AA vs AK: how badly is ace-king crushed?

Pocket aces beat ace-king about 92% of the time all-in preflop, making it the most lopsided matchup that regularly gets stacks in.

91.8%

AA

vs

8.2%

AK

Favorite

AA · 91.8%

Underdog

AK · 8.2%

Odds

~11.2-to-1

Matchup type

Pair against big cards

By suits

AA vs AKs: 87.9%AA vs AKo: 93.2%

Ace-king is drawing nearly dead before a card hits the felt. The aces hold one of the kings’ aces hostage, so pairing the ace does nothing and the hand is really drawing to three kings, plus long-shot straights and flushes. That is why it lands at 92% instead of the 82% of a pair battle. And yet this all-in is completely standard: ace-king is a re-raising hand, aces re-raise back, and nobody can fold. When you lose with ace-king into aces, you did not misplay it. You ran into the one hand that turns a premium into a prayer.

Quick tip: Suited ace-king claws back a few points against aces with flush outs, about 88% against 12%. Still a prayer.

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.