How to Play King-Queen: Strong Broadway, Weak Against Aces
King-queen is a strong broadway hand that hates aces. Before the flop, K♠Q♠ has 70.9% against K♦J♦ and 75% against Q♦J♥, which it dominates, but only 30.1% against A♥K♦ or A♦Q♥. Even an ace with a small kicker is ahead: 43.2% for K♠Q♠ against A♥5♥. Against pairs below the queen it is close: 51.4% against 2♥2♦, 46.5% against J♥J♦.
King-queen suited facing a 3‑bet
In the cutoff with K♠Q♠, you open to 2.3bb, the small blind 3‑bets to 9.5bb and the big blind folds. Fold, call or 4‑bet to 23bb?
See the answer
Before the flop, K♠Q♠ against hands that 3‑bet:
| Small blind's hand | K♠Q♠'s equity |
|---|---|
| Q♦J♥ | 75% |
| K♦J♦ | 70.9% |
| T♥9♥ | 62.3% |
| J♥J♦ | 46.5% |
| A♥5♥ | 43.2% |
| A♥K♦ | 30.1% |
A 4‑bet gets action mostly from the aces and pairs that are ahead of K♠Q♠ or close to it, and folds out the hands it dominates. A call keeps those dominated hands in and plays the pot in position.
Before the flop: king-queen against one hand
| Opponent's hand | K♠Q♠'s equity |
|---|---|
| Q♦J♥ | 75% |
| K♦J♦ | 70.9% |
| T♥9♥ | 62.3% |
| 2♥2♦ | 51.4% |
| J♥J♦ | 46.5% |
| A♥5♥ | 43.2% |
| A♦Q♥ | 30.1% |
| A♥K♦ | 30.1% |
Top pair on K♣ 7♦ 2♥
| Opponent's hand | What it holds | K♠Q♠'s equity |
|---|---|---|
| Q♥T♥ | no pair | 92.2% |
| 8♣8♦ | pocket pair | 91.2% |
| A♣5♣ | ace-high | 82.1% |
| K♥J♥ | top pair, weaker kicker | 81.6% |
| A♦K♥ | top pair, better kicker | 12.7% |
Keep going
- Why A♥K♦ dominates it: dominated hands.
- The big aces that beat it: how to play ace-king.
- A pair against two higher cards: pair vs overcards.
- The king-high flop in detail: the king-high flop.
- Preflop decisions to practice: the preflop quiz.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- KJs, QJs and the other suited broadways: the suited broadway hands.
- KQo and the other unsuited high hands: offsuit broadway hands.
Sources
- Every equity is computed by exact enumeration with the app's equity module, checked on October 11, 2026.
- The answer to the spot follows rules written by the app's author; it does not come from a solver.