A5s vs a value 3-betting range: Equity & Strategy

Ace-Five Suited (A5s) has 33.2% equity all-in preflop against a value 3-betting range — 72 combos, 5.4% of all starting hands. It wins 32.1% of runouts outright, loses 65.6% and chops 2.3%. These are exact figures from full board enumeration against every unblocked combo in the range, not a simulation.

The range this is computed against

A pure QQ+/AK 3-bet is only 34 combos — 2.6% of hands — which is far tighter than anyone actually 3-bets for value in a modern game. The merged value range a good regular uses adds the mid pairs and the second-best broadways: 99+, AQs+, KQs and AQo+, about 5.4% of hands.

3-bet (value) — 72 combos, 5.4% of all starting hands: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, AKs, AQs, KQs, AKo, AQo

After card removal, 61 of those 72 combos are still available (11 are blocked by the cards A5s holds). A5s is ahead of 4 and behind 57.

Hardest parts of the range for A5s

Easiest parts of the range for A5s

Against a value 3-betting range (72 combos, 5.4% of all hands), A5s runs at 33.2%. It wins 32.1% of runouts outright, loses 65.6% and splits the remaining 2.3%. Your own two cards remove 11 of those combos before the flop is even dealt — a blocker effect this number already accounts for, because every combo containing one of your exact cards is stripped out of the range first. You are ahead of only 4 of the 61 combos still live (7%) — the rest of the range is level with or in front of you, which is why the figure sits below even money.

Where does the range come from? A pure QQ+/AK 3-bet is only 34 combos — 2.6% of hands — which is far tighter than anyone actually 3-bets for value in a modern game. The merged value range a good regular uses adds the mid pairs and the second-best broadways: 99+, AQs+, KQs and AQo+, about 5.4% of hands. Broken down hand by hand, A5s does worst against AA (13.3%), AKs (30.2%) and AQs (30.7%) and best against KQs (57.5%), 99 (34.0%) and JJ (33.3%). Across the whole range A5s's equity swings from 13.3% at the bottom to 57.5% at the top — the single 33.2% headline is the combo-weighted average of all of it.

A value 3-betting range is where A5s either continues or folds, and 33.2% is the number that decides it. At 33.2% you are behind the range, so continuing is about price and position — calling a 3-bet in position with a hand that flops well is fine, stacking off preflop is not. You are priced in against a pot-sized bet (which needs about 33%).

A5s vs 3-bet (value) FAQ

What is A5s's equity against a value 3-betting range?

A5s has 33.2% equity all-in preflop against a value 3-betting range — it wins 32.1% of runouts outright, loses 65.6% and chops 2.3%. The range holds 72 combos (5.4% of all hands); A5s blocks 11 of them, leaving 61 live. This is exact full board enumeration, not a simulation.

Which hands in a value 3-betting range beat A5s?

A5s is behind 57 of the 61 live combos and ahead of the other 4. The worst matchups are AA (13.3%), AKs (30.2%) and AQs (30.7%); its best are KQs (57.5%), 99 (34.0%) and JJ (33.3%). Every figure is exact, computed against that hand's unblocked combos only.

What hands are in a value 3-betting range?

11 hand classes and 72 combos — 5.4% of the 1,326 possible starting hands. By combo count it is 50% pocket pairs (6 pairs, 36 combos), 17% suited hands (3 classes, 12 combos) and 33% offsuit hands (2 classes, 24 combos). That shape is why A5s runs at 33.2% against it rather than against a random hand.

Does A5s do better against a wider or a tighter range?

Wider, almost always. A5s has 53.4% equity against a loose-passive calling range (50.5% of hands) but 34.2% against a 4-betting range (3.2%). Equity against a range is mostly a question of how many weak hands the range still contains — which is why the same holding can be a monster against a button open and a fold against a 4-bet.

Run any hand vs range in the free equity calculator · All hand-vs-range matchups · a5s vs utg-open · a5s vs co-open · a5s vs btn-open · aa vs 3bet-value · aa vs 3bet-bluff · kk vs 3bet-value