King-High Flop: Why K‑7‑2 and K‑J‑T Play Nothing Alike
A king-high flop can be one of the safest boards for top pair or one of the most dangerous. On K♠ 7♦ 2♥, A♠K♦ keeps 92.2% to 93.7% against Q♦J♦, A♥Q♥, Q♠9♠ and 9♣8♣. On K♥ 7♣ 2♣, the two clubs give 9♣8♣ a flush draw and 39.3% against it. On K♥ J♥ T♣, A♥Q♥ and Q♠9♠ already have a straight, and top pair is left with 7.2% and 15.4%.
Nine-eight of clubs on K♥ 7♣ 2♣
In the big blind with 9♣8♣, you called a button open. The flop is K♥ 7♣ 2♣, you check and the button bets 25% of the pot. Fold, call or raise 4x?
See the answer
A 25% bet asks for 16.7% equity. 9♣8♣ has a 9-out flush draw:
| Button's hand | 9♣8♣'s equity |
|---|---|
| 6♦6♠, small pocket pair | 56.3% |
| Q♠J♠, two high cards | 55.6% |
| A♣Q♦, ace of clubs, no pair | 49.3% |
| A♠K♦, top pair | 39.3% |
| K♦Q♦, top pair | 39.3% |
| 7♠7♦, set | 27.4% |
Against every hand in this table, 9♣8♣ has more than the 16.7% the price asks for.
The same top pair on three king-high flops
Equity of A♠K♦ with the turn and river to come:
| Opponent's hand | K♠ 7♦ 2♥ | K♥ 7♣ 2♣ | K♥ J♥ T♣ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9♣8♣ | 93.6% | 60.7% | 78.8% |
| Q♦J♦ | 92.2% | 95.7% | 66.3% |
| A♥Q♥ | 93.7% | 93.6% | 7.2% |
| Q♠9♠ | 93.3% | 96.9% | 15.4% |
| 7♠7♥ | 1.6% | 1.6% | 85.4% |
What each hand holds
| Opponent's hand | K♠ 7♦ 2♥ | K♥ 7♣ 2♣ | K♥ J♥ T♣ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9♣8♣ | nothing, 0 outs | flush draw, 9 outs | open-ended straight draw, 8 outs |
| Q♦J♦ | nothing, 0 outs | nothing, 0 outs | pair of jacks and open-ended straight draw, 8 outs |
| A♥Q♥ | nothing | nothing | straight |
| Q♠9♠ | nothing | nothing | straight |
| 7♠7♥ | set | set | underpair |
These outs count every card that completes the draw. Against A♠K♦ on K♥ J♥ T♣, fewer of them win: a queen gives 9♣8♣ a straight but A♠K♦ a higher one, and A♠K♦ holds one of the aces that would complete Q♦J♦'s straight.
Keep going
- The c‑bet on a dry king-high board: c‑bet on dry boards.
- The ace-high version: the ace-high dry flop.
- What a second card of one suit changes: the two-tone flop.
- The flush draw against top pair: flush draw vs top pair.
- Another dry texture: paired board strategy.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- The hand ace-king dominates: how to play ace-queen.
- The broadway hand that hates aces: how to play king-queen.
Sources
- Every equity is computed by exact enumeration of the remaining cards with the app's equity module, and outs are recounted from the cards; the price of the call comes from bet ÷ (pot + 2 × bet), 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.