KQ vs a UTG opening range: Equity & Strategy
King-Queen (KQ) has 44.4% equity all-in preflop against a UTG opening range — 202 combos, 15.2% of all starting hands. It wins 41.6% of runouts outright, loses 52.8% and chops 5.6%. These are exact figures from full board enumeration against every unblocked combo in the range, not a simulation.
| Side | Win | Chop | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| KQ | 41.6% | 5.6% | 44.4% |
| a UTG opening range | 52.8% | 5.6% | 55.6% |
The range this is computed against
Under the gun a competent 6-max regular opens roughly the top 15% of hands: every pocket pair, the suited aces (nut-flush and wheel blockers), suited broadways down to J9s, the strongest suited connectors, and only AJo+ / KQo offsuit — offsuit hands realise their equity badly from the worst seat at the table.
UTG open — 202 combos, 15.2% of all starting hands: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22, AKs, AQs, AJs, ATs, A9s, A5s, A4s, A3s, KQs, KJs, KTs, QJs, QTs, JTs, J9s, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, AKo, AQo, AJo, KQo
After card removal, 177 of those 202 combos are still available (25 are blocked by the cards KQ holds). KQ is ahead of 43 and behind 134.
Hardest parts of the range for KQ
| Hand | Combos | KQ equity |
|---|---|---|
| KK | 3 | 10.0% |
| AA | 6 | 13.9% |
| AKs | 3 | 25.4% |
| AQs | 3 | 25.5% |
| AKo | 9 | 26.3% |
Easiest parts of the range for KQ
| Hand | Combos | KQ equity |
|---|---|---|
| QJs | 3 | 70.1% |
| KJs | 3 | 70.0% |
| QTs | 3 | 69.8% |
| KTs | 3 | 69.7% |
| J9s | 4 | 62.5% |
Put KQ up against a UTG opening range — 202 combos, 15.2% of all hands — and the exact answer is 44.4% equity: 41.6% outright wins, 52.8% losses and 5.6% chops. Your own two cards remove 25 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 43 of the 177 combos still live (24%) — the rest of the range is level with or in front of you, which is why the figure sits below even money.
The range behind this number is not a guess. Under the gun a competent 6-max regular opens roughly the top 15% of hands: every pocket pair, the suited aces (nut-flush and wheel blockers), suited broadways down to J9s, the strongest suited connectors, and only AJo+ / KQo offsuit — offsuit hands realise their equity badly from the worst seat at the table. KQ's worst spots in it are KK (10.0%), AA (13.9%) and AKs (25.4%) — and its best are QJs (70.1%), KJs (70.0%) and QTs (69.8%). Across the whole range KQ's equity swings from 10.0% at the bottom to 70.1% at the top — the single 44.4% headline is the combo-weighted average of all of it.
Facing a UTG opening range, 44.4% is a raise-or-fold number, not a call-and-see number: KQ is behind the range, so it needs position, implied odds or fold equity rather than showdown value. Against 15.2% of hands, you are priced in against a pot-sized bet (which needs about 33%).
KQ vs UTG open FAQ
What is KQ's equity against a UTG opening range?
KQ has 44.4% equity all-in preflop against a UTG opening range — it wins 41.6% of runouts outright, loses 52.8% and chops 5.6%. The range holds 202 combos (15.2% of all hands); KQ blocks 25 of them, leaving 177 live. This is exact full board enumeration, not a simulation.
Which hands in a UTG opening range beat KQ?
KQ is behind 134 of the 177 live combos and ahead of the other 43. The worst matchups are KK (10.0%), AA (13.9%) and AKs (25.4%); its best are QJs (70.1%), KJs (70.0%) and QTs (69.8%). Every figure is exact, computed against that hand's unblocked combos only.
What hands are in a UTG opening range?
36 hand classes and 202 combos — 15.2% of the 1,326 possible starting hands. By combo count it is 39% pocket pairs (13 pairs, 78 combos), 38% suited hands (19 classes, 76 combos) and 24% offsuit hands (4 classes, 48 combos). That shape is why KQ runs at 44.4% against it rather than against a random hand.
Does KQ do better against a wider or a tighter range?
Wider, almost always. KQ has 55.8% equity against a loose-passive calling range (50.5% of hands) but 26.5% 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 · kq vs 3bet-value · kq vs 4bet-range · kq vs calling-station · aa vs utg-open · aa vs mp-open · aa vs co-open