KQs vs KJs
Domination — a shared rank turns this into a kicker fight, and kicker fights are lopsided.
- KQs Win
- 68.4%
- Tie
- 5.2%
- KQs Lose
- 26.4%
- Card combinations
- 12
- KQs vs random
- 63.4% · #16
- KJs vs random
- 62.5% · #20
Win, tie and loss for KQs
When KQs and KJs get all in before the flop, KQs wins 71.0% of the time and KJs takes 29.0%. Broken down, KQs wins outright 68.4%, chops 5.2% and loses 26.4% — a margin of 42 points. Domination — a shared rank turns this into a kicker fight, and kicker fights are lopsided.
The same matchup shifts depending on how the suits overlap. With no shared suit the number is 71.0% (for example Ks Qs against Kh Jh); with no shared suit it is 71.0% (Ks Qs against Kh Jh). That is a spread of 0 points across the 12 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 45.7%, KJs 25.1%, random 29.1%. KQs gives up 25.3 points and KJs gives up 3.9, 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, KQs is worth 63.4% against a random hand (rank 16 of 169) and KJs is worth 62.5% (rank 20). The gap between them in the ranking is only 0.9 points, yet head to head the gap is 42 points — a reminder that a ranking table and a direct matchup are two different questions.
Framed as a run of one hundred identical all-ins, KQs scoops roughly 68 pots, splits about 5, and loses the remaining 26. Against eight random opponents rather than this one specific hand, KQs would be down to 20.4% and KJs to 19.0%, so the shape of this particular confrontation matters far more than either hand's standing in the overall ranking.
From KJs's side, 29.0% is the break-even point for calling an all-in at 2.45:1 pot odds. Put another way, the call is profitable as long as the amount you have to put in is less than 29.0% of the pot you are playing for. KQs holds the other 71.0% of that same pot.
Two caveats keep this figure honest. First, it is showdown equity across all 12 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 KJs really does hold exactly KJs; against the wider range a player would actually get all in with, KQs's 71.0% moves. Use the individual pages for KQs and KJs 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 Kh Jh | 12 | 71.0% | 68.4% | 5.2% | 26.4% |
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 83.6% of the time and KJs 16.4%, 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, KJs comes back on the turn and river 17.4% of the time. When KJs leads on the flop, KQs turns it around 25.3% of the time. The hand in front holds on to win 76.2% of the time from the flop and 84.7% from the turn (level spots left out).
With the turn out, KQs leads 77.1% and KJs 21.5%. Counted exhaustively, KQs finishes with 70.85% equity (the 71.0% at the top of the page is a 200,000-hand simulation).
| After the flop | How often | KQs wins | Tie | KJs wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KQs ahead | 83.6% | 76.7% | 5.91% | 17.4% |
| Level (same hand) | 0% | Never happens | ||
| KJs ahead | 16.4% | 25.3% | 1.30% | 73.4% |
| After the turn | How often | KQs wins | Tie | KJs wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KQs ahead | 77.1% | 84.5% | 5.10% | 10.4% |
| Level (same hand) | 1.37% | 13.4% | 77.0% | 9.61% |
| KJs ahead | 21.5% | 13.7% | 0.776% | 85.5% |
"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 | KJs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63.4% | 62.5% |
| 2 | 47.2% | 46.1% |
| 4 | 32.3% | 30.9% |
| 8 | 20.4% | 19.0% |
Related
FAQ
KQs or KJs — which is ahead preflop?
KQs is the favourite. KQs takes 71.0% and KJs 29.0%, a margin of 42 points, with 5.2% of hands ending in a chop.
Do the suits change KQs vs KJs?
Yes. With no shared suit it is 71.0%, and with no shared suit it is 71.0% — a swing of up to 0 points.
What happens three-way?
With one extra random hand in the pot the split is KQs 45.7%, KJs 25.1%, random 29.1%. KQs drops 25.3 points compared with heads-up.
How often does the flop leader lose in KQs vs KJs?
The hand ahead on the flop goes on to lose 18.7% of the time (level spots left out). When KQs leads, KJs comes back 17.4%. When KJs leads, KQs comes back 25.3%. Exact counts over every flop, turn and river.
433 words / 27 distinct figures — Method