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

Ace-Queen (AQ) has 38.3% equity all-in preflop against a value 3-betting range — 72 combos, 5.4% of all starting hands. It wins 29.8% of runouts outright, loses 53.1% and chops 17.0%. 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 AQ holds). AQ is ahead of 10 and behind 44.

Hardest parts of the range for AQ

Easiest parts of the range for AQ

AQ has 38.3% equity all-in preflop against a value 3-betting range — 72 combos, 5.4% of all hands. Ace-Queen wins the pot outright 29.8% of the time, loses 53.1% and chops 17.0%. 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 only 10 of the 54 combos still live (19%) — 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, AQ does worst against AA (8.6%), AKs (25.6%) and AKo (26.7%) and best against KQs (70.7%), AQo (50.6%) and AQs (48.1%). Across the whole range AQ's equity swings from 8.6% at the bottom to 70.7% at the top — the single 38.3% headline is the combo-weighted average of all of it.

Against a value 3-betting range — only 5.4% of hands — AQ holds 38.3%. That is a continue, not a commit: you have enough to see a flop with the right price but not enough to shovel a stack in preflop.

AQ vs 3-bet (value) FAQ

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

AQ has 38.3% equity all-in preflop against a value 3-betting range — it wins 29.8% of runouts outright, loses 53.1% and chops 17.0%. The range holds 72 combos (5.4% of all hands); AQ 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 AQ?

AQ is behind 44 of the 54 live combos and ahead of the other 10. The worst matchups are AA (8.6%), AKs (25.6%) and AKo (26.7%); its best are KQs (70.7%), AQo (50.6%) and AQs (48.1%). 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 AQ runs at 38.3% against it rather than against a random hand.

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

Wider, almost always. AQ has 62.7% equity against a loose-passive calling range (50.5% of hands) but 34.1% 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 · aq vs utg-open · aq vs mp-open · aq vs co-open · aa vs 3bet-value · aa vs 3bet-bluff · kk vs 3bet-value