Antedating of "Dead Man's Hand"

[Fred Shapiro]

dead man's hand (HDAS 1908)

1886 _Grand Forks Daily Herald_ 1 July 3 (America's Historical Newspapers)
I was present at a game in a Senator's house one night and saw him win
$6,000 on one hand.  It was the dead man's hand.  What is the dead man's
hand?  Why, it is three jacks and a pair of tens.  It is called the dead
man's hand because about forty seven years ago, in a town in Illinois, a
celebrated judge bet his house and lot on three jacks and a pair of tens.
... When his opponent showed up he had three queens and a pair of tens.
Upon seeing the queens the judge fell back dead, clutching the jacks and
tens in his hand, and that's why a jack-full on tens is called the dead
man's hand.

NOTE:  This citation tends to undermine the standard Wild Bill Hickock
derivation of the term.

Fred Shapiro


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