A dead pool, also known as a deadpool or death pool, is a game of prediction which involves guessing when someone will die. Sometimes it is a bet where money is involved.
In 2000, website Fucked Company claimed to be a "dot-com dead pool" which invited users to predict the next dot-com bubble to fail during that era's dot com bust. The site itself folded in 2007 after a long history as a target for strategic lawsuits against public participation by companies.
Because of the high body count in the first seven seasons of the popular fantasy television series Game of Thrones, dead pools were launched for its final season.
The Marvel Comics character Deadpool (first appearing in 1991) takes his name after escaping from Francis Fanny and Dr. Killebrew, who formed their own dead pool based on which of their experimental subjects would die first. In the 2016 film Deadpool, the titular character takes his hero name from a dead pool of mercenaries, himself included, who are regular patrons at his favorite bar.
In the MTV show Teen Wolf, the main plotline of Season 4 (2014) revolves around a dead pool specifically targeting the supernaturals of Beacon Hills, which is set up by a mysterious character named The Benefactor.
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