The 2019 World Series of Poker is on the horizon, with action slated to begin on Wednesday, May 29, at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Much has been made of the revamped tournament structures that the WSOP has implemented for the 50th annual WSOP, and players should expect more chips and more play across the board. Now, let’s take a look at the new-look Pot Limit Omaha events for 2019.

PLO at the Sub-$1,000 Buy-In Level

The first thing that can be noticed when comparing the 2018 schedule to 2019 specific to pot-limit Omaha events is that the 2019 schedule does not have the $365 Pot-Limit Omaha GIANT or $565 Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments. Instead, there is the $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack event that is at a similar price point. The $565 buy-in PLO event from 2018 is closer to the bone, so that’s the event we’ll use to compare to the $600 PLO Deepstack in 2019.

In 2018, the $565 PLO event had a starting stack of 5,000 in chips, unlimited re-entry during the eight-level registration period, and was a three-day event. This event had 30-minute levels on Day 1 and 60-minute levels on Day 2 and Day 3. In 2019, the $600 PLO Deepstack has a starting stack of 30,000 in chips, unlimited re-entry during the 12-level registration period, and is scheduled as a two-day tournament. This event has 30-minute levels on Day 1 and 40-minute levels on Day 2.

In 2018, the $565 buy-in PLO event had a 11.5% rake, as $65 of the $565 was taken out for fees and staff. In 2019, the rake is listed at 12.5%, so $75 of the $600 buy-in will be taken out.

Here’s a look at the 2019 $600 PLO Deepstack structure compared to the 2018 $565 PLO structure over the registration levels. Note that we included the level following the close of the registration period because players can still enter during the final break.

LEVEL	YEAR	BLINDS	BB DEPTH	M
1	2018	25-50	100	66.67
	2019	50-100	300	200
		–
2	2018	25-50	100	66.67
	2019	75-150	200	133.33
		–
3	2018	50-100	50	33.33
	2019	100-200	150	100
		–
4	2018	75-150	33.33	22.22
	2019	150-300	100	66.67
		–
5	2018	100-200	25	16.67
	2019	200-400	75	50
		–
6	2018	150-300	16.67	11.11
	2019	250-500	60	40
		–
7	2018	200-400	12.5	8.33
	2019	300-600	50	33.33
		–
8	2018	250-500	10	6.67
	2019	400-800	37.5	25
		–
9	2018	300-600	8.33	5.56
	2019	500-1,000	30	20
		–
10	2018	Reg. Closed
	2019	600-1,200	25	16.67
		–
11	2018	Reg. Closed
	2019	800-1,600	18.75	12.5
		–
12	2018	Reg. Closed
	2019	1,000-2,000	15	10
		–
13	2018	Reg. Closed
	2019	1,000-2,500	12	8.57

As you can see, the 2019 structure is a bit deeper throughout the earlier levels. That’s good news for players. Where the structure makes up for it will be on Day 2 when the levels are only 40 minutes compared to 2018’s 60 minutes.

$1,000 and $1,500 PLO Events

At the $1,000 and $1,500 buy-in levels, we also see an increase in starting chips. The $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event in 2018 had a starting stack of 5,000. In 2019, the starting stack has been increased to 20,000. In the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event in 2018, the starting stack was 7,500. In 2019, it’s be upped to 25,000.

Both events in 2019 are listed as three-day events, which is the same as in 2018, and the rake is the same at 10%. At the $1,000 level, late registration lasts two levels longer. At the $1,500 level, it lasts three levels longer.

Here’s a look at the structure for the $1,000 PLO event in 2019 over the registration levels compared to the 2018 version. Note that we included the level following the close of the registration period because players can still enter during the final break.

LEVEL	YEAR	BLINDS	BB DEPTH	M
1	2018	25-50	100	66.67
	2019	50-100	200	133.33
		–
2	2018	50-100	50	33.33
	2019	75-150	133.33	88.89
		–
3	2018	75-150	33.33	22.22
	2019	100-200	100	66.67
		–
4	2018	100-200	25	16.67
	2019	150-300	66.67	44.44
		–
5	2018	150-300	16.67	11.11
	2019	200-400	50	33.33
		–
6	2018	200-400	12.5	8.33
	2019	250-500	40	26.67
		–
7	2018	250-500	10	6.67
	2019	300-600	33.33	22.22
		–
8	2018	Reg. Closed
	2019	400-800	25	16.67
		–
9	2018	Reg. Closed
	2019	500-1,000	20	13.33

Here’s a look at the structure for the $1,500 PLO event in 2019 over the registration levels compared to the 2018 version. Note that we included the level following the close of the registration period because players can still enter during the final break.

