AJ vs A9s: Preflop Equity & Odds
| Hand | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AJ (Ace-Jack) | 65.4% | 7.4% | 69.1% |
| A9s (Ace-Nine Suited) | 27.2% | 7.4% | 30.9% |
Suited vs offsuit: AJ
| Matchup | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AJs | 66.5% | 7.1% | 70.1% |
| AJo | 65.1% | 7.5% | 68.8% |
How AJ vs A9s unfolds by street
Ace-Jack (AJ) is still ahead on 82% of flops against A9s, and the lead survives to the turn on 78%. A9s takes the lead on the other 18% of flops. These figures come from full board enumeration, not a simulation.
| Street | AJ still ahead | A9s flipped the lead |
|---|---|---|
| Flop | 82% | 18% |
| Turn | 78% | 22% |
Share a card and you get a kicker problem — that's AJ vs A9s: AJ wins 65.4%, A9s wins 27.2%, and 7.4% of boards chop. Live to only its odd card (plus a thin straight or flush), A9s wins about 1 in 4; the 7.4% tie figure is the tell that these hands are tangled on the same rank.
Think in variance terms: 69.1% equity means AJ loses this all-in nearly 31 times in 100, so even a "dominant" spot is a coin you'll see come up tails plenty. Getting it in as the 69.1% favorite is correct every time; the 30.9% that goes the other way is math, not a misplay.
The lesson of AJ vs A9s is kicker discipline: A9s is the hand that quietly costs people stacks because it's too strong to fold and too dominated to win. If you hold AJ, get value while you're ahead; if you hold the dominated side, this is the exact spot to find a preflop fold against a tight range.
AJ vs A9s FAQ
Who wins AJ vs A9s preflop?
AJ (Ace-Jack) is the favorite, winning 65.4% of all runouts, while A9s (Ace-Nine Suited) wins 27.2%. The remaining 7.4% are split pots. Counting splits as half, AJ's preflop equity is 69.1%.
How often does A9s beat AJ?
A9s wins 27.2% of the time all-in preflop against AJ — roughly 1 in 4 — so it needs good pot odds or fold equity to get the money in profitably.
Why is A9s so bad against AJ?
Because they share a card, A9s is drawing to roughly three outs and chops 7.4% of the time — it wins only about 1 in 4. That's the danger of a dominated hand: too strong to fold, too far behind to outdraw, which is how kicker problems quietly cost full stacks.
Does AJ hold up against A9s after the flop?
AJ is still ahead on 82% of flops and stays ahead through the turn on 78% of boards; A9s takes the lead on the other 18% of flops. These are exact figures from full board enumeration.
Run any matchup in the free equity calculator · AK VS A2S · AK VS A3S · AK VS A4S · AK VS A5S · AK VS A6S · AK VS A7S