AK vs A8s: Preflop Equity & Odds
| Hand | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK (Ace-King) | 67.8% | 4.4% | 70.0% |
| A8s (Ace-Eight Suited) | 27.8% | 4.4% | 30.0% |
Suited vs offsuit: AK
| Matchup | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKs | 68.8% | 4.3% | 70.9% |
| AKo | 67.4% | 4.5% | 69.7% |
How AK vs A8s unfolds by street
Ace-King (AK) is still ahead on 83% of flops against A8s, and the lead survives to the turn on 78%. A8s takes the lead on the other 17% of flops. These figures come from full board enumeration, not a simulation.
| Street | AK still ahead | A8s flipped the lead |
|---|---|---|
| Flop | 83% | 17% |
| Turn | 78% | 22% |
AK vs A8s is the matchup every "but I had top pair" cooler is made of: AK wins 67.8%, A8s wins 27.8%, and 4.4% of boards chop. With the shared rank gutting its outs, A8s is a 2.4-to-1 underdog, and 4.4% of runouts split outright when both play the common card.
Think in variance terms: 70.0% equity means AK loses this all-in nearly 30 times in 100, so even a "dominant" spot is a coin you'll see come up tails plenty. Getting it in as the 70.0% favorite is correct every time; the 30.0% that goes the other way is math, not a misplay.
The lesson of AK vs A8s is kicker discipline: A8s 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 A8s FAQ
Who wins AK vs A8s preflop?
AK (Ace-King) is the favorite, winning 67.8% of all runouts, while A8s (Ace-Eight Suited) wins 27.8%. The remaining 4.4% are split pots. Counting splits as half, AK's preflop equity is 70.0%.
How often does A8s beat AK?
A8s wins 27.8% 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 A8s so bad against AK?
Because they share a card, A8s is drawing to roughly three outs and chops 4.4% 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 AK hold up against A8s after the flop?
AK is still ahead on 83% of flops and stays ahead through the turn on 78% of boards; A8s takes the lead on the other 17% 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