KK vs a small-blind opening range: Equity & Strategy
Pocket Kings (KK) has 77.2% equity all-in preflop against a small-blind opening range — 534 combos, 40.3% of all starting hands. It wins 76.9% of runouts outright, loses 22.4% and chops 0.7%. These are exact figures from full board enumeration against every unblocked combo in the range, not a simulation.
| Side | Win | Chop | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| KK | 76.9% | 0.7% | 77.2% |
| a small-blind opening range | 22.4% | 0.7% | 22.8% |
The range this is computed against
A small blind raising first in is heads-up against a single opponent, so it opens nearly as wide as the button — around 40% — but trims the weakest offsuit hands and the trashiest suited gappers, because unlike the button it will be out of position on every postflop street.
SB open — 534 combos, 40.3% of all starting hands: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22, AKs, AQs, AJs, ATs, A9s, A8s, A7s, A6s, A5s, A4s, A3s, A2s, KQs, KJs, KTs, K9s, K8s, K7s, K6s, K5s, K4s, K3s, K2s, QJs, QTs, Q9s, Q8s, Q7s, Q6s, Q5s, Q4s, JTs, J9s, J8s, J7s, T9s, T8s, T7s, T6s, 98s, 97s, 96s, 87s, 86s, 85s, 76s, 75s, 65s, 64s, 54s, 43s, AKo, AQo, AJo, ATo, A9o, A8o, A7o, A6o, A5o, A4o, A3o, A2o, KQo, KJo, KTo, K9o, QJo, QTo, Q9o, JTo, T9o
After card removal, 475 of those 534 combos are still available (59 are blocked by the cards KK holds). KK is ahead of 468 and behind 7.
Hardest parts of the range for KK
| Hand | Combos | KK equity |
|---|---|---|
| AA | 6 | 18.1% |
| KK | 1 | 50.0% |
| AKs | 2 | 65.9% |
| A5s | 4 | 66.7% |
| A4s | 4 | 67.0% |
Easiest parts of the range for KK
| Hand | Combos | KK equity |
|---|---|---|
| K9o | 6 | 92.3% |
| KQo | 6 | 91.3% |
| KJo | 6 | 90.9% |
| KTo | 6 | 90.4% |
| K2s | 2 | 89.2% |
Put KK up against a small-blind opening range — 534 combos, 40.3% of all hands — and the exact answer is 77.2% equity: 76.9% outright wins, 22.4% losses and 0.7% chops. Your own two cards remove 59 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 468 of the 475 combos you can still be facing (99%), which is what a 77.2% number actually looks like hand by hand.
A small blind raising first in is heads-up against a single opponent, so it opens nearly as wide as the button — around 40% — but trims the weakest offsuit hands and the trashiest suited gappers, because unlike the button it will be out of position on every postflop street. Inside that range, the combos that hurt KK most are AA (18.1%), KK (50.0%) and AKs (65.9%); the ones you want to see are K9o (92.3%), KQo (91.3%) and KJo (90.9%). Across the whole range KK's equity swings from 18.1% at the bottom to 92.3% at the top — the single 77.2% headline is the combo-weighted average of all of it.
The practical read on 77.2% against a small-blind opening range: 3-bet and get money in — you dominate the opener's continuing range and every free card costs you value.
KK vs SB open FAQ
What is KK's equity against a small-blind opening range?
KK has 77.2% equity all-in preflop against a small-blind opening range — it wins 76.9% of runouts outright, loses 22.4% and chops 0.7%. The range holds 534 combos (40.3% of all hands); KK blocks 59 of them, leaving 475 live. This is exact full board enumeration, not a simulation.
Which hands in a small-blind opening range beat KK?
KK is behind 7 of the 475 live combos and ahead of the other 468. The worst matchups are AA (18.1%), KK (50.0%) and AKs (65.9%); its best are K9o (92.3%), KQo (91.3%) and KJo (90.9%). Every figure is exact, computed against that hand's unblocked combos only.
What hands are in a small-blind opening range?
85 hand classes and 534 combos — 40.3% of the 1,326 possible starting hands. By combo count it is 15% pocket pairs (13 pairs, 78 combos), 38% suited hands (51 classes, 204 combos) and 47% offsuit hands (21 classes, 252 combos). That shape is why KK runs at 77.2% 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 3bet-value · kk vs 3bet-bluff · kk vs 4bet-range · aa vs utg-open · aa vs mp-open · aa vs co-open