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History of Omaha Poker

Omaha poker is one of the more modern variations of poker games that are played based on community card poker and is derived from Texas Hold'em poker.

History of Omaha - Early Card Games

One popular belief is that card games were first invented in China more than 1000 years ago. A Chinese emperor was supposedly reported to have played 'domino cards' with his spouse on New Year in 969.

Apparently, Egyptians already used a form of playing cards 800 years ago. In 16th century Persia a card game called As Nas was widely played with 25 cards, rounds of betting and hierarchical hand rankings.

The Persian card game travelled with the Arabs to Spain and travelled through Europe. Dating back to 1526, the Spanish called their new card game 'Primero'. It eventually developed to something more like the modern day poker called 'Poque' in France and 'Pochspiel' in Germany. Bluffing - betting high stakes when having bad cards in order to deceive opponents - was a crucial part of the game.

By the 1800s the French had brought 'their' beloved game to North America and it was widely played in places like New Orleans. Before long poker tables were in every saloon in the Wild West - part of a general spread of gambling during the era. It was here that the card game rapidly developed into the poker we have today.

History of Omaha - Modern Poker

Poker was initially played with one round of betting. Players were dealt five cards face down and there was no draw of cards. Later the rules were modified to the great joy of the professional gamblers as it meant the new rules gave them a better chance to make more money. The developments to poker also introduced more skill to the game.

Poker's grandiose place was on the steamboats navigating the Mississippi River. Here, roulette wheels and other heavy gambling equipment were too heavy and difficult to have on board, so card games like poker became an increasingly popular game of choice for gamblers.

In 1834, the card game was given its name by Jonathan H. Green who was so intrigued by "the cheating game," as he called it, that he even wrote a book about it. It was then the card game was christened Poker. In 1837, the 52-card game replaced the previously used 20-card game while the joker was introduced as a wild card in 1875.

Popularity of this widely played game has grown by a long way and to a large extent to evolve into numerous variations and sub-variations.

Omaha Poker is a fairly new game, having only been around for the last 25 years, following in the footsteps of its cousin, Texas Hold'em – the most frequently played and most popular poker games in the world. But Omaha offers slightly more action and excitement for many players than other forms of poker, which is one of the reasons behind its rapid growth in popularity. It is now played in poker tournaments across the world and in the World Poker Series, as well as a cash game in most card rooms and casinos.

The main differences between Omaha and Texas Hold'em poker is that each player is dealt four hole (face-down) instead of two. The betting rounds and layout of community cards are identical. At showdown, each player's hand is the best five-card hand they can make from three of the five community cards and two of their own hole cards.

Unlike Texas Hold'em, a player cannot play only one card from their hand with four of the community cards, or all the community cards.

If you are thinking of playing Omaha, take a look at our How To Play Omaha and Omaha Hints and Tips pages for more information and advice.

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