AK vs AQ: Odds & Interactive Calculator

Suited vs offsuit: AK

How AK vs AQ unfolds by street

Ace-King (AK) is still ahead on 84% of flops against AQ, and the lead survives to the turn on 80%. AQ takes the lead on the other 16% of flops. These figures come from full board enumeration, not a simulation.

AK vs AQ is the matchup every "but I had top pair" cooler is made of: AK wins 71.3%, AQ wins 24.1%, and 4.6% of boards chop. Live to only its odd card (plus a thin straight or flush), AQ wins about 1 in 4; the 4.6% tie figure is the tell that these hands are tangled on the same rank. You'll hear this matchup argued about constantly — the enumerator settles it for good.

At a final table the raw 73.6% / 26.4% split is only half the story — ICM bends it. As the 26.4% underdog, AQ pays an extra survival premium, so the chip-EV "close enough" call can be a clear ICM fold. The pure equity sets the floor; the payout ladder sets the real price.

The lesson of AK vs AQ is kicker discipline: AQ 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.

Where to take AK vs AQ next

Getting it in near the money bubble or at a final table? Chip equity isn't prize equity — check the spot in the ICM calculator before you call off your stack.

Played a hand like this yourself? Import it into the poker hand analyzer for a street-by-street review of every decision, not just the all-in.

For the bigger picture, the poker tournament strategy guide covers when to shove and when to fold as stacks shrink, and what GTO poker is explains why strong players think in ranges rather than single hands.

New to the game? The poker hand rankings chart shows which hand wins at showdown, how to play poker: a beginner's guide walks through the rules and betting rounds, and the poker strategy guide shows where preflop equity fits into a winning game plan.

AK vs AQ FAQ

Who wins AK vs AQ preflop?

AK (Ace-King) is the favorite, winning 71.3% of all runouts, while AQ (Ace-Queen) wins 24.1%. The remaining 4.6% are split pots. Counting splits as half, AK's preflop equity is 73.6%.

Does the AK vs AQ probability change all-in preflop?

No. Once both hands are all-in preflop the odds are set by the cards alone — position, stack size and who bet first change nothing. The only thing that moves the number is suits: AK's equity runs from 69.7% to 75.6% depending on suitedness and which suits the two hands share, which is why different sites quote slightly different figures. It does change once board cards are dealt (AK leads on 84% of flops) and in multiway pots, where every extra caller takes equity from both hands.

Why is AQ so bad against AK?

Because they share a card, AQ is drawing to roughly three outs and chops 4.6% 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 AQ after the flop?

AK is still ahead on 84% of flops and stays ahead through the turn on 80% of boards; AQ takes the lead on the other 16% of flops. These are exact figures from full board enumeration.

Run any matchup in the free equity calculator · AA VS KK · KK VS AA · AA VS AK · AK VS AA · KK VS AK · AK VS KK

AK against a range

All-in against one known hand is the textbook case; at the table AK is usually up against a range. Exact equities, computed over every combo with card removal applied:

• AK vs calling station — 64.5% against 670 combos (50.5% of hands)
• AK vs BTN open — 64.0% against 586 combos (44.2% of hands)
• AK vs SB open — 64.0% against 534 combos (40.3% of hands)
• AK vs CO open — 61.7% against 366 combos (27.6% of hands)

All 200+ hand-vs-range matchups →