LEVEL	YEAR	BLINDS	BB DEPTH	M
1	2018	25-50	150	100
	2019	50-100	250	166.67
		–
2	2018	50-100	75	50
	2019	75-150	166.67	111.11
		–
3	2018	75-150	50	33.33
	2019	100-200	125	83.33
		–
4	2018	100-200	37.5	25
	2019	150-300	83.33	55.56
		–
5	2018	150-300	25	16.67
	2019	200-400	62.5	41.67
		–
6	2018	200-400	18.75	12.5
	2019	250-500	40	26.67
		–
7	2018	250-500	15	10
	2019	300-600	41.67	27.78
		–
8	2018	Reg. Closed
	2019	400-800	31.25	20.83
		–
9	2018	Reg. Closed
	2019	500-1,000	25	16.67
		–
10	2018	Reg. Closed
	2019	600-1,200	20.83	13.89

As you can see in both of these events, the added chips to the starting stack provide much deeper play.

$10,000 PLO Championship Structure

The $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship (8-handed) is back for 2019. In 2018, this event’s starting stack was 50,000. In 2019, it’s up to 60,000. Late registration is open until the start of Day 2 and there is no re-entry, which is the same as in 2018. The rake is also the same as it was in 2018.

The blind levels are nearly the exact same except for a few spots where the small blind is larger.

Here’s a look at the structure for the $10,000 PLO event in 2019 over the registration levels compared to the 2018 version. Note that we included the level following the close of the registration period because players can still enter during the final break.

LEVEL	YEAR	BLINDS	BB DEPTH	M
1	2018	100-200	250	166.67
	2019	100-200	300	200
		–
2	2018	100-200	250	166.67
	2019	100-200	300	200
		–
3	2018	150-300	166.67	111.11
	2019	200-300	200	120
		–
4	2018	200-400	125	83.33
	2019	200-400	150	100
		–
5	2018	250-500	100	66.67
	2019	300-500	120	75
		–
6	2018	300-600	83.33	55.56
	2019	300-600	100	66.67
		–
7	2018	400-800	62.5	41.67
	2019	400-800	75	50
		–
8	2018	500-1,000	50	33.33
	2019	500-1,000	60	40
		–
9	2018	600-1,200	41.67	27.78
	2019	600-1,200	60	33.33
		–
10	2018	800-1,600	31.25	20.83
	2019	800-1,600	37.5	25
		–
11	2018	1,000-2,000	25	16.67
	2019	1,000-2,000	30	20

In the $10,000 PLO event, you can see that the added chips allow for a deep structure throughout, even despite the two spots early on in the structure when the small blind is higher. The small blind being higher in Level 3 and Level 5 allow the tournament to remove the T25 chips sooner, which should speed up play a little bit.

Players who opt to skip Day 1 of this event entirely and buy in for Day 2 will start with five more big blinds and with a greater M when compared to last year.

$25,000 PLO High Roller Structure

Like the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship (8-handed), the 2019 version of the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (8-handed) is pretty much identical to what it was in 2018. The one big change is that the starting chips have gone up from 125,000 to 150,000. Other than that, late registration is the same 12 levels, there is one re-entry allowed per player, the rake is the same 5%, and the event is scheduled for four days – all of these things are the same as in 2018.

Also like the $10,000 PLO event, there are a few minor tweaks to the blind structure for the small blind in a few spots, but it’s nothing major.

Here’s a look at the structure for the $25,000 PLO event in 2019 over the registration levels compared to the 2018 version. Note that we included the level following the close of the registration period because players can still enter during the final break.

LEVEL	YEAR	BLINDS	BB DEPTH	M
1	2018	150-300	416.67	277.78
	2019	200-300	500	300
		–
2	2018	200-400	312.5	208.33
	2019	200-400	375	250
		–
3	2018	250-500	250	166.67
	2019	300-500	300	187.5
		–
4	2018	300-600	208.33	138.89
	2019	300-600	250	166.67
		–
5	2018	400-800	156.25	104.17
	2019	400-800	187.5	125
		–
6	2018	500-1,000	125	83.33
	2019	500-1,000	150	100
		–
7	2018	600-1,200	104.17	69.44
	2019	600-1,200	125	83.33
		–
8	2018	800-1,600	78.13	52.08
	2019	800-1,600	93.75	62.5
		–
9	2018	1,000-2,000	62.5	41.67
	2019	1,000-2,000	75	50
		–
10	2018	1,200-2,400	52.08	34.72
	2019	1,200-2,400	62.5	41.67
		–
11	2018	1,500-3,000	41.67	27.78
	2019	1,500-3,000	50	33.33
		–
12	2018	2,000-4,000	31.25	20.83
	2019	2,000-4,000	37.5	25
		–
13	2018	2,500-5,000	25	16.67
	2019	2,500-5,000	30	20

The starting stack for 2019 is 25,000 chips more than in 2018. It’s not a massive increase when compared to the other PLO events on the schedule, but it’s an increase that allows more deeper play throughout the competition.