5 card PLO double board bomb pots

Starting hands, five cards next to four

Each hand's share of an eight-handed double board pot against seven random hands, before the flop. An average hand gets 12.5% in both games. The four-card column is a close four-card counterpart, listed under the page: mostly the same hand without one card, and for the two hands with small cards a slightly different set of suits.

• The best hands gain less. A-A-K-K double suited goes from 29.5% with four cards to 26.2% with five: your fifth card helps, but each of the seven opponents gets one too.
• Five connected high cards are a premium hand. A-K-Q-J-T double suited gets 23.8%, close to K-K-Q-Q-J double suited at 24.4%.
• Aces with small cards are only a little above average. 15.6% with three small cards. Without double suits or connected cards the aces win the pot rarely on their own.
• Low, disconnected hands lose money. 8-6-4-3-2 with one suit pair gets 7.4%, about three fifths of an average share.

On the flop the table has it more often

From our frequency tables, seven opponents, one board:

• K-8-3 flop: someone holds two pair or better 91.3% of the time with five cards, 74.8% with four. Someone holds a set 43.1% against 28.3%.
• K♠ 8♠ 3♠ flop: someone holds a flush 95.9% against 81.9%, and the ace-high flush 41.2% against 27%.
• 9-8-7 flop: someone holds jack-ten, the nut straight, 61.6% against 43.4%.

And that is each board. In a double board pot the same thing happens on the other board at the same time.

What to change

1. Respect the second best hand less. A flush below the nut flush, the low end of a straight, a set below the top set: each of these is beaten more often with five cards. Facing a bet and a raise, these non-nut hands need help from the other board and a good price to continue; on their own, they are usually a fold.
2. Count only nut outs. When a draw comes in, someone else often makes a better one. Count only the cards that give you the best hand, per board. The quick estimate is outs times four on the flop when you will see both the turn and the river, and times two for one card. It is approximate, and making the nuts on the turn does not end the hand: a board can pair, a tie splits it, and more betting changes the price. The outs page shows the method.
3. Small full houses are calls less often. On J-T-6-2-2, deuces full of tens is beaten by at least one of three random five-card hands 36.8% of the time, against 22.9% with four cards. Against two players who each hold trips or better on that board, our model gives it nothing on that board: see the full house page.
4. Value both boards. A hand that is the nuts on one board and nothing on the other is at most half the pot, in any version of the game. With five cards you more often have something on both: look for it before you decide.

Try your own hands

The bomb pot calculator has a five-card setting. Put in your hand, leave the others random or put in what you think they hold, and add the flops you see.

Where to go from here

• Frequency tables: four and five cards, every board type, one to nine opponents.
• Double board bomb pot strategy: the method that works for four and five cards.
• The trainer: switch it to five cards and play hands against seven opponent types.
• The course: one hand a day for thirty days, four or five cards. Lesson one is free.

Preflop shares: our own simulation, exact Omaha evaluation (two cards from the hand, three from each board), each board half the pot, 40,000 random run-outs per cell, generated on 22 October 2026; each figure moves by about half a point either way. Flop frequencies: our frequency tables, 20,000 deals per cell. Full house figures: 40,000 deals per cell. Exact cards for the preflop rows: A♠ A♥ K♠ K♥ 7♦, K♠ K♥ Q♠ Q♥ J♦, A♠ K♥ Q♠ J♥ T♦, J♠ T♥ 9♠ 8♥ 7♦, A♠ A♦ 7♣ 4♥ 2♠, 9♠ 8♠ 7♥ 6♦ 5♣, A♠ 9♠ 6♦ 4♣ 2♥, 8♣ 6♦ 4♥ 3♠ 2♣; the four-card rows drop the last card, except three rows that keep the lowest card: A♠ A♦ 7♣ 2♥, A♠ 9♠ 6♦ 2♥ and 8♣ 6♦ 4♥ 2♠. If something is wrong, write to hello@bombpotcoach.com.

Questions people ask

How is 5 card PLO different in a double board bomb pot?

Every player has ten two-card combinations instead of six, so strong hands come much more often. On a K-8-3 flop with seven opponents, someone holds a set 43.1% of the time with five cards against 28.3% with four. The second best hand on a board is beaten more often, so play only hands that can be the nuts.

What are the best starting hands in a 5 card PLO bomb pot?

Double suited hands with high pairs and connected high cards. Against seven random five-card hands in a double board pot, A-A-K-K double suited with a seven gets 26.2% of the pot, K-K-Q-Q-J double suited 24.4% and A-K-Q-J-T double suited 23.8%, against 12.5% for an average hand.

Are aces better in 5 card PLO bomb pots?

A pair of aces with three small cards (A-A-7-4-2, one suit pair) gets 15.6% of an eight-handed double board pot with five cards, against 12.7% for A-A-7-2 rainbow in four-card. The extra card adds combinations. But the premium hands gain less: A-A-K-K double suited drops from 29.5% in four-card to 26.2% in five-card, because every opponent improves too.

Should I call an all-in with a small full house in 5 card PLO?

Count the hands that beat it first. On J-T-6-2-2 a deuces full of tens is beaten by at least one of three random five-card hands 36.8% of the time, against 22.9% with four cards. In our model where two opponents each hold trips or better on that board, it never wins that board. Whether to call then depends on the other board and the price.