AK vs A5s: Preflop Equity & Odds
| Hand | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK (Ace-King) | 66.6% | 4.5% | 68.8% |
| A5s (Ace-Five Suited) | 29.0% | 4.5% | 31.2% |
Suited vs offsuit: AK
| Matchup | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKs | 67.7% | 4.3% | 69.8% |
| AKo | 66.2% | 4.5% | 68.5% |
How AK vs A5s unfolds by street
Ace-King (AK) is still ahead on 81% of flops against A5s, and the lead survives to the turn on 77%. A5s takes the lead on the other 19% of flops. These figures come from full board enumeration, not a simulation.
| Street | AK still ahead | A5s flipped the lead |
|---|---|---|
| Flop | 81% | 19% |
| Turn | 77% | 23% |
Share a card and you get a kicker problem — that's AK vs A5s: AK wins 66.6%, A5s wins 29.0%, and 4.5% of boards chop. Live to only its odd card (plus a thin straight or flush), A5s wins about 1 in 3; the 4.5% tie figure is the tell that these hands are tangled on the same rank.
Here's the intuition behind 68.8% to 31.2%: AK wins roughly 2 of every 3 times the chips go in, but the underdog cashing 31.2% of the time is exactly why you can't slow-play and let it draw for free.
Domination is where preflop hand-reading pays off. With AK you want stacks in; with A5s you want out, because three outs and a prayer is not a stack-off — recognizing that you're crushed against a strong range is worth more than any postflop move.
AK vs A5s FAQ
Who wins AK vs A5s preflop?
AK (Ace-King) is the favorite, winning 66.6% of all runouts, while A5s (Ace-Five Suited) wins 29.0%. The remaining 4.5% are split pots. Counting splits as half, AK's preflop equity is 68.8%.
How often does A5s beat AK?
A5s wins 29.0% of the time all-in preflop against AK — roughly 1 in 3 — so it needs good pot odds or fold equity to get the money in profitably.
Why is A5s so bad against AK?
Because they share a card, A5s is drawing to roughly three outs and chops 4.5% of the time — it wins only about 1 in 3. 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 A5s after the flop?
AK is still ahead on 81% of flops and stays ahead through the turn on 77% of boards; A5s takes the lead on the other 19% 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 A6S · AK VS A7S · AK VS A8S