Rose Bailey | January 7, 2023 | Updated on: August 8th, 2024
Tens or Better Video Poker Guide
Tens or Better is a popular version of Video Poker available in Australia. However, everything is not as it seems with this variant of the game. Tens of Better is based on Jacks or Better, but it is a worse version of Video Poker to play. You can think of it like this, Jacks or Better would be European Roulette, while Tens or Better is American Roulette.
Tens or Better seems like a good version of Video Poker, until you dig a bit deeper. You will then see that it is probably a better idea to avoid Tens or Better Video Poker. However, if you are still interested in learning how to play the game, we have created this comprehensive guide for Tens or Better.
Aussie Casinos offering Tens or Better Video Poker
How to Get Started in Tens or Better
Tens or Better follows a very similar set of rules to Jacks or Better, it is based on that version after all. The one main difference is that, in Jacks or Better, you need a pair of Jacks or better to qualify for a payout. However, in Tens or Better, you only need a pair of Tens to qualify for a payout. Besides that difference, the rules of the two games are the same.
How to Play Tens or Better
It is very easy to play Tens or Better Video Poker, and follows the same steps as any other variant. Below is a guide to follow to play your first few hands.
- Step 1 – Your first step is going to be signing up at one of our recommended casino sites that offers Tens or Better.
- Step 2 – Once your account has been created, you need to fund your account. Head over to the Deposit section and deposit money into your account.
- Step 3 – Once the money has cleared, you’re not free to start playing your favourite casino games. Head over to the Video Poker section and select Tens or Better.
- Step 4 – You will now receive five cards. Look for a potential winning hand and discard the hands that do not help your hand. You can discard all five if you need to.
- Step 5 – Once you discard the cards you don’t need, they will be replaced. Your hand will now be compared to the paytable. If your final hand is one of the winning hands, you will be paid out accordingly.
More Video Poker Guides
- Jacks or Better Video Poker
- Aces and Eights
- Bonus Video Poker
- Deuces Wild Video Poker
- Video Poker Myths
- Video Poker Tips
Tens or Better Video Poker Hand Rankings
Tens or Better uses the same Poker Hand Ranking Hierarchy as any other Poker game. If you are entirely unfamiliar with how Poker hands are ranked, below is a quick crash course.
- Royal Flush – The best hand in Tens or Better is the Royal Flush. This is made up of a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. They all need to be from the same suit.
- Straight Flush – Five cards in consecutive order (suck as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), from the same suit.
- Four of a Kind – Four Cards of the same rank
- Full House – A hand made up of a three of a kind, and a pair. For example 4, 4, 4, 9, 9.
- Flush – Five cards from the same suit, but the cards do not need to be in any order.
- Straight – Five cards in consecutive order, but from different suits
- Three of a Kind – Three cards of the same rank
- Two Pair – A hand made up of two separate pairs. Such as 2, 2, A, A, 6
- One Pair – A hand with a single pair of cards.
Tens or Better Video Poker Paytable
A good portion of the paytable in Tens or Better is the same as Jacks or Better. However, there are some noticeable differences that make Jacks or Better the better game to play. We will go over some of those difference after laying out the paytable for Tens or Better.
| 1 Coin | 2 Coin | 3 Coin | 4 Coin | 5 Coin | |
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Flush | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Tens or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| RTP | 97.85% | 97.85% | 97.85% | 97.85% | 99.13% |
Tens or Better Paytable Differences Between Jacks or Better
When we compare Tens or Better to Jacks or Better, we find that the payouts for the three strongest hands (Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind) are all the same. However, the payouts are less for the rest of the paytable. For example:
- Full House pays 9 Credits in Jacks or Better, but 6 in Tens or Better.
- Flush pays 6 Credits in Jacks or Better, but 5 in Tens or Better
While these may seem like small changes, it means the house edge in Jacks or better is 1.63%, while it is 2.15% in Tens or Better.
Winning Strategy for Tens or Better Video Poker
By now, we’re sure you can see that the best winning strategy for Tens or Better is to walk away and play Jacks or Better instead. However, should you be unable to play Jacks or Better at your chosen casino, here is the winning strategy to use for Tens or Better.
| Hand | Decision |
| Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, Royal Flush | Do Nothing |
| Four Cards needed for a Royal Flush | Replace One Card |
| Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House | Do Nothing |
| Four Cards needed for a Straight Flush | Replace One Card |
| Two Pair | Replace One Card |
| One High Value Pair (10s or Better) | Replace Three Cards |
| Three Cards needed for a Royal Flush | Replace Two Cards |
| Four Cards Needed for a Flush | Replace One Card |
| Four Cards for an Open Ended Straight, J, Q, or K | Replace One Card |
| 9, 10, Jack from Same Suit | Replace Two Cards |
| Low Pair (2 – 9) | Replace Three Cards |
| Four Cards for an Open Ended Straight, any other Cards | Replace One Card |
| Three Cards for a Straight, 2-2 Gaps, + 2 High Cards | Replace One Card |
| Q, J; Q, 10; J, 10 from the same suit | Replace Three Cards |
| Four Cards Needed for a Straight, with four high cards | Replace One Card |
| Three Cards Needed for a Straight, No Gaps or High Cards | Replace Two Cards |
| Two High Value Cards of the Same Suit | Replace Three Cards |
| Four Cards needed for an Inside Straight with Three High Cards | Replace One Card |
| Three High Value Cards from different Suits, No Ace | Replace Two Cards |
| Two High Cards, Different Suits, No Ace | Replace Three Cards |
| Three Cards for a Straight Flush, 1 Gap, No High Cards | Replace Two Cards |
| One High Value Card, 10 – Ace | Replace Four Cards |
| Three Cards for a Straight Flush, two gaps, no High Cards | Replace Two Cards |
| No Good Cards | Replace all Five Cards |