Preflop Equity Chart — all-in odds for every common matchup
When the chips go in preflop, the math is fixed — every hand-vs-hand matchup has an exact win percentage that's already been computed billions of times by every solver on the planet. Below are the 36 matchups that come up most in real games, grouped by shape so you can recognize a spot instead of memorizing it. Every number is PokerStove-verified. The math is reliable; the only thing that changes is whether you can name the spot in three seconds when it actually happens.
·How to read this chart
Every row is a heads-up preflop all-in. The percentages are win-rate plus half of ties — the standard way equity is reported. Numbers are rounded to one decimal. A few notational notes:
- AKs means ace-king suited (both same suit).
- AKo means ace-king offsuit (different suits).
- AK with no suffix means "all four combos of AK" — averaged across suited and offsuit.
- Equity for a specific suited hand vs. a non-blocking pair changes by roughly ±0.3% depending on the exact suits (because of card removal on flush draws). The numbers below assume no card-removal interactions.
SECTION 1Pair vs. lower pair — the 80/20
The bigger pair is roughly a 4-to-1 favorite no matter how big the gap. AA vs. KK and JJ vs. TT have nearly the same equity split. The smaller pair has about 4 outs (the two remaining cards of its rank, plus very thin straight/backdoor equity).
| Favorite | Underdog | Favorite equity | Underdog equity | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA | KK | 82.4% | 17.6% | The single biggest favorite in any common pre-flop matchup that isn't a coolered four-of-a-kind setup. |
| AA | 81.6% | 18.4% | A whisker softer than AA vs KK because QQ has more straight outs. | |
| AA | 22 | 82.6% | 17.4% | 22 has no straight blockers — slightly worse than QQ. |
| KK | 81.7% | 18.3% | Same shape as AA/KK. The number doesn't change with the rank. | |
| JJ | 81.0% | 19.0% | Slightly closer because both hands can make straights together. | |
| JJ | TT | 81.2% | 18.8% | The classic mid-pair-vs-mid-pair setup that breaks weekly games. |
| TT | 22 | 82.2% | 17.8% | As pair gap widens, edge widens by less than a single point. |
SECTION 2Pair vs. two overcards — the "race"
The most-misunderstood spot in poker. The pair is always a small favorite, but the gap is much narrower than people feel. AK against any pair from 22 to TT is a coin-flip-plus. The myth that "any pair beats AK" is true in the trivial sense (the pair wins ~52–56% of the time) but wildly wrong as a strategic call to fold AK.
| Pair | Two overcards | Pair equity | Overcards equity | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | AKo | 52.4% | 47.6% | The textbook coin-flip. Slightly favors the pair. |
| 22 | AKs | 50.5% | 49.5% | Being suited adds ~2% via the flush draw. Almost a true 50/50. |
| 55 | AKo | 53.6% | 46.4% | Small pairs widen the gap modestly. |
| 77 | AKs | 52.4% | 47.6% | Still inside the coin-flip zone. |
| 99 | AKo | 55.2% | 44.8% | First spot where the pair gains a real edge. |
| TT | AKs | 52.7% | 47.3% | Suited AK closes the gap back to almost flip. |
| JJ | AKo | 57.0% | 43.0% | Highest of the "race" spots — biggest pair still under both overcards. |
| JJ | AKs | 53.9% | 46.1% | Live-cards-plus-suited eats most of the pair's edge. |
SECTION 3Dominated hands — when a card is shared
When one of your two cards matches one of villain's two cards, you are dominated. Your equity collapses because half of your "outs" are dead in villain's hand. This is the most expensive category in real money — the loser keeps thinking they have a real hand because they share a high card.
| Favorite | Underdog | Favorite equity | Underdog equity | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA | AKs | 87.9% | 12.1% | Card removal — AK only has one ace left to hit. |
| AA | AKo | 92.6% | 7.4% | Offsuit AK can't even make a flush. Worst spot in poker. |
| KK | AKs | 66.0% | 34.0% | Two-thirds favorite — closer than people think because AK has live overcards. |
| AK | AQ | 73.7% | 22.4% | The classic kicker domination — note the ~4% tie rate baked in. |
| AK | AJ | 73.3% | 22.7% | Roughly the same as AK vs AQ — kicker is the kicker. |
| AK | A5s | 68.5% | 27.7% | Wheel-suited A5 gets some extra equity from straight outs and flush draws. |
| AK | A2o | 75.0% | 22.0% | The "weak ace" disaster — same domination, fewer redraws. |
| KQ | KJ | 71.0% | 24.5% | Same kicker pattern, one rank down. |
SECTION 4Two live cards vs. two live cards
No shared cards. Both hands can hit their pair, their flush, and their straights independently. The higher hand is usually a 60/40 favorite — much closer than rank suggests. This is why "any two suited connectors" is a real opening hand and not just folklore.
