4-Bet Value Range: The Hands That Stay Ahead When Called
A 4‑bet value range gathers the hands that stay ahead of the ones that call or 5‑bet. A♣A♦ has more than 80% against KK, QQ, JJ and AK. K♣K♦ has 70% against A♥K♠ but 18.7% against AA. Q♣Q♦ has 57.2% against A♥K♠ but less than 20% against AA and KK, and A♣K♦ dominates A♥Q♠ but loses to the pairs in the table.
A♣K♦ on the button facing the big blind's 3‑bet
You open to 2.5bb on the button with A♣K♦ and the big blind 3‑bets to 11bb. Fold, call, 4‑bet to 26bb or jam?
See the answer
After a 4‑bet to 26bb, the big blind can move all‑in (100bb). A♣K♦ would then call 74bb for a final pot of 200.5bb: it needs 36.9%. Against a 5‑bet range of QQ+ and AK, once A♣K♦'s blockers are taken into account (21 combinations left: 3 of AA, 3 of KK, 6 of QQ and 9 of AK), A♣K♦ has 38.8%: calling the jam stays profitable. The expected answer is the 4‑bet.
The candidate hands against the hands that continue
Preflop equity of the row hand against the column hand:
| Hand | Against A♥A♠ | Against K♥K♠ | Against Q♥Q♠ | Against A♥K♠ | Against A♥Q♠ | Against J♥J♠ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A♣A♦ | 50% | 81.3% | 80.9% | 92.6% | 92.1% | 80.5% |
| K♣K♦ | 18.7% | 50% | 81.2% | 70% | 71.6% | 80.9% |
| Q♣Q♦ | 19.1% | 18.8% | 50% | 57.2% | 69.8% | 81.3% |
| J♣J♦ | 19.5% | 19.1% | 18.7% | 57.3% | 57.3% | 50% |
| A♣K♦ | 7.4% | 30% | 42.8% | 50% | 74% | 42.7% |
Each pair crushes the lower pairs (more than 80%) and keeps only about 19% against the higher ones. A♣K♦ dominates A♥Q♠ but is ahead of no pair in the table.
Keep going
- The spot's hand in detail: how to play ace-king.
- The best starting hand: how to play pocket aces.
- Calling the 3‑bet instead of 4-betting: facing a 3‑bet in position.
- Counting the combinations in a range: poker combinatorics.
- Why AK crushes AQ: dominated hands.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- The bet before: what is a 3‑bet.
- What a 4‑bet is and what it costs: what is a 4‑bet.
Sources
- Every equity is computed by exact enumeration with the app's equity module, against one hand or against every combination of a range, checked on October 11, 2026.
- No 4‑bet chart: without solver exports it would be invented.
- The answer to the spot follows rules written by the app's author; it does not come from a solver.