Equity vs Range: How to Calculate It, Step by Step
Equity vs range is the share of the pot your hand wins on average against every hand your opponent can hold, each one counted as many times as it has combinations. To calculate it: split the range into families, count the combinations in each, take your equity against each family, then compute the weighted average. The example below goes through the four steps with exact numbers.
The example: top pair against a calling range
You hold A♥K♣ and the board is K♥ 8♣ 3♦. Your opponent calls your flop bet, and you put them on three families of hands: sets (88 and 33), weaker kings (KQ, KJ, KT) and pairs from queens down to nines (QQ, JJ, TT, 99).
First, try one hand from that range in the calculator: enter A♥K♣ against 8♠8♦ with the board K♥ 8♣ 3♦.
Steps 1 and 2: the families and their combinations
Visible cards remove combinations: with the K♣ in your hand and the K♥ on the board, only two kings are left in the deck.
| Family | Possible combinations | Your equity against the family |
|---|---|---|
| Sets (88, 33) | 6 (3 each: one card of each pair is on the board) | 1.8% |
| Weaker kings (KQ, KJ, KT) | 24 (8 each: 2 kings × 4 cards) | 86.7% |
| Pairs from queens to nines | 24 (6 each) | 91.2% |
| Whole range | 54 | 79.3% |
The per-family equities come from the calculator. At the table you estimate them: a set leaves you almost drawing dead, while a dominated hand or a lower pair leaves you far ahead.
Step 3: a weighted average, not a simple one
Your equity against the range is 79.3%: (6 × 1.8 + 24 × 86.7 + 24 × 91.2) ÷ 54 = 79.3%. Each family counts in proportion to its number of combinations, and sets are only 6 of the 54.
The classic mistake is to average the three families as if they weighed the same: (1.8 + 86.7 + 91.2) ÷ 3 = 59.9%. That is almost 20 points below reality: enough to underrate your hand and pass up a value bet. Poker combinatorics explains how to count combinations in your head.
Step 4: compare it with the price
Equity decides nothing on its own: you compare it with the equity the bet requires, as for any call (see pot odds and expected value). And it assumes the hand goes to showdown: out of position or with a hand that plays poorly, you will realize less of it (see equity realization).
The common mistake: a range that is too wide or too tight
The calculation is exact, but it is only as good as the range. Forget the draws or add hands they would never call with, and the number changes. Build the range from what your opponent did on each street (see what is a range in poker), then check your estimates with a calculator away from the table: see our pick of the best poker equity calculators 2026.
Sources
- Equities computed by exact enumeration of every card to come, combination by combination, with this site's equity module (equityVsRange).
- Combinations: 6 per pocket pair, 4 per suited hand, 12 per offsuit hand, minus those that use a card already visible.