Tens or Better Pay Table Analysis

Tens or Better is a popular video poker game that is very similar to Jacks or Better. The difference is that in Tens or Better the minimum qualifying hand is a pair of Tens as opposed to a pair of Jacks. More hands will pay out, but they'll pay out less per win than in Jacks or Better. Because of this, Tens or Better has a worse payout percentage than Jacks or Better even though the minimum qualifying hand is lower.

This page will go over each of the common pay tables that are offered for Tens or Better. We'll also calculate the payout percentages for each pay table so you know which tables offer the best odds. We'll start with providing an overview of each pay table, then later down the page we'll go into depth explaining each pay table and its payout percentage. Let's get started:

Pay Table	Payout Percentage*
Full Pay (25/6/5) Tens or Better	99.14%
25/6/4 Tens or Better**	98.10%
25/5/5 Tens or Better**	97.99%
20/6/5 Tens or Better	97.96%
40/20/6/5 Tens or Better**	97.86%

*Please note that the pay percentages above were calculated assuming that the player was betting five coins per hand and playing with optimal strategy.

**These games are very rare and hard to find. Usually you will only see full pay machines or 20/6/5 machines at a casino.

Full Pay (25/6/5) Tens or Better - 99.14%

Full pay Tens or Better is the best pay table you can find on a Tens or Better machine. The maximum payout percentage you can attain is 99.14% (assuming you're betting five coins per hand and playing with perfect Tens or Better strategy). If you're not betting five coins, or are making mathematical mistakes, your payout percentage will fall drastically. Here is the full pay Tens or Better pay table:

Hand	Payout
Royal Flush	800
Straight Flush	50
Four of a Kind	25
Full House	6
Flush	5
Straight	4
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	2
Pair (Jacks or Better)	1

Please note that you must bet five coins per hand to receive the payout percentage listed above. If you do not bet five coins per hand you won't receive the Royal Flush bonus, and your pay percentage will suffer.

25/6/4 Tens or Better - 98.10%

25/6/4 Tens or Better is a very rare variant of Tens or Better video poker, but it is the best non-full pay version of the game out there. In 25/6/4 the Flush payout is cut to 4x instead of 5x, so the payout percentage falls over a full percent. Here's the pay table:

Hand	Payout
Royal Flush	800
Straight Flush	50
Four of a Kind	25
Full House	6
Flush	4
Straight	4
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	2
Pair (Jacks or Better)	1

25/5/5 Tens or Better - 97.99%

25/5/5 is another very rare variation of Tens or Better, but it can be found in certain places. 25/5/5 slashes the payouts for Full Houses from 6x to 5x, which effectively reduces the maximum payout percentage to 97.99%. Here's the pay table:

Hand	Payout
Royal Flush	800
Straight Flush	50
Four of a Kind	25
Full House	5
Flush	5
Straight	4
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	2
Pair (Jacks or Better)	1

20/6/5 Tens or Better - 97.96%

Besides full pay Tens or Better, 20/6/5 is the next most common variant. You'll see this game all over Vegas because it provides a better house edge for the casinos. 20/6/5 games slash the four of a kind payout to 20x instead of 25x. Here's the table:

Hand	Payout
Royal Flush	800
Straight Flush	50
Four of a Kind	20
Full House	6
Flush	5
Straight	4
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	2
Pair (Jacks or Better)	1

40/20/6/5 Tens or Better - 97.86%

This is another very rare version of Tens or Better, and we highly recommend avoiding it. Both the Straight Flush and Four of a Kind payouts are cut, so the house edge is increased significantly. Here's the pay table:

Hand	Payout
Royal Flush	800
Straight Flush	40
Four of a Kind	20
Full House	6
Flush	5
Straight	4
Three of a Kind	3
Two Pair	2
Pair (Jacks or Better)	1

The above tables cover almost everything you'll see at a Tens or Better machine. We always suggest to stick to the full pay version because it will provide you the best odds in the long run. Full pay Tens or Better games are not that rare, so there's no reason to play a lesser-paying game. Good luck!

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