# Dead Man's hand--poker question this time

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-mans-hand-poker-question-this-time/217735>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [December 8, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-mans-hand-poker-question-this-time/217735 "2003-12-08T18:31:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-mans-hand-poker-question-this-time/217735/1 "2003-12-08T18:31:42Z")

</div>

[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_307.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_307.html)

If you’re holding black aces and eights, that implies you’ve got a pair of aces at a pair of eights. The article said

> [@](#):
>
> Bill’s fifth card was the deuce of spades, which must have made for a pretty grim-looking hand.

Huh? Two pair aces high sounds like a pretty good hand to me.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-mans-hand-poker-question-this-time/217735/2 "2003-12-08T18:36:28Z")

</div>

You’re over-thinking it. Cecil just means that the cards were all black, which no doubt helped with the immortalization of the “Dead Mans’ Hand” idea.