Death at the poker table

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Death at the poker table

How the Wild West's Most Famous Gunslinger Died While Gambling

Gambling addiction is a bad thing. Loving the game of mosquito and not being able to do without it can have extremely fatal consequences. Unwise bets, moments when you don't know when to get up from the table, no matter what casino game you've started, and moments when you just can't stand it without trying your luck, can turn out to be a really serious problem. But it's not always just about losing money. Many people would say that they have won from gambling, but rather they have not calculated their losses correctly. However, one man knows what it's like to lose far more than your entire fortune at the poker table, and that is "Wild Will" Haycock. One of the most skilled gunslingers in the Wild West loses his life playing his favorite casino game.

The story takes place in the town of Deadwood, South Dakota, United States on the second of August 1876. At the time, poker for people like Will was a hugely popular and fun game that could easily pass the time between other intriguing events.

Actually, behind Haycock's love of poker, there is quite a curious story. Born in Illinois in 1837, James Butler Haycock gained notoriety as one of the best revolver shooters in the United States in 1861 when he managed to fend off three men trying to kill him. Six years later, he also gained immense popularity after a monthly magazine, well known throughout the country, published an article about his exploits with a gun in hand. Immediately followed a series of more articles and materials, which at times even seriously exaggerate their mastery. However, Haycock is gaining a serious reputation with a number of impressive shootouts.

In 1871, however, he killed one of his men during another battle. The incident in Abilene, Texas changed the life of "Wild Bill". After many years in which he lived thanks to his reputation, Haycock decided to change his main occupation and start earning from gambling games and especially poker. This happens even after quite a few arrests for vagrancy.

The spring of 1876 will forever go down as "Wild Bill's" last. Then he arrived in the Black Hills and specifically in the mining town of Deadwood, South Dakota. There he is a regular at the poker table in Salon #10 and tries to live another life, the calm, as far as possible, life of a poker player.

On the second of August, however, it reached the moment when Haycock was killed at the table. Standing in his usual position, with his back to the bar door, the former top scorer plays poker. At precisely 4:15 in the afternoon, a young heir named Jack McCall entered the saloon and shot Haycock in the head. Of course, Haycock died on the spot. McCall was convicted and subsequently hanged.

At just 39, Haycock died at the poker table. One of the most famous gunslingers in the Wild West lost his life not during a shootout, but with his revolver in his holster and without seeing his killer.

Legend has it that "Wild Bill" held two black aces and two black eights in his hand. This is a combination called the "dead man's hand".

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