A Game of Many Names

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Aces Casino • Feb 16, 2020

A Game of Many Names

The History of Omaha Hold'em

Right behind Texas Hold‘em, Omaha Poker has become the second favorite or equally favored poker game for players everywhere. Although the exact origin of Omaha Poker is unknown, one theory is that started in Detroit in the early seventies. At the time it was called “Twice Three”. That game was played in the five-card form and was popular in industrial cities of the Northwest and Midwest; it was especially popular in New York and Chicago. The four-card version was more popular states like Alabama, Oklahoma, Colorado, Louisiana, and Washington. In every place the game was known by a different name such as “Oklahoma Two by Four,” “Nine Cards,” and “Fort Worth”. It was often renamed for the city it was played in.

Another origin story is that the original game was known as “Omaha High”, there were many versions that were played throughout the United States and across Europe including “Omaha High-Low,” “Omaha Eight-or-Better,” “Omaha/8,”and “PLO” (Pot-Limit Omaha). It has also been called the game of “the nuts.” This means the best low or high hand and “the nuts” win the showdown, meaning a player can draw both a full house, flush, straight, etc., using different card combinations.

In the early eighties, World Series of Poker bracelet winner Robert Turner introduced the game to William “Bill” Walter Boyd. At the time Boyd was manager of the Golden Nugget Casino card room in Las Vegas. After introducing it to the tables in the casino, the game gained popularity and also acquired another one of its many names, “Nugget Hold‘em”.

The game name “Omaha” finally stuck to differentiate the two main forms of poker, Texas and Omaha. Texas Hold’em was played using any five of the players cards out of the seven dealt. The less common version, Omaha, required the player to play both cards from his hand and only three from the community hand. The name “Omaha” was used in Las Vegas to let the players know the two cards in their hand had to both be played. However, another possibility of the final name was that after being played and renamed after many different cities it was finally named after Omaha, a more centrally located city and a name that added continuity to the game played anywhere.

Omaha is a game of skill and chance and with all the names and variations you better be well versed on how to play each one. You will find Omaha played online, in casinos, and at in-home poker games.

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