How to Play Tens or Better Video Poker
Tens or Better is one of the less common forms of video poker. Casinos don’t often provide this game for the simple fact that it gives players even better odds of producing a winning hand than the more traditional Jacks or Better video poker game. However, in typical casino operator fashion, the payout ratios are reduced in Tens or Better Video Poker to offset the slight incline in winning hands.
Tens or Better Video Poker can be found at some Microgaming online casinos, but not all of them. For some gamers, the benefit of playing at Microgaming online casinos is that the player has the option to play a bonus round for double-or-nothing on all winning hands.
The following rules and pay table are based on Tens or Better Video Poker games at Microgaming online casinos. Playing at any other live or online casino may result in a variable pay table, for better or worse.
Let’s take a look at the basic screen options of Tens or Better Video Poker.
- Optional Coin Sizes: $0.25, $0.50, $1, $2, $5
- Coins per Play: 1 to 5
- Min / Max Bet: $0.25 / $25
- Max Payout: 4000 Coins
- Lowest Winning Hand: Pair of Tens or Better
How to Play Tens or Better Video Poker
The player should first select a desired coin size by clicking on the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons. Next, choose how many coins to play by pressing the Bet One button as many times as desired, then press Deal to start the game. Pressing the Bet Max button will bet the maximum 5 coins and automatically deal the cards.
Five cards are dealt face-up as your starting hand. You may choose to keep or dispose of any of these cards by clicking on them to produce a HELD sign on any card you wish to keep. All others will be discarded and replaced with new cards.
Press the Deal button when ready. All HELD cards will remain, while the rest are swapped for new ones to produce your final hand. If the rank of the hand results in a Pair of Tens, or anything better, the pay table will highlight the corresponding hand rank and payout. If not, the bet is lost.
Any time a player wins a hand, they are given the option to play the Double feature. This is a quick game of high-low in which the player can either double their winnings, or lose it all. To accept, press Double. To decline and keep the current winnings, press Collect.
Tens or Better Video Poker Double Feature
When a player agrees to play the Double feature in Tens or Better Video Poker, they are dealt a new hand of 5 cards. Only the first card is visible. This is the card the player must beat. The player will click on any one of the face-down cards. If their chosen card ranks higher than the first, they win. If not, all winnings from the previous video poker hand are lost and the game screen returns to normal.
Every time a player successfully doubles their winnings, they are presented with another chance to double those winnings. To press your luck, click Double again, or to keep the winnings, press Collect.
Tens or Better Video Poker Pay Table
| Bet 1 | Bet 2 | Bet 3 | Bet 4 | Bet 5 | |
| Royal Flush | 500 | 1000 | 2000 | 3000 | 4000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| 4 of a Kind (5s-Ks) | 25 | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Full House | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Flush | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| 3 of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| 2 Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Tens or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Casinos love setting us up with ‘better odds’ only to tweak payouts. Frustrating!