A4s
55.91%
Wins 55.66%, ties 0.51%
97s
44.09%
Wins 43.83%, ties 0.51%
A4s against 97s: the numbers
| Hand | Wins | Ties | Loses | Equity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4s | 55.655 | 0.508 | 43.837 | 55.909 |
| 97s | 43.837 | 0.508 | 55.655 | 44.091 |
This is a contest between two suited hands, A4s and 97s. The two hands share no rank, which makes this a pure matchup of card strength, straight chances and flush chances.
That is a modest edge, the kind that shows up over many hands and is easy to miss in one. Split pots make up 0.51% of the boards, and both equity figures count them as half a win each.
For context, A4s sits at number 35 of 169 starting hands and 97s at number 94 when each is run against a random hand.
| Hand | Boards won, about | Boards tied, about | Boards lost, about |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4s | 15,248,000 | 139,000 | 12,010,000 |
| 97s | 12,010,000 | 139,000 | 15,248,000 |
16 specific deals times 1,712,304 boards gives the exact total. The won, tied and lost counts are approximations from the five-decimal percentages, rounded to the nearest thousand.
| Hand | Equity as odds (to 1) | Wins one deal in | Loses one deal in | Pot odds needed to call (to 1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4s | 1.268 | 1.797 | 2.281 | 0.789 |
| 97s | 0.789 | 2.281 | 1.797 | 1.268 |
The last column is the smallest pot odds, written as a pot-to-call ratio, at which a call breaks even with this equity.
Who is ahead on which flops
Across the five flop textures A4s' equity moves by 23.43 points, from 38.12% on low rainbow flops (nine high or lower) to 61.55% on paired flops. The lead reverses on low rainbow flops (nine high or lower): there 97s is the favorite even though A4s is ahead overall.
| Flop | Share of flops | A4s wins | Ties | 97s wins | A4s equity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow, ten or higher | 25.220 | 58.687 | 0.221 | 41.092 | 58.797 |
| Rainbow, nine or lower | 5.689 | 37.818 | 0.595 | 61.587 | 38.115 |
| Two-tone | 46.727 | 54.568 | 0.265 | 45.167 | 54.701 |
| Monotone | 5.273 | 52.000 | 3.427 | 44.573 | 53.714 |
| Paired | 17.091 | 61.221 | 0.665 | 38.114 | 61.554 |
A rainbow flop shows three suits, a two-tone flop repeats one suit, a monotone flop is a single suit, and a paired flop repeats a rank.
Compared with a random hand
Start from the random-hand figures, 59.03% for A4s and 49.12% for 97s. This opponent changes them by -3.12 and -5.03 points.
| Case | Equity here | Against a random hand | Change in points | Times the random-hand equity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4s, all flops | 55.909 | 59.034 | -3.125 | 0.94706 |
| A4s, rainbow, ten or higher | 58.797 | 59.034 | -0.237 | 0.99599 |
| A4s, rainbow, nine or lower | 38.115 | 59.034 | -20.919 | 0.64564 |
| A4s, two-tone | 54.701 | 59.034 | -4.333 | 0.92660 |
| A4s, monotone | 53.714 | 59.034 | -5.320 | 0.90988 |
| A4s, paired | 61.554 | 59.034 | +2.520 | 1.04269 |
| 97s, all flops | 44.091 | 49.118 | -5.027 | 0.89765 |
| 97s, rainbow, ten or higher | 41.203 | 49.118 | -7.915 | 0.83886 |
| 97s, rainbow, nine or lower | 61.885 | 49.118 | +12.767 | 1.25993 |
| 97s, two-tone | 45.299 | 49.118 | -3.819 | 0.92225 |
| 97s, monotone | 46.286 | 49.118 | -2.832 | 0.94234 |
| 97s, paired | 38.446 | 49.118 | -10.672 | 0.78273 |
Does a shared suit matter?
Suit overlap shows up in the numbers. With a suit in common A4s has 57.63% equity, and with none in common it has 55.34%. A4s does better with a shared suit, by 2.29 points.
| Deals | Specific deals | Share of deals | A4s wins | Ties | 97s wins | A4s equity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share a suit | 4 | 25.00 | 57.333 | 0.589 | 42.078 | 57.628 |
| No shared suit | 12 | 75.00 | 55.096 | 0.481 | 44.423 | 55.337 |
How often this matchup comes up
You will meet this exact matchup 0.0020% of the time in a random heads-up deal: 32 of 1,624,350, counting either seat order.
A worked example
With $100 from each side, the $200 pot is split on average as $111.82 for A4s and $88.18 for 97s; the first side gains $11.82 per all-in and the second gives up $11.82.
Over a long run, 1,000 deals split into about 557 for A4s, 438 for 97s and 5 tied.
The same matchup from the other side
One page covers both views. From 97s' side the equity is 44.09%, and from A4s' side it is 55.91%.
Keep exploring
Try As4s against 9h7h in the calculator: the hands share no suit, and every card can be changed. The links after it are the closest matchups in the ranking.
How this was computed
Nothing here is simulated. The 16 deals of A4s against 97s fall into a few suit patterns, each dealt against all 1,712,304 boards, with both best five-card hands compared on every board. Ties give each hand half a win, and the flop rows count a board under each of its ten flops.
Source: our own exact count from the GeorgeLiPoker poker math library. No outside data is used.
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