Wild Bill played five card poker, which is not popular today. Therefore, in modern Texas Hold’em, where a player is dealt only 2 cards, the ‘Dead Man’s Hand’ is the initial deal of an Ace and an Eight. Of course, there are occasions when, in the course of a game, they are also strengthened by two other cards from Bill’s combination.

Quite often ignorant players confuse Dead man’s hand with Dead hand, but this is incorrect. Dead man’s hand in poker means a hand in which the player has no chance of winning.

Other gambling legends

However, gambling is not just of interest to the Dead Hand. Let us tell you some more interesting legends and facts about casinos.

Who should not play Monte Carlo

Many people know that Monegasque citizens are not allowed to gamble in Monte Carlo casinos. Although Monte Carlo is the gambling mecca of Europe, back in the mid-19th century the royal family forbade Monegasque citizens to gamble in casinos. They felt that only foreigners should bring in revenue. It is also interesting that Monaco citizens do not pay income tax, as they use the money received from the casino for this purpose.

How the casino gave to sandwich its name

There is a legend that sandwiches were invented in casinos back in the 18th century The Earl of Sandwich did not want to leave the gaming table to dine, so he asked for slices of meat that were wrapped in slices of bread. He could play and eat at the same time, of course, people had been eating meat with bread for centuries, but the Earl gave the dish its name.

The casino is a special place for gamblers; it is a great opportunity to win with a minimum of effort. However, the truth is that many people approach casino gaming very responsibly, following a number of strategies and, most importantly, carefully selecting the right game for them. Many people are afraid to choose from new online casinos, but if you check the licence and read player reviews, you can safely choose any of the new sites. New casinos usually offer very good bonuses to gamblers!

Why casinos benefit from atom bombs

It is also an interesting that casinos were able to benefit during the atomic bomb test. Near Las Vegas in the fifties more than 1,000 nuclear charges were detonated, at which time mushroom clouds could be seen and night fell instead of day. Such pictures could be seen from Las Vegas. The casinos turned this horrible spectacle into a show, thus promoting parties with atomic bombs, offering signature cocktails with atomic names and even hosting Miss Atomic Energy beauty contests.

Lucky doves

Without even starting to play, some gamblers are trying to figure out if their luck will smile today. Many years ago, a gambler named Blanchard was on his way to a gambling house, but on the casino’s doorstep a flying pigeon ruined his suit. That night the gambling man won big money. Blanchard decided that it was the pigeon that had influenced his luck. So the man started waiting for the bird to fly in again. And then one day the pigeon stained his clothes again. And again Blanchard won. Now gamblers believe that if the pigeon soils the man, luck will smile on him and he will win a lot of money.

The lucky shirt

This gambling legend is still used today. It is believed that you should wear the shirt of a player who has managed to win a large sum of money at a game. Then you can make the game lucky and get high winnings.
Whether to believe these legends or not is up to everyone. But it is safe to say that each person themselves is able to entice luck by simply tuning in to the fact that fortune will be on their side right now.

About the author

Saman Iqbal

Saman is a law student. She enjoys writing about tech, politics and the world in general. She's an avid reader and writes fictional prose in her free time.







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