POSTFLOP ARCHETYPE · AhAsKs
Paired flop strategy — A A K (paired top)
Paired flops — boards with three cards where two share a rank — are the trickiest texture for the preflop raiser. The equity is concentrated in a small subset of hands: trips, the high overpair, full houses (rare). Most of the raiser's range is now reduced to a weak overpair or high-card holding. The caller's range, meanwhile, has roughly the same flat distribution as on any flop. The result is that c-bet frequencies drop dramatically — usually to 40-50% range — and check ranges become protected with strong holdings to prevent caller-side donking.
Range equity by scenario
| Scenario | IP equity | OOP equity |
|---|---|---|
| BTN open · BB call · SRP · 100bb | 54.4% | 46.1% |
| CO open · BB call · SRP · 100bb | 54.5% | 46.5% |
| SB 3-bet · BTN call · 3BP · 100bb | 43.7% | 58.5% |
Solver action mixes
BTN open · BB call · SRP · 100bb
AAK is a near-extreme example: the raiser hits trips/full house at ~5% (every Ax in range), but ~85% of the range is air. C-bet about 50% with the strong stuff, plus a polar bluff slice.
IP action mix
- Bet 33%: 67.6%
- Bet 75%: 8.2%
- Check: 24.2%
OOP action mix
- Check (plan x/r): 89.7%
- Donk 25%: 2.3%
- Check-raise plan: 8.0%
CO open · BB call · SRP · 100bb
CO's tighter opening range has more Ax combos than BTN, so trips frequency is slightly higher. C-bet sizing stays small.
IP action mix
- Bet 33%: 67.7%
- Bet 75%: 7.2%
- Check: 25.1%
OOP action mix
- Check (plan x/r): 89.4%
- Donk 25%: 2.4%
- Check-raise plan: 8.2%
SB 3-bet · BTN call · 3BP · 100bb
AAK in a 3-bet pot is a dream for the 3-bettor — SB's range is overpair-heavy. Small c-bet at near-range frequency.
IP action mix
- Bet 33%: 61.2%
- Bet 75%: 4.0%
- Check: 34.8%
OOP action mix
- Check (plan x/r): 82.4%
- Donk 25%: 4.5%
- Check-raise plan: 13.1%
Frequently asked
Why don't we just c-bet our entire range on AAK?
Because the caller's range is also weighted toward overcards and low-equity holdings. Bombing every flop gives the caller cheap pot odds to call with backdoor hands, and the river often arrives without your range improving. Instead, you size small with a high-frequency mix and bake in a check range to prevent caller-side turn donks.
How does AAK differ from 7 7 4 (low paired)?
Direction of equity. AAK favors the preflop raiser (Ax in range gets trips). 7 7 4 is more flat — the caller's wider defending range contains roughly proportional 7x compared to the raiser. C-bet frequency is similar (40-50%) but the betting range composition is more polar on low paired flops.