KQ vs K4s: Preflop Equity & Odds
| Hand | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| KQ (King-Queen) | 67.3% | 5.6% | 70.1% |
| K4s (King-Four Suited) | 27.1% | 5.6% | 29.9% |
Suited vs offsuit: KQ
| Matchup | Win | Tie | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| KQs | 68.3% | 5.5% | 71.0% |
| KQo | 67.0% | 5.7% | 69.8% |
How KQ vs K4s unfolds by street
King-Queen (KQ) is still ahead on 82% of flops against K4s, and the lead survives to the turn on 78%. K4s takes the lead on the other 18% of flops. These figures come from full board enumeration, not a simulation.
| Street | KQ still ahead | K4s flipped the lead |
|---|---|---|
| Flop | 82% | 18% |
| Turn | 78% | 22% |
Share a card and you get a kicker problem — that's KQ vs K4s: KQ wins 67.3%, K4s wins 27.1%, and 5.6% of boards chop. Live to only its odd card (plus a thin straight or flush), K4s wins about 1 in 4; the 5.6% tie figure is the tell that these hands are tangled on the same rank.
At a final table the raw 70.1% / 29.9% split is only half the story — ICM bends it. As the 29.9% underdog, K4s 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 KQ vs K4s is kicker discipline: K4s is the hand that quietly costs people stacks because it's too strong to fold and too dominated to win. If you hold KQ, 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.
KQ vs K4s FAQ
Who wins KQ vs K4s preflop?
KQ (King-Queen) is the favorite, winning 67.3% of all runouts, while K4s (King-Four Suited) wins 27.1%. The remaining 5.6% are split pots. Counting splits as half, KQ's preflop equity is 70.1%.
How often does K4s beat KQ?
K4s wins 27.1% of the time all-in preflop against KQ — roughly 1 in 4 — so it needs good pot odds or fold equity to get the money in profitably.
Why is K4s so bad against KQ?
Because they share a card, K4s is drawing to roughly three outs and chops 5.6% 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 KQ hold up against K4s after the flop?
KQ is still ahead on 82% of flops and stays ahead through the turn on 78% of boards; K4s takes the lead on the other 18% 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