AK vs A9s: Preflop Equity & Odds
| Hand | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK (Ace-King) | 68.0% | 4.4% | 70.3% |
| A9s (Ace-Nine Suited) | 27.5% | 4.4% | 29.7% |
Suited vs offsuit: AK
| Matchup | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKs | 69.1% | 4.3% | 71.2% |
| AKo | 67.7% | 4.5% | 70.0% |
How AK vs A9s unfolds by street
Ace-King (AK) is still ahead on 83% of flops against A9s, and the lead survives to the turn on 78%. A9s takes the lead on the other 17% of flops. These figures come from full board enumeration, not a simulation.
| Street | AK still ahead | A9s flipped the lead |
|---|---|---|
| Flop | 83% | 17% |
| Turn | 78% | 22% |
AK vs A9s is the matchup every "but I had top pair" cooler is made of: AK wins 68.0%, A9s wins 27.5%, and 4.4% of boards chop. With the shared rank gutting its outs, A9s is a 2.5-to-1 underdog, and 4.4% of runouts split outright when both play the common card.
Here's the intuition behind 70.3% to 29.7%: AK wins roughly 2 of every 3 times the chips go in, but the underdog cashing 29.7% 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 A9s 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 A9s FAQ
Who wins AK vs A9s preflop?
AK (Ace-King) is the favorite, winning 68.0% of all runouts, while A9s (Ace-Nine Suited) wins 27.5%. The remaining 4.4% are split pots. Counting splits as half, AK's preflop equity is 70.3%.
How often does A9s beat AK?
A9s wins 27.5% 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 A9s so bad against AK?
Because they share a card, A9s 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 A9s after the flop?
AK is still ahead on 83% of flops and stays ahead through the turn on 78% of boards; A9s 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