AA vs KK: Preflop Equity & Odds

HandWinTieEquity
AA (Pocket Aces)81.7%0.5%81.9%
KK (Pocket Kings)17.8%0.5%18.1%

How AA vs KK unfolds by street

Pocket Aces (AA) is still ahead on 89% of flops against KK, and the lead survives to the turn on 86%. KK takes the lead on the other 11% of flops, almost always by flopping a set. These figures come from full board enumeration, not a simulation.

StreetAA still aheadKK flipped the lead
Flop89%11%
Turn86%14%

AA vs KK is two made hands colliding before the flop, and the higher pair owns it: AA wins 81.7%, KK wins 17.8%, and 0.5% of boards chop — 4.6-to-1. With nothing but the case pair to chase, KK is set-mining all-in: it wins about 1 in 6, correct to stack off preflop but a hand that hates a clean runout. It's one of the most-quoted spots in poker, so the exact figure is worth committing to memory.

Think in variance terms: 81.9% equity means AA loses this all-in nearly 18 times in 100, so even a "dominant" spot is a coin you'll see come up tails plenty. Getting it in as the 81.9% favorite is correct every time; the 18.1% that goes the other way is math, not a misplay.

As the bigger pair, AA, your whole job is to get the money in before a scare card — there's no fold here and slow-playing only lets KK realize its set equity for free. As the smaller pair, the discipline is recognizing when stacks are deep enough that calling off 17.8% equity is a leak, even though folding pre feels impossible.

AA vs KK FAQ

Who wins AA vs KK preflop?

AA (Pocket Aces) is the favorite, winning 81.7% of all runouts, while KK (Pocket Kings) wins 17.8%. The remaining 0.5% are split pots. Counting splits as half, AA's preflop equity is 81.9%.

How often does KK beat AA?

KK wins 17.8% of the time all-in preflop against AA — roughly 1 in 6 — so it needs good pot odds or fold equity to get the money in profitably.

Can you fold the smaller pair in AA vs KK?

Almost never preflop all-in — but the 17.8% the smaller pair wins (about 1 in 6) means that when stacks are very deep and the action screams a bigger pair, laying it down is a real, if rare, fold. Set-mining the lower pair works only with the implied odds to win a full stack when you spike.

Does AA hold up against KK after the flop?

AA is still ahead on 89% of flops and stays ahead through the turn on 86% of boards; KK takes the lead on the other 11% of flops. These are exact figures from full board enumeration.

Run any matchup in the free equity calculator · KK VS AA · AA VS AK · AK VS AA · KK VS AK · AK VS KK · AK VS QQ