Updated November 2026
Raise ace-king before the flop every time, and remember that it's only ace-high until it pairs. It misses the flop 67.6% of the time, so your plan for those two flops in three decides how much the hand earns.
When it does pair you usually have top pair with the best kicker possible. When it runs into a pocket pair before the flop, it's a small underdog to anything from twos to queens.
| What happened | What you do |
|---|---|
| Folded to you | Raise to 3 big blinds |
| Someone raised | Re-raise to 3 times that bet, or 4 times if you act first after the flop |
| A very tight player goes all-in | Fold unless the call needs under 31% |
| You hit | Bet two-thirds of the pot |
| Missed, one opponent | Bet a third of the pot once |
| Missed, two or more opponents | Check |
| Called, and the turn misses | Check, and give up to a bet |
Six cards pair you: 3 aces and 3 kings. The chance that none of them lands in three flop cards is 44/50 × 43/49 × 42/48, which is 67.6%. So you pair up on the other 32.4% of flops.
See all five board cards and you'll have paired 48.7% of the time. Against most hands that means you can't count on making anything by the river.
Against any pair from twos to queens, all the money in before the flop, you're a small underdog. Suited ace-king is close to even against small pairs. Against aces and kings you're in real trouble.
Your share if all the money goes in before the flop, every board counted
Where ace-king makes its money is against hands it dominates, meaning hands that share a card with it and have a worse second card. Ace-queen and king-queen can pair up and still lose.
That's why the raises come so easily. Players pay you with those hands and don't find out until the showdown.
The hard call is an all-in. Work out the price first, then ask what this player would do it with. Say you must call $150 and the pot is $253 before your call, so you need 150 / 403, or 37%.
Against only aces, kings and queens, ace-king offsuit wins 31%, so you fold. If they'd also do it with jacks, tens or their own ace-king, you win 41%, so you call.
Say the flop is 9-6-2 in three suits. You still beat one random hand 52 times in 100, because most hands didn't pair either. Against anyone who did, you drop to 20 to 24 times in 100.
A bet of a third of the pot only has to work 25% of the time to break even, and you'll win more than that against one opponent. If they call, you've got 6 outs: 12.8% on the next card and 24.1% if you see both.
Bet about two-thirds of the pot on the flop and keep betting the turn. You have top pair and the best kicker, and worse aces and kings are the hands that will pay you.
Against a random hand on ace-seven-two you win 89 times in 100, and against ace-ten you win 87. For the bet sizes and the spots where even this hand has to fold, see how to play top pair.
A $1/$2 game, with the pot shown after each round of betting. Ace-king misses, takes one small stab, stops, and picks up the pot on the river.
Everyone folds to you and you raise to $6. The small blind folds its $1 and the big blind calls.
They check. You missed, but there's no draw and only one opponent, so you bet $5. They call.
They check. They've shown they can call, so you check too and take a free card.
They check again. You paired your king, so you bet $12, about half the pot. They call with nine-eight.
You take the $47 pot, and you put in $23 of it: $6, $5 and $12.
About 2 points against one opponent and 3 against a full table, because the flush draw starts to count when several hands stay in.
It's also rarer. Of the 16 ways to be dealt ace-king, 4 are suited and 12 are offsuit, so you get a suited one only a quarter of the time.
Chance of winning if everyone stays to the river
Twelve spots in three rounds: before the flop, on flops you missed, and the all-in math.
Not if all the money goes in before the flop. Jacks win about 57 times in 100 against ace-king offsuit, and about 54 against ace-king suited.
Only to an all-in from someone you're sure has queens or better, and only when the price is poor. Otherwise it's a raise or a call.
Bet a third of the pot once against one opponent on a board with no draws. If you're called, or more than one player is in, slow down and check.
About 1 hand in 83. There are 16 ways to be dealt it out of 1,326 possible hands.
Close to it against a small pair. Ace-king suited against pocket twos wins 49.9 of 100 with ties shared.
Win rates against 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 opponents come from 60,000 random deals at each table size, with ties shared. Head-to-head numbers count every possible board and every suit pairing.
A pair by the flop is 1 minus C(44,3) / C(50,3). With 6 outs, the next card is 6 / 47 and both cards are 1 minus (41 × 40) / (47 × 46). A bet of a third of the pot breaks even at (1/3) / (1 + 1/3) folds. The all-in lists are weighted by how many combinations exist with your two cards out of the deck.
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