Poker was very popular in the 1870s. Among the many poker players was James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok. Wild Bill came to the town of Deadwood in the Dakota Territory, and in his leisure time, played poker in the saloon. Wild Bill had killed a great number of people, so he had a few enemies. One night, he was playing Draw poker. His back was to the door, and an assassin came in and shot Hickok dead while he was in the middle of a hand. He was holding aces and 8s (two pair), which has now become known as the “Dead Man’s Hand.”
