AA vs KK: Odds, Equity and How to Play It
Pocket aces beat pocket kings 82% of the time before the flop, which makes AA about a 4.5-to-1 favourite.
The exact figure runs from 81.3% to 82.6%, depending on how many suits the two hands share, and 0.5% of boards are a split.
The odds for every suit combination
The suits move AA’s chances by 1.4 points, which is why one quoted number is never quite right.
| Suits | Dealt | AA | KK | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All deals, any suits | 36 | 81.9% | 18.1% | 0.5% |
| One suit shared(A♥A♦ v K♥K♠) | 24 | 81.9% | 18.1% | 0.5% |
| Both suits shared(A♥A♦ v K♥K♦) | 6 | 82.6% | 17.4% | 0.5% |
| No suits shared(A♥A♦ v K♠K♣) | 6 | 81.3% | 18.7% | 0.4% |
AA and KK: each hand’s share of the pot, counting a split as half a win. Split: how often the board splits the pot. Dealt: how many of the 36 ways to deal these two hands fall that way.
- AA does best when both of its suits are shared with the kings (82.6%). Then any flush the kings make with one of their cards, the aces make too, and the ace-high flush wins.
- It does worst with no suits shared (81.3%), where every flush KK can make is its own.
- One shared suit is the most common deal: 24 of the 36 ways to deal the two pairs.
How the flop changes it
These use A♥A♦ against K♠K♣, no suits shared, where AA starts at 81.3%. Each flop counts all 990 turn and river cards.
- K♦K7♠72♥2
AA 8.6%
KK 91.4%The flop every AA player fears: KK makes three kings, and AA drops to 8.6%. Only the two aces left save it, or two perfect cards.
- Q♦QJ♥JT♥T
AA 76.8%
KK 23.2%A connected flop gives both hands straight chances. A king makes AA a straight, and an ace or a nine makes one for KK. AA still has 77%.
- 9♠98♠84♦4
AA 87.2%
KK 12.8%KK holds the king of spades, but two spades on the flop only give it a backdoor flush: it needs a spade on both the turn and the river. AA goes up to 87%.
- 7♣77♦72♥2
AA 91.6%
KK 8.4%A flop that helps nobody is good news for AA: KK now has only two cards left to find one of the two kings. AA goes up to 92%.
Deal your own flop
Pick one of the flops above, or deal a random one. The odds are worked out on the spot, over every turn and river.
AA
KK
Flop
AA 81%, KK 19% before the flop
How to play AA against KK
This is a cooler: a spot where both players are right to put their chips in, and the one with kings just loses most of the time.
If you hold KK, an opponent can hold AA only 6 ways, and anyone who goes all in with aces will do it with other hands too, like queens or ace-king. So folding KK before the flop is almost never right, even though it is well behind the aces.
If you hold AA, you want the chips in before the flop. The one flop that really hurts is a king, as the first example above shows.
Know what to play from every seat
The free Preflop Pack: printable opening and all-in charts, the same ones the trainer drills.
Questions people ask
What are the odds of AA beating KK?
About 82% before the flop, or 4.5 to 1. With the exact suits it runs from 81.3% to 82.6%.
How often does KK beat AA?
KK wins 17.8% of the time and 0.5% of boards are a split, so counting a split as half a win, KK has 18.1%.
Should you ever fold KK before the flop?
Almost never. There are only 6 ways to hold AA, and a player who goes all in with aces will do it with other hands too. Folding KK only makes sense against someone you are sure only ever goes all in with aces.
How this was worked out: PokerLeap’s equity engine played out every one of the 1,712,304 possible five-card boards for each of the 3 suit combinations, so these figures are exact, not simulated. A split pot counts as half a win. The flop examples count all 990 turn and river cards.