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

Pocket Kings (KK) has 75.9% equity all-in preflop against a 3-bet bluffing range — 52 combos, 3.9% of all starting hands. It wins 75.7% of runouts outright, loses 23.9% and chops 0.5%. 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, 48 of those 52 combos are still available (4 are blocked by the cards KK holds). KK is ahead of 48 and behind 0.

Hardest parts of the range for KK

Easiest parts of the range for KK

KK has 75.9% equity all-in preflop against a 3-bet bluffing range — 52 combos, 3.9% of all hands. Pocket Kings wins the pot outright 75.7% of the time, loses 23.9% and chops 0.5%. Your own two cards remove 4 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. KK is a favourite against every one of the 48 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, KK does worst against A5s (66.7%), A4s (67.0%) and A3s (67.4%) and best against KJs (85.7%), KTs (85.3%) and QJs (82.3%). Across the whole range KK's equity swings from 66.7% at the bottom to 85.7% at the top — the single 75.9% headline is the combo-weighted average of all of it.

Against a 3-bet bluffing range — only 3.9% of hands — KK holds 75.9%. That is enough to play a big pot: get it in, or 4-bet and let the bluffs fold out.

KK vs 3-bet (bluff) FAQ

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

KK has 75.9% equity all-in preflop against a 3-bet bluffing range — it wins 75.7% of runouts outright, loses 23.9% and chops 0.5%. The range holds 52 combos (3.9% of all hands); KK blocks 4 of them, leaving 48 live. This is exact full board enumeration, not a simulation.

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

None — KK is a favourite against all 48 live combos. Its thinnest edges are A5s (66.7%), A4s (67.0%) and A3s (67.4%), its biggest against KJs (85.7%), KTs (85.3%) and QJs (82.3%). 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 KK runs at 75.9% against it rather than against a random hand.

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

Wider, almost always. KK has 78.7% equity against a loose-passive calling range (50.5% of hands) but 59.9% 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 · kk vs utg-open · kk vs mp-open · kk vs co-open · aa vs 3bet-value · aa vs 3bet-bluff · kk vs 3bet-value