KK vs QQ
A pair of kings against a pair of queens, all in before the flop. One step down from aces against kings, and almost exactly the same numbers.
Also written as kings vs queens.
The numbers
KK
a pair of kings
81.9%
equity
a pair of queens
18.1%
equity
| Outcome | Share of boards |
|---|---|
| KK wins | 81.7% |
| QQ wins | 17.8% |
| Split pot | 0.5% |
Exact, not simulated. KK means a pair of kings and QQ means a pair of queens: 36 legal ways to deal the two hands, and every one of the 1,712,304 possible five-card boards dealt for each — 61,642,944 board-and-hand combinations in total, each one scored by the same evaluator the calculator uses. Combinations that are the same hand with the suits renamed were counted once and weighted by how many they stand for: 3 distinct suit patterns stand in for all 36, which is the same answer for 12 times less work.
Why it comes out this way
The pair of kings is ahead before a card is dealt, and only the board can change that. Just two queens are left in the deck, so the pair of queens normally has to catch one of those two cards to take the lead.
The pair of queens wins 17.8% of the time: three of a kind from one of those two cards, or a straight or a flush built almost entirely out of community cards.
The two hands split the pot 0.5% of the time, on the boards where the five community cards themselves are the best five cards for both players.
Open it in the calculator
The link below deals one typical version of this matchup — Kof spadesKof hearts against Qof spadesQof diamonds — into the calculator, with both hands set and the board empty. Add community cards one at a time to watch the equity move, or change a card to see how much the suits are worth.