Suited Aces: The Flush, the Kicker and a Small Blind Spot
Suited aces are aces whose flush, when it comes, is always the highest. Being suited adds a few points: A♣5♣ has 34.5% against 7♥7♦, A♠5♦ only 30.4%. Against a middle pair, the kicker splits them into two groups: A♣K♣ has 47.7% against 8♥8♦, A♣5♣ 34.3%. And 11.8% of flops give a suited ace a flush draw or a made flush.
A♣5♣ in the small blind facing a button open
The button opens to 2bb and you are in the small blind with A♣5♣. Fold, call or 3‑bet to 9bb?
See the answer
The ace in A♣5♣ takes strong hands away from the button: it has 3 combinations of AA left instead of 6, and 12 of AK instead of 16. When the 3‑bet is called, before the flop:
| Button's hand | A♣5♣'s equity |
|---|---|
| K♥Q♥ | 56.8% |
| Q♦J♦ | 55.4% |
| T♥9♥ | 54.1% |
| A♥5♦ | 52.5% |
| A♦9♦ | 34.9% |
| 9♥9♦ | 34.2% |
| A♦Q♥ | 32.5% |
| A♥K♦ | 31.9% |
The 3‑bet folds out part of the button's wide open, and when called, A♣5♣ is still ahead of broadways without an ace and suited connectors. A call out of position lets the button see a cheap flop with its whole opening range.
Suited or offsuit: what the flush is worth
| Opponent's hand | A♣5♣ (suited) | A♠5♦ (offsuit) |
|---|---|---|
| K♦Q♥ | 60.6% | 57.7% |
| K♥9♥ | 57.8% | 55.2% |
| J♥T♥ | 54% | 51.2% |
| 7♥7♦ | 34.5% | 30.4% |
| Q♦Q♥ | 33.6% | 29.4% |
| A♥K♦ | 31.9% | 27.1% |
On every row the suited version gains a few points. They come from the flushes, which are always the highest flush possible.
Suited aces against a middle pair
| Hand | Equity against 8♥8♦ |
|---|---|
| A♣K♣ | 47.7% |
| A♣Q♣ | 47.6% |
| A♣J♣ | 47.5% |
| A♣T♣ | 47.4% |
| A♣9♣ | 45.9% |
| A♣8♣ | 34.1% |
| A♣7♣ | 32.9% |
| A♣5♣ | 34.3% |
| A♣4♣ | 34.1% |
| A♣2♣ | 33.6% |
With two cards above the eight, the suited ace is close to a coin flip. Below the nine it has only one card above, and the kicker barely matters: about a third.
What the flop gives a suited ace
There are 11 cards of your suit among the 50 unseen cards, and 19,600 possible flops.
| The flop has | Flops | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| three cards of your suit (made flush) | 165 | 0.8% |
| two cards of your suit (flush draw) | 2,145 | 10.9% |
| one card of your suit (backdoor) | 8,151 | 41.6% |
| no card of your suit | 9,139 | 46.6% |
Keep going
- The strongest version: how to play ace-king.
- Why A♥K♦ dominates A♣5♣: dominated hands.
- The flush draw against a pair: flush draw vs top pair.
- Why the small blind plays out of position: poker positions.
- Preflop decisions to practice: the preflop quiz.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- The other family of suited hands: suited connectors.
- Two high cards of the same suit without an ace: suited broadway hands.
- The offsuit side of small aces: weak aces.
- The same idea with a king: suited kings.
- Counting suited aces in a range: poker combinatorics.
- A♣5♣ in the small blind against the button: cold call vs 3‑bet.
- A♠8♠ in the small blind against the button: small blind strategy.
- A♥9♥ on the button facing a limp: limping in poker.
- A♠5♠ on the button when everyone folds: blind stealing.
- How much being suited really adds: suited vs offsuit.
- The lowest straight, ace to five: the wheel straight.
Sources
- Every equity is computed by exact enumeration with the app's equity module, checked on October 11, 2026; the flop frequencies are combination counts.
- The answer to the spot follows rules written by the app's author; it does not come from a solver.