Puzzle 8K29   Main

Dead Man’s Deal

by Richard Pavlicek

A remarkable discovery in Deadwood, South Dakota, shed new light on the fatal last hand of James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok. Excavations beneath Saloon No. 10 unearthed a logbook, with entries showing that Hickok was actually playing whist, not poker as generally believed. Hickok held the North hand, with South dealer and diamonds trump.

Jack McCall, West, tabled the diamond seven as he whooped “When in doubt lead trumps, and bring me a fucking beer!” Unfazed, Hickok hopped with the ace, which was necessary for North-South to win 12 tricks against any defense.

trumps West leads	A K 8 8 A J 3 2 A 9 8 5 4
?  ?  ?  ?			?  ?  ?  ?
Log #888 Aug 2, 1876	J 9 5 A 9 3 2 K 9 8 5 4 3

“You’re a loser, McCall!” gloated Hickok. “I’d have beaten you at poker too, with aces and eights full.”

“Like hell!” McCall roared. “The pot would have been mine. Now I’ll show you a real loser!”
McCall then fired his .45-caliber revolver, killing Hickok instantly.

— And so ends another chapter in American history —

The National Archives needs your help! They only know the North-South hands and are desperate to:

Construct a West hand to complete the deal based on the story.

Multiple solutions exist. Further goals (tiebreakers for the April contest) are to give McCall (West) the best poker hand, and to equalize the East-West HCP, in that order of priority.

Dean Pokorny Wins

In April 2011 this puzzle was presented as a contest, with 92 participants from 28 locations. Thanks to all who entered, and congratulations to the 13 who produced a West hand to fit the story. Ties are broken by the best West poker hand, most even E-W HCP division, most even E-W card sum, and lastly by date-time of entry.

Dean Pokorny was the first of only four to find the optimal solution (best possible poker hand). Hmm… Change the second ‘o’ in his name to an ‘e’ and we can understand why. Dean has been a leading participant in many past contests, and the winner of Distribution Most Foul more than seven years ago.

Although Europe grabbed the top two places, most of the successful solvers are Americans, which might be attributable to the theme. I mean, how many Europeans have heard of Deadwood, South Dakota? We Americans are proud of our heritage, and it certainly shows. Look around! Even our government is run by dead wood.

Winner List

Rank	Name	Location	Poker	HCP	Sum
1	Dean Pokorny	Croatia	4 queens	8-8	104-104
2	Jonathan Mestel	England	4 queens	8-8	104-104
3	Charles Blair	Illinois	4 queens	8-8	104-104
4	Richard Stein	California	4 queens	8-8	104-104
5	Tim Broeken	Netherlands	4 tens	8-8	104-104
6	Matt Lahut	New York	4 tens	8-8	104-104
7	Tim DeLaney	Indiana	4 tens	8-8	104-104
8	Nan Wang	New Jersey	4 tens	8-8	104-104
9	Radu Vasilescu	Pennsylvania	4 tens	8-8	104-104
10	Dan Dang	British Columbia	4 tens	8-8	104-104
11	John Reardon	England	4 tens	8-8	109-99
12	Manuel Paulo	Portugal	4 tens	8-8	110-98
13	Zla Khadgar	Ohio	4 sevens	8-8	104-104

Puzzle 8K29   Main

Top   Dead Man’s Deal

Solution

Some people questioned my historical facts for this puzzle; but rest assured, I am an authority. No less than 25 years in partnership with “Wild Bill” Root should be evidence enough, although his demise was less notorious; and I grew up watching The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok with Guy Madison — and don’t forget Andy Devine as his pal, Jingles. Further, I’ve been to Deadwood, both literally by taking the turnoff from Interstate 90, and figuratively in some bridge matches I’d rather forget.

The main point of the puzzle is that the A must be won immediately, which suggests, and in fact proves, an uneven diamond split. If diamonds were 2-2, declarer would have 11 easy tricks by drawing trumps, and a 12th would be available from: a 4-3 club split; or if a defender held 5+ clubs and the Q (or 10 if East), he could be endplayed; or if West held Q-10, he could be finessed. If West has 5+ clubs and East has the guarded Q, the proof is more complex; but basically declarer can either endplay East with the long heart, or crossruff-elope without drawing a second trump.

The most obvious diamond layout requiring the ace hop is a blank queen with East, and all but the top four solvers keyed on this. Matt Lahutt (New York) offered this typical construction, and a sound explanation:

win 12 N-S	A K 8		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	8		1 W	7	A	Q	4
	A J 3 2		2 N	J	4	5	6
	A 9 8 5 4		3 N	8	4	A	6
10 3 2		Q 7 6 4	4 S	2	Q	2	5
K Q 10 6		J 7 5 4	5 N	A	6	3	2
10 7 6		Q	6 N	4	7	8	10
K 10 2		Q J 7 6	7 S	3	10	3	7
	J 9 5		8 N	5	J	9	K
	A 9 3 2		Declarer succeeds
	K 9 8 5 4
Lead: 7	3

Matt Lahut: When the first trick goes 7-A-Q-4, North can draw a second trump; then heart ace, heart ruff, club ace, club ruff, heart ruff, club ruff. When the last trump is drawn, East is squeezed into either promoting a black trick for declarer, or pitching his heart exit to allow an endplay. If declarer did not rise with the ace at trick one, he could not ruff two hearts without promoting a trump trick for West.

