AJ vs a UTG opening range: Equity & Strategy

Ace-Jack (AJ) has 48.3% equity all-in preflop against a UTG opening range — 202 combos, 15.2% of all starting hands. It wins 45.0% of runouts outright, loses 48.3% and chops 6.7%. These are exact figures from full board enumeration against every unblocked combo in the range, not a simulation.

The range this is computed against

Under the gun a competent 6-max regular opens roughly the top 15% of hands: every pocket pair, the suited aces (nut-flush and wheel blockers), suited broadways down to J9s, the strongest suited connectors, and only AJo+ / KQo offsuit — offsuit hands realise their equity badly from the worst seat at the table.

UTG open — 202 combos, 15.2% of all starting hands: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22, AKs, AQs, AJs, ATs, A9s, A5s, A4s, A3s, KQs, KJs, KTs, QJs, QTs, JTs, J9s, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, AKo, AQo, AJo, KQo

After card removal, 172 of those 202 combos are still available (30 are blocked by the cards AJ holds). AJ is ahead of 74 and behind 98.

Hardest parts of the range for AJ

Easiest parts of the range for AJ

Put AJ up against a UTG opening range — 202 combos, 15.2% of all hands — and the exact answer is 48.3% equity: 45.0% outright wins, 48.3% losses and 6.7% chops. Your own two cards remove 30 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 74 of the 172 combos still live (43%) — the rest of the range is level with or in front of you, which is why the figure sits below even money.

Under the gun a competent 6-max regular opens roughly the top 15% of hands: every pocket pair, the suited aces (nut-flush and wheel blockers), suited broadways down to J9s, the strongest suited connectors, and only AJo+ / KQo offsuit — offsuit hands realise their equity badly from the worst seat at the table. Inside that range, the combos that hurt AJ most are AA (9.0%), AKs (25.9%) and AQs (26.1%); the ones you want to see are KJs (70.5%), J9s (69.5%) and QJs (69.1%). Across the whole range AJ's equity swings from 9.0% at the bottom to 70.5% at the top — the single 48.3% headline is the combo-weighted average of all of it.

The practical read on 48.3% against a UTG opening range: flatting in position is the only comfortable line; jamming into a 15.2% range as a 48.3% underdog needs the fold equity to carry it.

AJ vs UTG open FAQ

What is AJ's equity against a UTG opening range?

AJ has 48.3% equity all-in preflop against a UTG opening range — it wins 45.0% of runouts outright, loses 48.3% and chops 6.7%. The range holds 202 combos (15.2% of all hands); AJ blocks 30 of them, leaving 172 live. This is exact full board enumeration, not a simulation.

Which hands in a UTG opening range beat AJ?

AJ is behind 98 of the 172 live combos and ahead of the other 74. The worst matchups are AA (9.0%), AKs (25.9%) and AQs (26.1%); its best are KJs (70.5%), J9s (69.5%) and QJs (69.1%). Every figure is exact, computed against that hand's unblocked combos only.

What hands are in a UTG opening range?

36 hand classes and 202 combos — 15.2% of the 1,326 possible starting hands. By combo count it is 39% pocket pairs (13 pairs, 78 combos), 38% suited hands (19 classes, 76 combos) and 24% offsuit hands (4 classes, 48 combos). That shape is why AJ runs at 48.3% against it rather than against a random hand.

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

Wider, almost always. AJ has 61.1% equity against a loose-passive calling range (50.5% of hands) but 33.5% 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 · aj vs 3bet-value · aj vs 4bet-range · aj vs calling-station · aa vs utg-open · aa vs mp-open · aa vs co-open