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History of Alabama Poker
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Alabama Poker, also known as “Alabama Hold ‘em,” has a short history. Like the game that spawned it, Omaha, the game’s origins aren’t clear.
Alabama is a variation of Omaha. In Omaha, players are dealt four hole cards, and there are seven community cards on the table. A player makes the best five-card hand from the nine cards on the table. In Omaha, a player must use two of his or her hole cards, and three of the community cards to make the hand.
In Alabama, it is three hole cards and two community cards used to make the best five-card hand.
The origins of the game are unclear. Omaha is a very new game. It only appeared in Las Vegas casinos in 1982. It quickly has become the second most popular game thanks to its similarity to Hold ‘Em.
Alabama was spawned from that, and is mostly played in home games or as part of game rotations. It is rarely played in casinos.
Poker can be traced back centuries. However, it has evolved greatly over the years. The first growth of the game came in the 1800s in the United States on Mississippi river boats, and it spread like wildfire to saloons and casinos throughout the United States. The popular game of the day was five-card draw, which is still alive today in some places, but is most notably the basis for video poker.
In 1875, the joker was introduced to the deck, and the American version of the game was born.
Seven-card stud was the most popular game of the 1900s, up until the early 1980s, when Texas Hold ‘Em, a game invented in Robstown, Texas, emerged.
Omaha’s origins are not clear. There is no evidence it was invented in Omaha, Nebraska, as there is no evidence Alabama was invented in that state as well.
The only thing we know for sure is the game began to become more prominent in the 1990s, and now, Omaha is No. 2 in popularity behind Hold ‘Em, both in online play and in casinos. The variations on Omaha began to spring up in the early 90s, with 8-or-better, hi-lo and Alabama.
Alabama is still relatively new to the scene and not many tournaments are available. But like the other community card games, its future is bright. Community card poker seems to be the wave of the future, and Alabama certainly has an opportunity to emerge as one of the more popular games out there.
The multi-bet decision making that comes with flop/turn/river started with Hold ‘em. The multiple combinations of Omaha and Alabama, however, give players additional options. Many bridge players and people who played other multiple card games have become fans of the Omaha variations. The more possible combinations and mental dexterity that comes with sometimes wildly different hand combinations from street to street make it a thinking person’s game.
It is almost certain that Omaha was in existence before Alabama, and that the latter developed as another way to mix things up in home games, especially dealer’s choice home games.
The original Omaha game might have had five hole cards. This version only allowed for eight-handed play, because of the number of cards used. So casinos possibly could have gravitated to the four-card version in order to have full tables. It is unclear if the original Alabama was played with five cards or four.
Regardless, Alabama poker – like its sister game, Omaha – probably has its best days ahead. The popularity of the community card concept and the number of variations make it appealing to players looking for action while keeping the history and strategy of Hold ‘em.
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