AQ vs AK: Preflop Equity & Odds
| Hand | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQ (Ace-Queen) | 24.1% | 4.6% | 26.4% |
| AK (Ace-King) | 71.3% | 4.6% | 73.6% |
Suited vs offsuit: AQ
| Matchup | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQs | 27.4% | 4.4% | 29.6% |
| AQo | 23.0% | 4.6% | 25.3% |
How AQ vs AK 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.
| Street | AK still ahead | AQ flipped the lead |
|---|---|---|
| Flop | 84% | 16% |
| Turn | 80% | 20% |
AQ vs AK 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. It's one of the most-quoted spots in poker, so the exact figure is worth committing to memory.
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 AQ vs AK 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.
AQ vs AK FAQ
Who wins AQ vs AK 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, AQ's preflop equity is 26.4%.
Does the AQ vs AK 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: AQ's equity runs from 24.4% to 30.3% 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
AQ against a range
All-in against one known hand is the textbook case; at the table AQ is usually up against a range. Exact equities, computed over every combo with card removal applied:
- AQ vs calling station — 62.7% against 670 combos (50.5% of hands)
- AQ vs BTN open — 62.2% against 586 combos (44.2% of hands)
- AQ vs SB open — 61.9% against 534 combos (40.3% of hands)
- AQ vs CO open — 58.7% against 366 combos (27.6% of hands)