Dead Man's Hand-poker

[Fred Shapiro]

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003, Sam Clements wrote:

> While I'm not aware of a cite earlier than the Century Dictionary(1909) cite
> in my Mathews,  I'd love to know if there is earlier.  We get this question
> posted over at the Straight Dope repeatedly.  Mighty Cecil, himself, even
> wrote a column on it many years ago.  But NO cites.

1903 _National Police Gazette_ 3 Jan. 6  DEATH IN A POKER GAME WHERE ONE
PLAYER HELD A "DEAD MAN'S HAND"  A Jack Full on Red Sevens Seems to be an
Unusually Fatal Combination of the Pasteboards. ... Half a dozen sports were
lined up against the bar of a big hotel in Milwaukee, Wis., the other
night, and the talk drifted to poker.  "There is in the great game,"
remarked one, "what is known as the 'Dead Man's Hand.' I only saw it
played once, but that was enough for me.  I'd heard about this 'Dead Man's
Hand,' soon after I struck the West.

[No mention of Wild Bill Hickock]

Fred Shapiro

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