History of Omaha
The origin of Omaha is simply a mystery, no-one really knows where it comes from but we all know where it is going. Omaha is arguably the most popular form of tournament poker in the world today and it has been dubbed the ‘Game of the Future’. One thing is for certain, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the 1944 Invasion of Normandy or Omaha in Nebraska!
What is interesting is that poker has literally been around for centuries but if you scan literature on poker, poker strategies and poker rules there is virtually no mention of the Omaha variety until the 1980’s when it was first introduced to casinos in Las Vegas.
Robert Turner, former casino executive and WSOP bracelet winner, introduced the card game to the Director of Operations at the Golden Nugget Casino, Bill Boyd, in 1982 and it was quickly introduced at the tables as Nugget Holdem – it was some time later that the name was changed to Omaha.
Omaha is just one of many variants of poker that includes Texas Holdem, Pai Gow Poker, 5 Card Draw, 7 Card Stud, Let it Ride, Caribbean Stud and 3 Card poker. These variants have arguably resulted from the continuous tweaking by the players to satisfy the burning desire to win.
Omaha and the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
The enormous explosion in popularity of Omaha was officially recognised at the 2007 edition of the World Series of Poker – for the first time Omaha was elevated to World Championship status, not once, but twice. It was first introduced at the WSOP in 1984 and by 2008 the following Omaha events were included in the schedule:
- Event 6 – $1 500 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8 or Better
- Event 10 – $2500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better
- Event 16 – $2000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better
- Event 19 – $1500 Pot Limit Omaha
- Event 24 – $2500 Pot Limit Holdem/Omaha
- Event 28 – $5000 Pot Limit Omaha with re-buys
- Event 34 – $1500 Pot Limit Omaha with re-buys
- Event 37 – $10 000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better
- Event 43 – $1500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better
- Event 50 – $10 000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha
Omaha is expected to grow exponentially in the future as it is clearly starting to challenge Texas Holdem as the favourite at the more reputable online casinos, with the pot limit version of the game attracting the interest of the high stakes online gamblers in particular.
