What is the dead mans hand called?

Answer 1

In Poker, a dead man's hand is two pair, aces and eights, two of each with another card of whatever. This is the hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding at the time of his murder on 8/2/1876

Two aces & two eights, called a dead man's hand. Legend has it that's the poker hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot dead in Deadwood, South Dakota.

This term is also used for a hand that is very good, but not a winner (so you are definitely going to lose money on it).
Example:
You are holding AA in Holdem, and the flop brings AKK. Now if your opponent is holding KK, which gives him four of a kind, you are holding a deadman's hand, since you are very likely to put lots of money in the pot, or even go allin, with a losing hand.

Answer 2

Two pair, Aces and Eights. The hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot and killed by Jack McCall.

Answer 3

A pair of Aces and a pair of eights in the same hand. They said that is the hand "Wild" Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot from behind and died.

Answer 4

It is called the Deadman's Hand. Aces and 8s