Pocket aces against pocket kings is the most famous cooler in Texas Hold’em — and the most searched hand matchup in poker. Here are the real numbers.
Quick answer
AA wins about 82% of the time against KK when both hands go all-in preflop. Kings win roughly 18%, with a fraction of a percent ending in a chopped pot. Suits barely matter: kings make up almost no ground even when suited.
Preflop equity table
| Runout | AA equity | KK equity | Tie |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA vs KK (any suits, all-in preflop) | ~81.9% | ~17.8% | ~0.5% |
| AA vs KKs (kings suited) | ~82.0% | ~17.9% | ~0.5% |
| AA vs KK on a K-high flop* | ~9% | ~91% | ~0% |
*Once a king flops, the matchup flips almost completely — which is why set-mining with kings against aces is the classic trap.
Why aces dominate
Aces block the top of kings’ improvement range: every ace left in the deck is an out for AA and a danger card for KK. Kings need to catch a two-outer (one of the two remaining kings) or outdraw aces with runners. Two outs means roughly 4.3% to hit on any single card, or about 8.4% to improve by the river — the math behind that famous bad beat.
FAQ
Does a flush beat a full house? No. A full house beats a flush in every standard poker ranking.
How often does AA vs KK happen in the same hand? Heads-up, two specific players both get dealt these hands roughly once in 22,500 hands. At a full 9-handed table, with 36 possible opponent pairings, it works out to about once every 600 hands — rare per table, common over a poker career.
Should you ever fold kings preflop? In cash games, no — kings are a standard all-in. In tournaments, only extreme ICM pressure (bubble, big pay jumps) can justify folding kings against a tight range.