5-Card
Pot Limit Omaha
PLO5 (5-Card Pot Limit Omaha)
Introduction
Each player receives 5 hole cards with pot-limit betting, and must use exactly 2 hole cards + 3 community cards. Offers far more combinations and drawing opportunities than PLO4 — extremely high variance.
5-Card PLO is one of the fastest-growing cash-game variants on WPT Global. The extra hole card transforms the equity landscape — most flops now connect with multiple players, and combo draws routinely have 20+ outs. The site treats PLO5 as a first-class variant: it shares the same 30% fixed rakeback program as PLO4, runs on the same client, and has its own dedicated stake tree from $0.02/$0.05/$0.10 micros up to $50/$100/$200 high stakes.
Why pros gravitate to PLO5 on this platform: the deeper equity overlap rewards strong post-flop fundamentals more than any other cash-game variant, recreational traffic is heavier than equivalent PLO4 stakes, and the same 30% PLO rakeback rate applies. Patrick Leonard, Steffen Sontheimer, and others have publicly endorsed PLO5 as a higher-EV format than PLO4 once you've mastered post-flop play.
A note on variance: PLO5 has roughly 1.5× the variance of PLO4 over the same number of hands. A bankroll of 50+ buy-ins for the stake you're playing is the recommended minimum at PLO5, vs. 30+ at PLO4. Move down stakes faster than you would at PLO4 if your roll dips — the swings are larger and more frequent.
How to Play
Players receive five hole cards. They must use exactly two of their hole cards and three community cards to form the best five-card hand. Bets are capped at the current pot size.
PLO5 vs. PLO4 — Strategic Adjustments
Premium hands are weaker pre-flop
Aces are only ~58% favorites against a random 5-card hand, vs. ~62% in PLO4. Tighten your 3-bet range slightly and value flat-call more from late position to play multi-way pots where your aces realize equity better.
Combo draws dominate
In PLO5, draws with 20+ outs are common — wrap-and-flush-and-pair combos can be 70%+ favorites against top set. Be willing to commit with monster draws, but disciplined about chasing single-suited or single-straight draws.
Position is even more valuable
Extra hole cards make hand reading harder, which amplifies the value of acting last. Tighten OOP openings further and widen button play. Avoid playing speculative hands from the blinds — even cheap multi-way pots can become bankroll killers when OOP.
Bankroll the variance
PLO5 has roughly 1.5× the variance of PLO4. Maintain 50+ buy-ins for your active stake instead of the standard 30. Stop loss and stop win are useful tools — set a 5-buy-in stop-loss per session to prevent tilt from compounding short-term variance.
Key Features
- 5 Hole Cards
- More hand combinations than PLO4
- Favored by pros (Patrick Leonard, etc.)
- 30% fixed PLO rakeback applies
- Certified RNG
PLO5 Inherits the 30% Fixed Rakeback
PLO5 cash-game rake counts identically to PLO4 toward the platform's 30% fixed rakeback program. The combined effective rate (rakeback + welcome bonus during its 60-day window) easily exceeds 40% for active PLO5 grinders, making this one of the highest-EV cash-game offerings in the licensed online poker market.
- ▸Same 30% fixed rate as PLO4 — auto-credited Mondays 14:00 CET.
- ▸Stack with Welcome 100% bonus + Table Starter Boost.
- ▸Rake structure follows the same PLO 4% schedule.