55 vs 98s
Pair against two overcards — the classic coinflip, with the pair a shade ahead.
- 55 Win
- 48.2%
- Tie
- 1.1%
- 55 Lose
- 50.6%
- Card combinations
- 24
- 55 vs random
- 60.3% · #27
- 98s vs random
- 50.8% · #83
Win, tie and loss for 55
When 55 and 98s get all in before the flop, 55 wins 48.8% of the time and 98s takes 51.2%. Broken down, 55 wins outright 48.2%, chops 1.1% and loses 50.6% — a margin of -2.4 points. Pair against two overcards — the classic coinflip, with the pair a shade ahead.
The same matchup shifts depending on how the suits overlap. With one shared suit the number is 48.8% (for example 5s 5h against 9s 8s); with no shared suit it is 48.8% (5s 5h against 9d 8d). That is a spread of 0.05 points across the 24 distinct card combinations, and it comes almost entirely from whether the two hands are fighting over the same flush.
Add a third player holding a random hand and the split becomes 55 34.7%, 98s 38.2%, random 27.1%. 55 gives up 14.1 points and 98s gives up 13, so the favourite loses more than the underdog does. Extra players always eat into the leader's share faster than into anyone else's.
Taken on their own, 55 is worth 60.3% against a random hand (rank 27 of 169) and 98s is worth 50.8% (rank 83). The gap between them in the ranking is only 9.5 points, yet head to head the gap is 2.4 points, which is roughly what the ranking table predicts.
Framed as a run of one hundred identical all-ins, 55 scoops roughly 48 pots, splits about 1, and loses the remaining 51. Against eight random opponents rather than this one specific hand, 55 would be down to 13.2% and 98s to 14.4%, so the shape of this particular confrontation matters far more than either hand's standing in the overall ranking.
From 98s's side, 51.2% is the break-even point for calling an all-in at 0.95:1 pot odds. Put another way, the call is profitable as long as the amount you have to put in is less than 51.2% of the pot you are playing for. 55 holds the other 48.8% of that same pot.
Two caveats keep this figure honest. First, it is showdown equity across all 24 card combinations with five board cards still to come — there is no fold equity in it, so the value of shoving in practice is usually higher than the raw percentage suggests. Second, it assumes 98s really does hold exactly 98s; against the wider range a player would actually get all in with, 55's 48.8% moves. Use the individual pages for 55 and 98s to see how each of them fares against all 168 other holdings before treating this single pairing as the whole picture.
Overlapping suits move the number
200,000 simulated showdowns per condition. The example column shows one concrete four-card layout.
| Condition | Example | Combos | 55 Equity | Win | Tie | Lose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No shared suit | 5s 5h vs 9d 8d | 12 | 48.8% | 48.3% | 1.1% | 50.6% |
| One shared suit | 5s 5h vs 9s 8s | 12 | 48.8% | 48.2% | 1.1% | 50.7% |
Adding a random third hand
200,000 simulated showdowns, with the third hand dealt at random each time.
At a bigger table
| Random opponents | 55 | 98s |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60.3% | 50.8% |
| 2 | 40.1% | 36.2% |
| 4 | 22.6% | 23.6% |
| 8 | 13.2% | 14.4% |
Related
FAQ
55 or 98s — which is ahead preflop?
98s is the favourite. 55 takes 48.8% and 98s 51.2%, a margin of 2.4 points, with 1.1% of hands ending in a chop.
Do the suits change 55 vs 98s?
Yes. With one shared suit it is 48.8%, and with no shared suit it is 48.8% — a swing of up to 0.05 points.
What happens three-way?
With one extra random hand in the pot the split is 55 34.7%, 98s 38.2%, random 27.1%. 55 drops 14.1 points compared with heads-up.
424 words / 31 distinct figures — Method