KQs vs 55
Pair against two overcards — the classic coinflip, with the pair a shade ahead.
- KQs Win
- 49.1%
- Tie
- 0.6%
- KQs Lose
- 50.3%
- Card combinations
- 24
- KQs vs random
- 63.4% · #16
- 55 vs random
- 60.3% · #27
Win, tie and loss for KQs
When KQs and 55 get all in before the flop, KQs wins 49.4% of the time and 55 takes 50.6%. Broken down, KQs wins outright 49.1%, chops 0.6% and loses 50.3% — a margin of -1.2 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 49.4% (for example Ks Qs against 5s 5h); with no shared suit it is 49.4% (Ks Qs against 5h 5d). That is a spread of 0.07 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 KQs 42.0%, 55 35.9%, random 22.2%. KQs gives up 7.4 points and 55 gives up 14.8, so the underdog loses more than the favourite does. Extra players always eat into the leader's share faster than into anyone else's.
Taken on their own, KQs is worth 63.4% against a random hand (rank 16 of 169) and 55 is worth 60.3% (rank 27). The gap between them in the ranking is only 3.1 points, yet head to head the gap is 1.2 points, which is roughly what the ranking table predicts.
Framed as a run of one hundred identical all-ins, KQs scoops roughly 49 pots, splits about one, and loses the remaining 50. Against eight random opponents rather than this one specific hand, KQs would be down to 20.4% and 55 to 13.2%, so the shape of this particular confrontation matters far more than either hand's standing in the overall ranking.
From 55's side, 50.6% is the break-even point for calling an all-in at 0.98:1 pot odds. Put another way, the call is profitable as long as the amount you have to put in is less than 50.6% of the pot you are playing for. KQs holds the other 49.4% 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 55 really does hold exactly 55; against the wider range a player would actually get all in with, KQs's 49.4% moves. Use the individual pages for KQs and 55 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 | KQs Equity | Win | Tie | Lose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No shared suit | Ks Qs vs 5h 5d | 12 | 49.4% | 49.1% | 0.6% | 50.3% |
| One shared suit | Ks Qs vs 5s 5h | 12 | 49.4% | 49.0% | 0.6% | 50.3% |
Who leads on each street, and how often it flips
Exact counts from the 48 unseen cards: all 17,296 flops × 990 turn-and-river pairs, and all 194,580 four-card turns × 44 rivers, for every suit combination — no simulation.
When the three flop cards are out, KQs is ahead 32.2% of the time and 55 67.8%, and the two hands are never level on the flop. "Ahead" means the better best-five-card hand from the cards showing plus the two hole cards; draws are not counted.
When KQs leads on the flop, 55 comes back on the turn and river 10.8% of the time. When 55 leads on the flop, KQs turns it around 30.4% of the time. The hand in front holds on to win 75.3% of the time from the flop and 86.1% from the turn (level spots left out).
With the turn out, KQs leads 41.5% and 55 58.5%. Counted exhaustively, KQs finishes with 49.48% equity (the 49.4% at the top of the page is a 200,000-hand simulation).
| After the flop | How often | KQs wins | Tie | 55 wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KQs ahead | 32.2% | 88.8% | 0.351% | 10.8% |
| Level (same hand) | 0% | Never happens | ||
| 55 ahead | 67.8% | 30.4% | 0.683% | 68.9% |
| After the turn | How often | KQs wins | Tie | 55 wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KQs ahead | 41.5% | 93.0% | 0.414% | 6.61% |
| Level (same hand) | 0% | Never happens | ||
| 55 ahead | 58.5% | 18.1% | 0.691% | 81.2% |
"Ahead" compares the best five-card hands available at that point (draws are not counted). "Flips" is the share of leads that end in a loss, with level spots left out.
Adding a random third hand
200,000 simulated showdowns, with the third hand dealt at random each time.
At a bigger table
| Random opponents | KQs | 55 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63.4% | 60.3% |
| 2 | 47.2% | 40.1% |
| 4 | 32.3% | 22.6% |
| 8 | 20.4% | 13.2% |
Related
FAQ
KQs or 55 — which is ahead preflop?
55 is the favourite. KQs takes 49.4% and 55 50.6%, a margin of 1.2 points, with 0.6% of hands ending in a chop.
Do the suits change KQs vs 55?
Yes. With one shared suit it is 49.4%, and with no shared suit it is 49.4% — a swing of up to 0.07 points.
What happens three-way?
With one extra random hand in the pot the split is KQs 42.0%, 55 35.9%, random 22.2%. KQs drops 7.4 points compared with heads-up.
How often does the flop leader lose in KQs vs 55?
The hand ahead on the flop goes on to lose 24.1% of the time (level spots left out). When KQs leads, 55 comes back 10.8%. When 55 leads, KQs comes back 30.4%. Exact counts over every flop, turn and river.
424 words / 28 distinct figures — Method