Historical Notes

During the 14 years that I have been writing for Card Player, I have received many inquires about the origins of Omaha and hold'em. Although you can find almost anything else on the Internet, there is very little solid information about modern poker history. But it does seem likely that hold'em was probably not invented in Texas and Omaha was probably not invented in Nebraska.

Do you have any reliable information about when and where hold'em or Omaha was first played/invented? Confirmable information would be most valuable. I would also be interested in information as to who first coined the terms "flop," "river," and "big slick." Please send such information to me at [email protected].

My first exposure to a hold'em-like game was back in the '60s in college games at MIT and Harvard Law School. In those days, high-low games such as "pass the buck" (five-card stud with a pass and buy at the end), Anaconda (roll-your-own seven-card stud), and Hammurabi (high-low draw) were very much the rage. In dealer's choice, someone occasionally played a game called "seven up."

Seven up (aka Manila) was essentially seven-card stud with five common upcards. Everyone started with two private downcards and one common upcard in the center of the table. Then came the first round of betting. Four more common upcards were dealt with a round of betting after each card. Thus, it was essentially hold'em without a flop. I first encountered modern hold'em at the old Silver Slipper in Las Vegas in the late '60s, and Omaha at Binion's in the late '70s.

When I was a teenager, the first poker book I read was Jacoby on Poker. Years later, I felt very honored to have Oswald Jacoby (1902-1984) as my bridge partner.

Ozzie is often remembered to be "the greatest gamesman of the 20th century," since he was not only a leading poker authority, but also was a famous bridge player (one of the famous Four Horsemen in the '40s, and won the McKenney Trophy annual competition for the most master points five times in the '50s and '60s) and a gin-rummy champion, and won the World Backgammon Championship in 1973. He was also an excellent ping-pong player with either hand.

For the sake of posterity, the following little-known Ozzie story should come to light. Recently, while playing bridge with Supreme Court Justice John Stevens, I happened to mention that I was dedicating my new bridge book, Bridge, The Poker Elements (2004, Cardoza publishing), to Oswald Jacoby, because it was Ozzie who had first started me thinking about cross disciplines between bridge and poker.

Coincidentally, Justice Stevens happened to have served with Ozzie at Pearl Harbor during World War II. Thus, I learned about "the incident" involving Ozzie, which certainly would make a wonderful JAG episode (a weekly TV military drama series). This incident also has been mentioned in a 1998 article entitled "Lucky to Have Known Them," by Robert W. Turner.

The day after the United States entered World War II, Oswald Jacoby, then almost 40 years old, enlisted in the U.S. Navy. In late 1942, he was sent to Pearl Harbor as a communications analyst and cryptographer. Ozzie's peers described him as a brilliant worker who was very valuable to the war effort.

Even at that time, Ozzie was a well-known bridge columnist and had written several books, including Jacoby on Poker. The accommodations for naval officers at Makalapa, Pearl Harbor were quite comfortable, and poker was a frequent form of recreation. Several of his fellow officers, perhaps would-be "giant killers," invited Ozzie into their poker games and "got their clocks cleaned" (phrases in quotes are from the Turner article).

After several months, probably as a result of "sour grapes," Ozzie was suddenly transferred back to the mainland and was court-martialed for gambling and for conduct unbecoming an officer. Perish the thought that any officers or sailors in the U.S. Navy would play poker for money! It reminded me of a scene from Casablanca: "I'm shocked to learn that gambling is taking place in this establishment."

Oswald Jacoby, never a hypocrite, readily admitted that they were gambling, but steadfastly insisted on going to trial on conduct unbecoming an officer. Myron Gordon, now a senior federal district court judge in Wisconsin, was Ozzie's lawyer at the 1943 court-martial, and recalls that Ozzie considered his acquittal on the conduct unbecoming charge a complete victory and vindication.

But Ozzie did pay a fine on the gambling charge. Those who know about this very unpleasant "incident" are not aware of any gambling charges brought against any of the other Pearl Harbor poker players.

In 1951, then 49 years old, perhaps to show his patriotism and character, Ozzie voluntarily re-enlisted with the Navy and served in a significant communications role in the peace talks at Panmunjon, which ended the Korean War.

It seems to me that the U.S. Navy owes Oswald Jacoby's memory an apology.