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

Ace-King Suited (AKs) has 52.3% equity all-in preflop against a value 3-betting range — 72 combos, 5.4% of all starting hands. It wins 44.2% of runouts outright, loses 39.6% and chops 16.2%. 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, 54 of those 72 combos are still available (18 are blocked by the cards AKs holds). AKs is ahead of 21 and behind 33.

Hardest parts of the range for AKs

Easiest parts of the range for AKs

Against a value 3-betting range (72 combos, 5.4% of all hands), AKs runs at 52.3%. It wins 44.2% of runouts outright, loses 39.6% and splits the remaining 16.2%. Your own two cards remove 18 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 21 of the 54 combos you can still be facing (39%), which is what a 52.3% number actually looks like hand by hand.

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. Inside that range, the combos that hurt AKs most are AA (12.1%), KK (34.1%) and TT (45.9%); the ones you want to see are AQo (75.4%), KQs (71.4%) and AQs (71.3%). Across the whole range AKs's equity swings from 12.1% at the bottom to 75.4% at the top — the single 52.3% headline is the combo-weighted average of all of it.

A value 3-betting range is where AKs either continues or folds, and 52.3% 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 (value) FAQ

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

AKs has 52.3% equity all-in preflop against a value 3-betting range — it wins 44.2% of runouts outright, loses 39.6% and chops 16.2%. The range holds 72 combos (5.4% of all hands); AKs blocks 18 of them, leaving 54 live. This is exact full board enumeration, not a simulation.

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

AKs is behind 33 of the 54 live combos and ahead of the other 21. The worst matchups are AA (12.1%), KK (34.1%) and TT (45.9%); its best are AQo (75.4%), KQs (71.4%) and AQs (71.3%). 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 AKs runs at 52.3% 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