QQ vs AQ: pair against a dominated ace

Compare this with queens against ace-king and the blocker lesson jumps out. Ace-king gets six clean outs and races at 44%; ace-queen has its queen held hostage and falls to 31%, drawing at three aces. The pair does not just lead, it has amputated half the outs of the hand chasing it. This collision also happens constantly, because ace-queen re-raises and calls shoves that queens make all day. For the queens it is the dream call-off; for the ace-queen it is a reminder that the strength of a big ace is borrowed from the assumption its cards are live.

Quick tip: Before calling a shove with a big ace, ask what happens if one of your cards is in the other hand. It often is.

All numbers are all-in preflop equity vs one opponent, computed by the Poker Shark equity engine from the full 169 by 169 hand matrix, weighted across suited and offsuit combos.