Quick answer
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QQ by the numbers
- vs 1 random hand
- 80%
- all-in equity
- vs 5 random hands
- 37.8%
- full 6-max table
- Flop a set or better
- 11.8%
- about 1 in 8.5
- How often dealt
- 0.45%
- 1 in 221
How to play QQ by position
6-max cash game, around 100 big blinds deep.
- Early position (UTG)
- Open-raise. Queens are a top-three pair and want to build a pot.
- Middle position (hijack)
- Open-raise, and 3-bet against opens from earlier seats.
- Late position (cutoff, button)
- Open-raise or 3-bet. In position you can play a bigger pot comfortably.
- Blinds
- Raise when folded to and 3-bet against opens, especially wide openers on the cutoff or button.
- Facing a raise
- 3-bet against nearly every open. Against a 4-bet, queens usually continue at 100bb, though against a very tight player who only 4-bets aces and kings, folding can be reasonable.
After the flop
- Any ace or king on the flop makes your hand much weaker. Check more often and keep the pot manageable.
- On low flops like 8♣ 5♦ 2♥ you have a strong overpair; bet for value and protection.
- Against a single raiser who keeps betting on an A-high board, a pair of queens is mainly a bluff-catcher.
QQ against common hands
Queens win 57% against AKo and 53.6% against AKs: a ‘coin flip’ where the pair is a slight favourite and the suited ace-king gains a little from flush chances. Against JJ, an underpair, queens win 81.1%.
| Against | QQ wins | Tie | QQ loses |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-K offsuit | 57% | 0.3% | 42.7% |
| J-J | 81.1% | 0.4% | 18.5% |
| A-K suited | 53.6% | 0.4% | 46.0% |
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 QQ 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 kind0.8%
- Full house8.6%
- Flush2.0%
- Straight1.6%
- Three of a kind11.8%
- Two pair39.6%
- One pair35.7%
Common mistakes with QQ
- Flat-calling raises with queens and letting many players in with overcards.
- Refusing to slow down when an ace or king flops and an opponent shows strength.
- Folding queens to a single 3-bet from a loose player.
Where QQ sits in the chart
Suited hands above the diagonal, offsuit below, pairs on it. Number = equity against one random hand. A white dot means the hand has a full guide.
Pocket queens FAQ
Is QQ a coin flip against AK?
Close to it. Queens are a slight favourite before the flop, and both hands should expect to win or lose roughly as often.
What should I do when an ace flops?
Slow down. Check more often, avoid big pots without a clear read, and treat your queens as a medium-strength hand.
How should I play queens with a short stack in a tournament?
With 15bb or less, push all-in or call all-ins. Queens are far too strong to fold at that depth.