The year is 1876 and you're playing a game of poker with 2 other men in a tavern, they owe you a lot of money just like many other men in the town because you're known as one of the best poker players in town. This day August 2nd will play out a little differently than winning the big money. Today you're sitting away from the wall, having your back towards the lobby and that one of many choices left you dead at the age of 39. All you had left in the poker game was 2 black eight and 2 aces. The Dead Man's Hand was and still is one of the most famous tales and ¨true stories¨. The story was brought up back from the dead nearly a decade later being told as a legend and in a book that was published which helped the legend more. The legend I keep talking about goes by the name of James Butler Hickkok but better known as Wild Bill Hickkok born and living in the town of Deadwood, South Dakota today apart from being known as one of the best gamblers he was also a soldier, scout, lawman, cow slinger and also dealt with some of the criminals in the town. The Dead Man's Hand has influenced industries and people alike with card companies designing their cards based on Wild Bill, having his picture on the specific cards or a hole in the deck to represent a bullet shooting through it. Poker players, famous or not, would most likely have a tattoo of the Dead Man's Hand. The hand itself wasn't the best nor was it the worst with other factors in the game you could easily win and some live tv poker marches did win with this deck just known more for the tale and to keep the poker spirit alive back in the wild west. The story is so popular that others managed to come up from the shadows showing us how time was back then in the wild west and some stories had direct impacts on each others stories being having impact on stories today such as movies and art films. Some of the famous ones are Dead Man’s Hand from Ha Ha Tonka, Ace Of Spades from Motörhead, Rambling, Gambling Willie from Bob Dylan, Aces & Eights in Uncle Kracker, Alligator Blood in Bring Me the Horizon., I Am The Storm in Blue Oyster Cult, Aces & Eights in Michael McDermott, Dead Man’s Hand in Moonshine Bandits. Further references have been made in the hit shows Criminal Minds, Deadwood , Midsomer Murders, and Seal Team. old John Wayne films, made great use of the reference. Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and Daredevil. The story is so well known and used for so long that some may say it's a course so let's hope you dont have 2 ases and eight in your deck.