Quick answer
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TT by the numbers
- vs 1 random hand
- 75%
- all-in equity
- vs 5 random hands
- 30%
- full 6-max table
- Flop a set or better
- 11.8%
- about 1 in 8.5
- How often dealt
- 0.45%
- 1 in 221
How to play TT by position
6-max cash game, around 100 big blinds deep.
- Early position (UTG)
- Open-raise. Tens are comfortably ahead of most hands that will call.
- Middle position (hijack)
- Open-raise, and 3-bet or call against an open depending on the opener’s range.
- Late position (cutoff, button)
- Open-raise, and 3-bet against cutoff or button opens.
- Blinds
- Raise when folded to. Against an open you can 3-bet late-position raisers and call tight early raisers.
- Facing a raise
- Against an early open, calling is fine; against a late open, 3-bet. Facing a 4-bet at 100bb, tens are usually a fold unless the opponent is very loose.
After the flop
- On low flops like 7♦ 4♠ 2♣ you have an overpair: bet for value and protection.
- When one or two overcards flop, check more and play for pot control.
- When the pot is small, a set is the hand that wins big pots; don’t build a huge pot with one pair against heavy action.
TT against common hands
Tens win 81.1% against 99, a classic overpair-versus-underpair matchup, and 57.1% against AKo. Against AQs, the suited overcards win more often than you might expect, and tens win 53.8%.
| Against | TT wins | Tie | TT loses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9-9 | 81.1% | 0.4% | 18.5% |
| A-K offsuit | 57.1% | 0.3% | 42.6% |
| A-Q suited | 53.8% | 0.4% | 45.8% |
All-in before the flop, exact results from every possible board. Suits as dealt in our example; figures shift slightly with other suit combinations.
What TT makes by the river
If you see all five board cards, your best five-card hand ends up as each of these this often. Exact figures from every possible board.
- Straight flush0.02%
- Four of a kind0.8%
- Full house8.6%
- Flush1.9%
- Straight2.4%
- Three of a kind11.7%
- Two pair39.5%
- One pair35.1%
Common mistakes with TT
- Calling a 4-bet before the flop against a tight player, who will often have a bigger pair or AK.
- Betting every street on boards with high cards where your hand has become a bluff-catcher.
- Limping tens and letting several players in cheaply.
Where TT sits in the chart
Suited hands above the diagonal, offsuit below, pairs on it. Number = equity against one random hand. A white dot means the hand has a full guide.
Pocket tens FAQ
Are pocket tens a premium hand?
They are strong but not premium. They play well before the flop, but overcards appear often, so they lose value after the flop more often than the top pairs.
Should I call a 3-bet with tens?
Often yes, especially in position. Calling keeps weaker hands in and lets you see a flop where you can make a set or an overpair.
How do I play tens with a short stack in a tournament?
With 15bb or less, tens are a standard shove from every position and an easy call against most all-ins.