Five-Card PLO: More Cards, More Complexity

Unless you’ve been away from poker for the past few years, you’ve likely come across PLO5 games — both live and online. The format has been gaining traction, and many players are starting to ask: is it actually worth learning?

While PLO5 is still less common on major online platforms, it has quickly become a favorite in live games, especially among action-oriented players. Many PLO cash tables now include the five-card variant, and in some cases, it even replaces traditional PLO.

The reason is simple: with five cards, the game becomes even more dynamic, leading to bigger pots, closer equities, and more action overall.

So, what exactly changes in PLO5 — and how should you adjust your strategy?

How Is PLO5 Different?

At first glance, the only difference between the PLO5 and PLO4 is the number of hole cards dealt. That's mostly true; however, this one card changes the game flow more than you might suspect.

Let’s start with the number of preflop combinations — the additional card increases it dramatically.

While there are over 270,000 combinations in PLO4, PLO5 has a staggering 2.8 million. For comparison, No Limit Hold’em has just 1,326.

Although PLO4 and PLO5 share the same pot-limit rules and use the same community cards, the differences lie in the details.

The fifth card adds complexity and makes correct preflop play even more important.

By now, you’re probably aware of how easy it is to get carried away in regular PLO. Loose play is common, as many hands look appealing to less experienced players.

This effect is even stronger in PLO5. With five cards, every hand contains at least two cards of the same suit, and most hands have some level of connectivity.

Don’t be fooled, though — on average, a playable PLO5 hand should be a stronger version of a PLO4 hand.

For example, in mid-stakes Pot Limit Omaha at 100 BB, you can profitably open UTG with nearly 64% of your KK combinations. In PLO5, under the same conditions, that number drops to around 30%.

There are many more nuances like this — such as a stricter approach to double-suited hands in some spots, a more flexible approach to cold calling in some scenarios, or less aggressive play with certain AA combinations. These adjustments, among others, form the foundation of a solid PLO5 strategy.

While overall opening frequencies by position may look similar to regular PLO, the real edge comes from these finer details.

Common Mistakes in Five-Card PLO

As in PLO4, Aces in PLO5 are not always hands you want to raise or reraise preflop.

This effect is even more pronounced, as equities run closer in PLO5. As a result, it’s rare to get all the chips in preflop with a meaningful equity edge. That said, premium AA hands still perform well — for example, AAJJT double-suited can have around a 60/40 edge over weaker AA holdings like AA2T7 single-suited.

Correct preflop decisions carry over to postflop play. With deeper stacks, the edge from good hand selection becomes even more important.

Postflop Discipline Is Everything

In No Limit Hold’em, flopping top pair is often strong enough to commit a large portion — or even all — of your stack. In PLO, this is already less common, as only top pairs with strong side cards can be played aggressively or withstand pressure.

In PLO5, top pairs become even more vulnerable. Most of the time, only the strongest combinations with well-connected side cards can continue when facing aggression.

This is largely because PLO5 rewards discipline more than most formats. You’ll often need to fold hands that look strong but perform poorly in practice due to low equity.

A good example is stacking off with “the nuts.” For less experienced players, getting all the chips in with the best made hand may seem natural.

In PLO5, this can be a costly mistake. For instance, holding 8♠7♠ on a 6♦5♣4♥ board without any backup (no redraws) against the same straight combined with a set or a flush draw can leave you with less than 30% equity — despite currently holding the best hand.

This highlights an important concept: in PLO5, you need to think beyond your current hand strength and consider how your hand will perform on future streets.

Where the Edge Comes From

The good news is that the nature of PLO5 attracts action-oriented players who are reluctant to fold hands like bottom or middle set, or weak flushes.

With so many possible hand combinations preflop, it’s easy to misjudge which hands should be played in the first place.

While many players today have a decent understanding of preflop strategy in Texas Hold’em, this is far less true in PLO5.

As a result, PLO5 often has some of the softest fields among mainstream poker formats. If you don’t believe it, try a local cash game — you might be surprised

Why PLO5 Is Worth Playing

PLO5 is a complex format, but that complexity creates opportunity. Many players underestimate how much the fifth card changes hand strength and decision-making, which leads to frequent mistakes. With a solid understanding of fundamentals, you can take advantage of these gaps and build a meaningful edge.

With PLO Genius, you can start studying both preflop and postflop play in Pot Limit Omaha right away and build a more structured, winning approach to the game.