AK vs A4s: Preflop Equity & Odds
| Hand | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK (Ace-King) | 67.0% | 4.5% | 69.2% |
| A4s (Ace-Four Suited) | 28.5% | 4.5% | 30.8% |
Suited vs offsuit: AK
| Matchup | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKs | 68.1% | 4.4% | 70.2% |
| AKo | 66.6% | 4.6% | 68.9% |
How AK vs A4s unfolds by street
Ace-King (AK) is still ahead on 82% of flops against A4s, and the lead survives to the turn on 77%. A4s takes the lead on the other 18% of flops. These figures come from full board enumeration, not a simulation.
| Street | AK still ahead | A4s flipped the lead |
|---|---|---|
| Flop | 82% | 18% |
| Turn | 77% | 23% |
AK vs A4s is textbook domination: the hands share a card, so A4s is fighting for barely three outs. AK wins 67.0%, A4s wins 28.5%, and 4.5% of boards chop. Live to only its odd card (plus a thin straight or flush), A4s wins about 1 in 4; the 4.5% tie figure is the tell that these hands are tangled on the same rank.
Think in variance terms: 69.2% equity means AK 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 69.2% favorite is correct every time; the 30.8% that goes the other way is math, not a misplay.
The lesson of AK vs A4s is kicker discipline: A4s is the hand that quietly costs people stacks because it's too strong to fold and too dominated to win. If you hold AK, 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.
AK vs A4s FAQ
Who wins AK vs A4s preflop?
AK (Ace-King) is the favorite, winning 67.0% of all runouts, while A4s (Ace-Four Suited) wins 28.5%. The remaining 4.5% are split pots. Counting splits as half, AK's preflop equity is 69.2%.
How often does A4s beat AK?
A4s wins 28.5% of the time all-in preflop against AK — roughly 1 in 4 — so it needs good pot odds or fold equity to get the money in profitably.
Why is A4s so bad against AK?
Because they share a card, A4s is drawing to roughly three outs and chops 4.5% 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 AK hold up against A4s after the flop?
AK is still ahead on 82% of flops and stays ahead through the turn on 77% of boards; A4s 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 A5S · AK VS A6S · AK VS A7S · AK VS A8S