Matt’s construction, as with all solvers placing 5-12, gives West four tens, which is the best possible poker hand given the Q with East. Note that a straight flush is impossible, and the possible fours-of-a-kind are queens, tens, sevens and sixes.

Several people asked if the kicker card would be used to break ties among four-of-a-kind, which is something I had overlooked. I decided not, because it would be insignificant in the times of the story. There were no common cards (as in Texas hold’em) or wild cards — unless you count Wild Bill.

Zla Khadgar (Ohio) topped Hickok’s full house with only four sevens, but the play leads to a remarkable ending:

win 12 N-S	A K 8		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	8		1 W	7	A	Q	4
	A J 3 2		2 N	A	2	3	6
	A 9 8 5 4		3 N	4	10	5	7
Q 7 2		10 6 4 3	4 S	A	4	8	5
Q J 7 4		K 10 6 5	5 S	2	7	2	6
10 7 6		Q	6 N	5	J	8	K
K 7 6		Q J 10 2	7 S	3	J	3	10
	J 9 5		continued below…
	A 9 3 2
	K 9 8 5 4
Lead: 7	3

North is now on lead in this position:

win 5	A K 8		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		8 N	8	Q	K!	?
	J		Declarer succeeds
	9 8
Q 7 2		10 6 4 3
Q		K
10 6		—
—		Q
	J 9 5
	9
	K 9
North leads	—

A club is led and ruffed with the king, inflicting what I would call a backwash strip squeeze. If West pitches a spade, declarer crosses in spades to lead a good club, pitching a heart. If West pitches a heart, declarer wins a trump and leads a good club, endplaying West when he ruffs. Lastly, if West underruffs, declarer simply draws trump and enjoys the good club.

Queans for McCall

According to historians, Jack McCall would frequent saloons and brothels in every town he visited, and his queans could fill a corral (no doubt one of his pet ideas). Losing to Hickok at whist was intolerable when his four queans, er queens, would have raked in a huge pot against aces full.

Superficially it seems impossible for West to hold the Q, since North could then win the jack at trick one, which must be as good as if not better than winning the ace. Alas, bridge is a curious game, and terms like “must be” are dangerous. Sometimes an ace can get in the way later on, while the flexibility of a jack can open the door. And so it is shown by Dean Pokorny (Croatia) who not only provides West with four queens but earns style points for four sevens as well:

win 12 N-S	A K 8		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	8		1 W	7	A	10	4
	A J 3 2		2 N	8	4	A	6
	A 9 8 5 4		3 S	5	10	K	3
Q 10 7 4 2		6 3	4 N	A	2	3	7
Q 7 6		K J 10 5 4	5 N	4	6	5	Q
Q 7 6		10	6 S	J	2	8	6
Q 7		K J 10 6 2	7 S	2	7	2	5
	J 9 5		8 N	A	10	9	4
	A 9 3 2		continued below…
	K 9 8 5 4
Lead: 7	3

Dean Pokorny: After finessing and cashing three spades, ruffing one heart and ruffing one club, West is helpless. He can allow an easy crossruff; or overruff and play back a trump, covered by the jack, making his partner the victim of a seesaw squeeze.

To expand on Dean’s explanation, this is the ending:

win 4	—		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		9 N	5	10	8	Q
	J 3		10 W	6	J!	?
	9 8 5		East is squeezed
Q 7		—
Q		K J
Q 6		—
—		K J 10
	—
	9 3
	K 9 8
North leads	—

The 5 is ruffed low. To have any hope, West must overruff and return his last trump, on which North plays the jack. If East discards a club, one ruff establishes the last club. If East discards a heart, the jack is overtaken, and one ruff establishes the last heart. The key to success was North having the flexible J rather than the rigid A.

Also noteworthy is the 5 lead to Trick 3, which is crucial. Leading the jack or nine will not do, as West can cover to force a second spade finesse, after which South cannot regain the lead to ruff a heart. Try it.

Charles Blair: In the six-card ending, West overruffs and returns a trump, creating an overtaking ruffing squeeze.

Yes, the seesaw squeeze goes by various names. Besides Charles’s “overtaking ruffing squeeze” perhaps more common is “entry-shifting squeeze” but I like succinctness. Why type 26 or 22 characters when you can type only 14?

This puzzle theme (refusing a finesse to allow a seesaw squeeze) is from a double-dummy problem I created for the Contract Bridge Bulletin (February 1974) and subsequently reworked for Bridge Today (July 1993) as Oversold Overcall. Unfortunately, pure double-dummy problems have lost their aura due to the ease of computer solvability.

Denouement

Richard Stein: Lookie here, sir! I done went ‘n’ gave ol’ McCall four queens…
So, y’see, he warn’t just a winner at the poker table, but in the bedroom as well.

Not a winner for long! The Old West may have been wild, but justice was better than today.
McCall was tried, convicted and executed by hanging only seven months after Hickok’s murder.

Jonathan Mestel: Actually, I heard Hickok died in a motor accident — squeezed between two cars while overtaking.

Puzzle 8K29   Main

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© 2011 Richard Pavlicek