| Higher hand | Lower hand | Higher equity | Lower equity | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AKs | QJs | 60.8% | 39.2% | Both flushes live, both straights live. Closer than it should feel. |
| AKo | QJo | 62.6% | 36.4% | Offsuit versions widen the gap by ~2%. |
| AKs | JTs | 60.4% | 39.2% | JTs is the strongest non-pair, non-broadway hand by equity. |
| AQs | KJo | 63.4% | 36.6% | Suited beats offsuit even one rank lower. |
| AKo | 76s | 59.7% | 40.3% | Suited connectors recover most of their deficit against random big cards. |
| KQo | 54s | 58.7% | 41.3% | Low SC vs. unsuited broadway is barely a 60/40. |
SECTION 5Suited connectors vs. pair
Closer than most home-game players believe. A suited connector has eight straight outs, a flush draw, and two live overcards if it's gapped above the pair. Even the smallest suited connector wins ~35% against the biggest pair.
| Pair | Suited connector | Pair equity | SC equity | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 | 76s | 65.7% | 34.3% | SC has overcards, straight outs, flush draw. Pair is favored less than it should be. |
| 88 | T9s | 53.5% | 46.5% | Overcards on the SC pull this near a flip. |
| 99 | 87s | 63.4% | 36.6% | Roughly the same shape as 88 vs 76s. |
| TT | 98s | 71.3% | 28.7% | SC below the pair, no live overcards — pair gains. |
| JJ | T9s | 67.3% | 32.7% | JJ still favored, but T9s pulls 33% with no overs. |
SECTION 6Big pair vs. suited connector
A big pair vs. a small suited connector is the closest "obvious favorite" gets in poker. Even AA vs 76s leaves the connector with 23% equity — which means if you're getting 4-to-1 on the call, you're priced in.
| Big pair | SC | Pair equity | SC equity | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA | 76s | 76.7% | 23.3% | Connectors keep ~23% against the worst possible opponent. Don't fold a priced-in call. |
| AA | JTs | 79.3% | 20.7% | JTs has fewer live straight cards against AA than 76s does. Suited matters more than rank here. |
| KK | 98s | 77.4% | 22.6% | Same shape as AA vs 76s, scaled down. |
| JTs | 73.2% | 26.8% | JTs gets a chunk back from live straight outs through the queen. | |
| AA | 22 | 82.6% | 17.4% | For comparison — small pair vs. AA loses worse than suited connector vs. AA. |
Don't see your matchup? Run it on the calculator.
Our free Monte Carlo equity calculator handles any matchup you can spell, including range-vs-range, board cards, and the long tail of weird coolers your home game throws up. No signup, no ads, runs in your browser.
Open the calculator → Read the full guide Hand-rankings cheat sheet·Five patterns to actually memorize
The chart is for reference. These five patterns are the real takeaway — internalize them and you'll read 80% of preflop all-in spots correctly without looking anything up.
1. Higher pair vs. lower pair is always 81/19.
Every pair-over-pair matchup, regardless of rank gap, sits inside the 80–83% favorite band. The smaller pair has roughly 4 outs (set + thin runner-runner equity), worth ~18%. If you ever see a 60/40 reported between two pairs, someone read the chart wrong.
2. Pair vs. two live overcards is a near-flip.
JJ vs AK is 57/43 — the steepest the "race" gets. Below jacks, the pair is barely ahead. Treating AK against a pair as a meaningful underdog is a multi-thousand-dollar error per year for most players.
3. Dominated > pair-over-pair as a disaster spot.
AA vs KK is 82/18. AA vs AKo is 92/8. Sharing a card with the bigger hand is worse than just being smaller. The math reason: 3 of your 8 "outs" are dead.
4. Suited adds ~3–4%.
Across every category, taking the suited version vs. the offsuit version moves equity by 3–4 percentage points. That's enough to flip some marginal preflop decisions but small enough that it's not the main factor in any decision. If you fold AKo and call AKs, you're playing the wrong factor.
5. Suited connectors are never trash against a pair.
The worst case — 22 vs JTs — still leaves the connector with 47% equity. AA vs 76s is 77/23. If you're getting 3:1 or 4:1 on a call with a suited connector vs. a tight 3-bet range, the math is on your side.
Where to go from here
The chart is the foundation. The next step is using these numbers against ranges, not just specific two-card hands — because in real games you almost never know your opponent's exact two cards. You know their range, and you compute your hand against that range. The equity calculator does the heavy lifting; the linked guides explain how to think about it.
- Free Monte Carlo equity calculator — hand-vs-hand, hand-vs-range, range-vs-range, with optional board cards
- How to use a poker equity calculator — the 12 anchor matchups + opponent profiling
- Hand rankings cheat sheet — the math behind why each hand beats what it beats
- Foundations Chapter 2 — Starting hands and position — when each hand is worth playing
- Push/fold chart — short-stack tournament shoves, the exact thresholds by stack size
The chart above is the answer key. The skill is recognizing which row you're looking at, fast, when the chips are already in.