History Main / DeadMansHand

* The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Section use the dead man's hand as [[http://www.lvmpd.com/portals/0/logo_homicide.gif their insignia.]]

* In the appropriately-named SpiderMan one-shot comic-book ''Spider-Man: Dead Man's'' hand, a coroner turns himself into the third - and most powerful - version of Carrion, and unleashes a disease on New York using a virus that turns people into zombie-like creatures under his control. The only clue is his gloating of "aces and eights" right after turning himself into Carrion. (After Spidey consults the High Evolutionary, who was a mentor to Miles Warren, who created the original Carrion, it turns out that the virus alters the first and eighth gene of the human genome, which is important in finding the cure for it.)

A Dead Man's Hand, also known as "aces and eights", is a poker hand containing two black aces and two black eights. It was supposedly the hand drawn by Wild Bill Hickok before his death, although this is unsubstantiated. (No-one knows what his fifth card was; there are various conflicting claims as to what it was, and some believe he discarded it to draw another, but was shot before he could make the new draw.) This hand is now considered unlucky, despite being better than over 95% of five-card hands. It is the lowest/weakest hand in poker to have a name.

* In ''Film/{{Stagecoach}}'', Luke holds this hand. He is shortly therafter gunned down by the Ringo Kid.
* In ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance'', the titular character Liberty draws this hand right before being shot.

* In ''Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest'', anarchistic Irishman R.P. McMurphy has a tattoo of a poker hand containing "spades and eights", foreshadowing his eventual death.

* The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Section use the dead man's hand as [[http://www.lvmpd.com/portals/0/logo_homicide.gif their insignia]]

* In the song "Little Wille the Gambler" by Townes Van Zandt:

* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "Blood of the Saddle", the third VictimOfTheWeek in a string [[TheWildWest wild west]] themed murders is found slung over the saddle of his hrs with a dead man's hand planted in his fist.

* [=KenzerCo=].'s Western roleplaying game ''Aces & Eights'' takes its name from the dead man's hand.

* TabletopGame/HoylesRulesOfDragonPoker takes the hand's bad luck to its (il)logical conclusion and kicks any player who uses it out of the game.

* HoylesRulesOfDragonPoker takes the hand's bad luck to its (il)logical conclusion and kicks any player who uses it out of the game.

* In the "Texas Hold 'Em" derivative of poker, a Dead Man's Hand is a single ace and eight of any color or suite, which is a fairly strong starting hand as well, and it comes ''without'' the negative connotation of bad luck.

In modern fiction, this particular hand is often used as a type of PortentOfDoom, often signifying that the character who drew it is soon to die.

Subtrope of PortentOfDoom.

** The Deadlands CollectibleCardGame ''Doomtown'' uses poker hands to decide who wins shootouts. The Dead Man's Hand outranks all other hands (unless countered with That's Two Pair!).

If you're looking for the book in the ''WildCards'' series, it's [[Literature/DeadMansHand here]]. Not to be confused with the Old West tabletop RPG, ''TabletopGame/AcesAndEights.''

* ''Literature/DeadMansHand'' is the name of the seventh book of the ''WildCards'' series by Creator/GeorgeRRMartin. Aces are the murderer's literal calling card.

* VideoGame/{{Payday 2}} has a track called "Dead Man's Hand", fittingly, it's the theme to the Golden Grin Casino heist.

* In ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', if the player has Guybrush keep losing against King André and then looking at the losing hands, one of the random comments Guybrush will make is "Aces and eights... that can't be good." This being a LucasArts game, Guybrush of course doesn't die... though he does ''fake'' his death at one point.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'', if you cast [[ProjectileSpell Soul Blast]] and draw a Dead Man's Hand, it becomes an automatic OneHitKill. Unlike the one mentioned in the trope description, it requires the Jack of Diamonds.

* Historical displays in Deadwood, SD, depict the fifth card as the nine of diamonds.
** Which is also considered unlucky, under the name of "the Curse of Scotland."

* ''Literature/DeadMansHand'' is the name of the seventh book of the ''WildCards'' series by GeorgeRRMartin. Aces are the murderer's literal calling card.

* "VideoGame/Payday 2" has a track called "Dead Man's Hand", fittingly, it's the theme to the Golden Grin Casino heist.

* "VideoGame/Payday2" has a track called "Dead Man's Hand", fittingly, it's the theme to the Golden Grin Casino heist.

* VideoGame/Payday2 has a track called "Dead Man's Hand", fittingly, it's the theme to the Golden Grin Casino heist.