Omaha Poker: Murky History, Great Game
Deception is common in online poker games, so it’s perhaps not surprising that Omaha was not invented in the city of Omaha, Nebraska. Unlike Texas Hold ‘em, a game that has a real birthplace (even if that’s up for debate,) Omaha seems to have seem to almost spring up from nowhere.
It’s actually a comparatively new game as well, surprisingly. The 1979 book Super/System: A Course In Poker Power by Doyle Brunson doesn’t reference the game at all, and neither does Slansky’s Winning Poker from 1983. In fact, the latter’s appendix covers Five-Card Draw, Seven-Card Stud, Hold ‘Em, Five-Card Stud, Razz, Lowball, and Hi-Lo Split, which makes its exclusion even more baffling. (Note that Hi-Lo Split referred to stud and draw games in which the best high and best low hands split the pot, not the game that’s now called Omaha/8.
Despite the fact that Omaha wasn’t being played in casinos at the time, there were already very similar games being played at home games across the country. There were versions of poker in which poker players were dealt four private cards (like Omaha poker) and others in which players received five. Of some interest is the fact that five-card version limits the number of players at a table to 8 — something that casinos couldn’t abide by.
Despite its exclusion from Brunson and Slansky’s books, the first known Omaha poker game at a Vegas casino occurred in 1982, where it became a huge success overnight. The game was a staple of tournament play, side action games during major events, and regular cash games hosted by casinos. It was nicknamed “The Game of the Future” because it created plenty of action and many poker fans found it difficult to find a four-card starting hand they couldn’t or wouldn’t play.
Some theorize that Omaha’s origins can be found in a variety of Texas Hold ‘Em that forced a player to use both of their hole cards and three of the five cards on the table to form the best possible hand. This game was called “Omaha,” so perhaps the game was transferred to the Las Vegas variation of Four-Card Holdem, but the specificity of the rules are interesting and create a whole series of theories.
No matter what the origins are, you can play Omaha in poker rooms and in online poker sites around the world. Check it out, if you haven’t already. You might find your next favorite game.
