Ace-king offsuit (AKo)

AKo by the numbers

vs 1 random hand

65.4%

all-in equity

vs 5 random hands

27.7%

full 6-max table

Flop a pair or better

32.4%

pairing a hole card

How often dealt

0.90%

1 in 110.5

How to play AKo by position

6-max cash game, around 100 big blinds deep.

Early position (UTG)

Open-raise. Ace-king offsuit is a premium hand in every 6-max seat.

Middle position (hijack)

Open-raise, or 3-bet if someone has opened.

Late position (cutoff, button)

Open-raise or 3-bet. Position helps when you miss the flop.

Blinds

Raise when folded to, and 3-bet against opens.

Facing a raise

3-bet. Against a 4-bet at 100bb, ace-king offsuit usually continues, and getting all-in is standard in most games.

After the flop

• An unpaired hand flops at least a pair with one of its hole cards about 32.4% of the time, so ace-king misses most flops.
• On dry high boards, continuation-bet: your range has many strong hands there.
• On low connected boards that miss you, check more often against several opponents.

AKo against common hands

Ace-king offsuit wins 46.7% against 22 and 42.7% against QQ: against pairs it is usually a slight underdog. Against AQo it wins 71.7%, with ties 4.6% of the time.

All-in before the flop, exact results from every possible board. Suits as dealt in our example; figures shift slightly with other suit combinations.

What AKo makes by the river

If you see all five board cards, your best five-card hand ends up as each of these this often. Exact figures from every possible board.

• Straight flush0.01%
• Four of a kind0.1%
• Full house2.2%
• Flush2.0%
• Straight3.3%
• Three of a kind4.4%
• Two pair22.7%
• One pair45.6%
• High card19.7%

Common mistakes with AKo

• Stacking off with top pair, top kicker on a wet board against heavy action.
• Calling down with ace-high after missing.
• Treating AKo like a pair and refusing to fold after the flop.

Where AKo sits in the chart

Ace-king offsuit FAQ