AKs vs a 3-bet bluffing range: Equity & Strategy

Ace-King Suited (AKs) has 65.4% equity all-in preflop against a 3-bet bluffing range — 52 combos, 3.9% of all starting hands. It wins 64.6% of runouts outright, loses 33.8% and chops 1.6%. These are exact figures from full board enumeration against every unblocked combo in the range, not a simulation.

The range this is computed against

The bluff half of a polarised 3-bet is built from hands that are too weak to flat profitably but that block the opener's best continues or flop well when called: the suited wheel aces (which block AA and AK), suited broadways like KJs and QTs, and the suited connectors. About 4% of hands.

3-bet (bluff) — 52 combos, 3.9% of all starting hands: A5s, A4s, A3s, A2s, KJs, KTs, QJs, QTs, JTs, T9s, 87s, 76s, 65s

After card removal, 46 of those 52 combos are still available (6 are blocked by the cards AKs holds). AKs is ahead of 46 and behind 0.

Hardest parts of the range for AKs

Easiest parts of the range for AKs

Put AKs up against a 3-bet bluffing range — 52 combos, 3.9% of all hands — and the exact answer is 65.4% equity: 64.6% outright wins, 33.8% losses and 1.6% chops. Your own two cards remove 6 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. AKs is a favourite against every one of the 46 live combos in the range — there is nothing in it you would rather not see.

Where does the range come from? The bluff half of a polarised 3-bet is built from hands that are too weak to flat profitably but that block the opener's best continues or flop well when called: the suited wheel aces (which block AA and AK), suited broadways like KJs and QTs, and the suited connectors. About 4% of hands. Broken down hand by hand, AKs does worst against 76s (61.1%), 65s (61.1%) and 87s (61.4%) and best against KJs (71.2%), A2s (71.1%) and KTs (70.9%). Across the whole range AKs's equity swings from 61.1% at the bottom to 71.2% at the top — the single 65.4% headline is the combo-weighted average of all of it.

A 3-bet bluffing range is where AKs either continues or folds, and 65.4% is the number that decides it. Being in front of the 3-bettor's whole range means 4-betting for value is on the table, not just calling. You are priced in against a pot-sized bet (which needs about 33%).

AKs vs 3-bet (bluff) FAQ

What is AKs's equity against a 3-bet bluffing range?

AKs has 65.4% equity all-in preflop against a 3-bet bluffing range — it wins 64.6% of runouts outright, loses 33.8% and chops 1.6%. The range holds 52 combos (3.9% of all hands); AKs blocks 6 of them, leaving 46 live. This is exact full board enumeration, not a simulation.

Which hands in a 3-bet bluffing range beat AKs?

None — AKs is a favourite against all 46 live combos. Its thinnest edges are 76s (61.1%), 65s (61.1%) and 87s (61.4%), its biggest against KJs (71.2%), A2s (71.1%) and KTs (70.9%). Every figure is exact, computed against that hand's unblocked combos only.

What hands are in a 3-bet bluffing range?

13 hand classes and 52 combos — 3.9% of the 1,326 possible starting hands. By combo count it is 0% pocket pairs (0 pairs, 0 combos), 100% suited hands (13 classes, 52 combos) and 0% offsuit hands (0 classes, 0 combos) — it contains no offsuit hands at all. That shape is why AKs runs at 65.4% against it rather than against a random hand.

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

Wider, almost always. AKs has 65.8% equity against a loose-passive calling range (50.5% of hands) but 48.2% 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 · aks vs utg-open · aks vs mp-open · aks vs co-open · aa vs 3bet-value · aa vs 3bet-bluff · kk vs 3bet-value