As explained in the movie, Deadpool takes his name from the “dead pool” at the seedy mercenary bar he frequents. Though the term usually refers to a group bet on which celebrity will die next, the film makes it seem like this particular dead pool is limited to the ruthless patrons of Sister Margaret’s Home For Wayward Girls bar, with the joke being that assassinating people is a dangerous line of work so they’re all betting on which one of them will be killed first. But it turns out that’s not the case at all. A handy screenshot of the bar reveals most people have selected real-life celebrities, and Weasel and Wade Wilson are the only two weirdos who have bet on people they know (as referenced in the film, Weasel bets on Wade while Wade bets on a fellow assassin named “J. Boothe”).
Perhaps what’s most surprising is how few surprises there are here. These really do seem like the kind of names that would end up on a dead pool somewhere, including formerly troubled starlets like Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, Miley Cyrus, and Shia LaBeouf; troubled non-starlets like Bill Cosby and Charlie Sheen; and people with some degree of notoriety like Kayne West, Kid Rock, Mike Tyson, Lil Wayne, and Ozzy Osbourne. While “A. Palmer” could be Amanda Palmer, it’s more likely Arnold Palmer, who joins Ned Beatty in the “aging celebrities” bracket. Admittedly, however, Judd Nelson and Vladimir Putin are two rather eclectic choices to round out the board.
In terms of Easter eggs, original Deadpool comic book artist Rob Liefeld gets a shout-out here in addition to his brief cameo. Stars Ryan Reynolds and T.J. Miller are both on the board as well, as the bets of John and Hank. While it seems unlikely those names are a reference to John and Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers, it’s a little more probable that the first two betters, Chuck T and Dave, are a tip of the hat to raunchy radio personalities Dave and Chuck “The Freak,” who would almost certainly have a fan in Wade Wilson.