Blinds
The two players left of the button post the small and big blind, just like Hold'em. On RAIZE's smallest PLO-5 table that is $0.25 and $0.50.
5-Card PLO (PLO5):
rules and live tables
Five hole cards, pot-limit betting, and one rule that changes everything: you must use exactly two of your cards. Learn how PLO-5 works, then play it live with a real dealer on RAIZE.
- Hole cards per player
- 5
- Hole cards + board cards you must use
- 2 + 3
- PLO-5 stakes on RAIZE
- $0.25/0.50 to $25/50
What is 5-card PLO?
5-card PLO, also called PLO5 or 5-card pot-limit Omaha, is Omaha poker with five hole cards instead of four. The board, the betting rounds and the hand rankings are the same as Hold'em. Two things change: you hold five cards, and every hand you make uses exactly two of them plus exactly three cards from the board.
One extra card sounds small. It takes your starting hand from 6 possible two-card combinations to 10, so draws get bigger, equities run closer and the winning hand at showdown is usually stronger. New to Omaha? Start with how to play pot-limit Omaha.
PLO-4
- Hole cards
- 4
- Two-card combinations in your hand
- 6
- Hole cards you must use
- Exactly 2
- Stakes on RAIZE
- $0.10/0.25 to $10/25
5-card PLO rules: how a hand plays
If you know Hold'em, you already know the structure. Here is a full hand from blinds to showdown.
The deal
Every player gets five hole cards, face down. Pre-flop betting starts with the player left of the big blind.
Flop, turn and river
Three community cards on the flop, one on the turn, one on the river. There is a betting round after each, and every bet is capped at the size of the pot.
Showdown
Each player makes their best five-card hand from exactly two hole cards and exactly three board cards. The best hand takes the pot.
PLO-5 hand rankings
Rankings are the same as Hold'em, from best to worst. The difference is frequency: with five hole cards, flushes, full houses and straights show up far more often.
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- One pair
- High card
The two-card rule, in real hands
Exactly two from your hand, exactly three from the board. It is the rule new Omaha players misread most. Ringed cards make the best hand; faded cards do not play.
One heart is not a flush
Your hand
Board
Pair of queens
Four hearts on the board and the ace of hearts in your hand would be the nut flush in Hold'em. In PLO you need two hearts from your hand, so your best hand is the pair of queens.
Five diamonds, no flush
Your hand
Board
King high
Five suited cards look strong, but only two of them can play. With no diamonds on the board and no pair, this hand is king high.
The nuts with just two cards
Your hand
Board
Ace-high flush, the best possible hand
Your jack and ten also make a straight with 9-8-7, but the ace and king of spades make a flush, and the flush wins. The other three hole cards do not play.
Pot-limit betting, worked out
The most you can raise is the size of the pot after you call. Work out the call first, add it to the pot, and that total is your maximum raise on top of the call.
The minimum bet is the big blind, and a raise must be at least as large as the previous bet or raise in that round. Everything in between is up to you.
Pre-flop at $0.25/0.50
- Pot before you act (blinds)
- $0.75
- Call the big blind
- + $0.50
- Pot after your call
- $1.25
- Maximum raise to
- $1.75
Facing a pot-sized bet
- Pot before the bet
- $10
- Opponent bets
- $10
- Pot after you call $10
- $30
- Maximum raise to
- $40
PLO-5 strategy basics
The extra card rewards the same habits as PLO-4, only more so. Start with these four.
Play hands where all five cards work
Strong PLO-5 starting hands are connected, suited (ideally double-suited) and built from high cards. A card that connects with nothing else, often called a dangler, makes a hand weaker than it looks.
Draw to the nuts
With ten two-card combinations per player, someone often holds the best possible hand. Second-best flushes and low ends of straights lose big pots, so favour draws to the nuts.
Use position
Acting last lets you see what others do before you commit, and in pot-limit it lets you keep the pot small with marginal hands or build it with strong ones.
Count your blockers
Holding the ace of a suit means no one else can have the ace-high flush in that suit. Cards in your hand change what your opponents can hold.
Beginner mistakes to skip
- Misreading the two-card ruleA single suited card with four of that suit on board is not a flush. Neither is five suited cards in your hand.
- Playing too many handsFive cards almost always contain something that looks playable. Most of those hands are trouble after the flop.
- Overvaluing non-nut handsA king-high flush or a small full house wins often in Hold'em. In PLO-5 they get beaten far more often when the pot gets big.
Play PLO-5 live on RAIZE
Five cards in the hole, the wildest swings on RAIZE, dealt by a real person. Curious why live dealing keeps bots out? Read how RAIZE stops poker bots.
- A physical deck, dealt on cameraEvery card comes from a real deck in RAIZE's GLI-certified studio. No RNG.
- Verified players onlyLiveness and facial checks run on join, and player-cams are optional on every seat.
- Table rules you controlRun It Twice, Call-Time, Straddle and Rabbit Hunt, resolved live as the hand plays out.
- Crypto in and outDeposit and withdraw in BTC, ETH or USDT on-chain. Visa and Mastercard work too.
PLO-5 stakes: $0.25/0.50 to $25/50
Find a PLO-5 seat
PLO-5 questions
Is PLO5 the same as 5-card Omaha?
Yes. PLO5, PLO-5, 5-card PLO and 5-card pot-limit Omaha are names for the same game: Omaha with five hole cards and pot-limit betting.
How many cards do you use in 5-card PLO?
Exactly two of your five hole cards and exactly three of the five board cards. Never more, never fewer.
Are hand rankings different in PLO-5?
No. A flush still beats a straight and a full house still beats a flush. What changes is how often big hands appear, so the hand that wins at showdown is usually stronger than in Hold'em.
What is the most you can bet in pot-limit Omaha?
The size of the pot after you call. At $0.25/0.50, the largest pre-flop raise for the first player to act is to $1.75.
What stakes does RAIZE run for PLO-5?
PLO-5 runs from $0.25/0.50 up to $25/50, dealt live by a real dealer.
Are the cards real on RAIZE?
Yes. Every card is dealt from a physical deck by a human dealer on camera in RAIZE's GLI-certified studio. There is no RNG.
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