How to Play Pocket Tens: Strong Pair, Many Overcards
Pocket tens are a strong pair that faces many overcards. Before the flop they are ahead of smaller hands (81.3% against 9♠9♥) and close to a coin flip against A♠K♠ (53.9%), but far behind bigger pairs: 18.7% against J♠J♥. On the flop, at least one ace, king, queen or jack arrives 69.5% of the time, and a set or better only 11.8% of the time. Without an overcard, TT is usually well ahead.
Tens facing a 3‑bet
In middle position with T♣T♦, you open to 2.5bb and the cutoff 3‑bets to 9bb. Fold, call, 4‑bet to 22bb or jam?
See the answer
Before the flop, T♣T♦ against hands that 3‑bet:
| Cutoff's hand | T♣T♦'s equity |
|---|---|
| 9♠9♥ | 81.3% |
| A♥Q♦ | 56.9% |
| A♠K♠ | 53.9% |
| Q♠Q♥ | 19.1% |
| J♠J♥ | 18.7% |
T♣T♦ is a slight favorite against two overcards and a big underdog against bigger pairs. A 4‑bet folds most of the hands it beats and gets action from the bigger pairs that crush it and from A‑K, a near coin flip; a call keeps the pot smaller and lets the 11.8% of sets or better win a big pot.
After the flop: overcards decide
| Flop | Opponent's hand | T♣T♦'s equity |
|---|---|---|
| Q♠ 7♦ 2♣ | Q♥J♥, top pair | 8.8% |
| Q♠ 7♦ 2♣ | A♠Q♦, top pair | 8.8% |
| Q♠ 7♦ 2♣ | A♣K♦, two overcards | 75.3% |
| Q♠ 7♦ 2♣ | 9♠8♠, no pair | 91.2% |
| 8♠ 5♦ 2♥ | A♣K♦, two overcards | 74.4% |
| 8♠ 5♦ 2♥ | J♥9♥, no pair | 80% |
| 8♠ 5♦ 2♥ | 6♠6♥, smaller pair | 86.8% |
Tens on A‑T‑4‑7‑K
On the button with T♣T♦, your flop c‑bet on A♥ T♠ 4♣ was called, the 7♦ turn went check-check, and the big blind checks the K♣ river. Check back, bet 30% or bet 90%?
See the answer
The board is complete, so each call is a win or a loss for T♣T♦ (set of tens):
| Big blind's hand | Result for T♣T♦ |
|---|---|
| A♠Q♠, pair of aces | win |
| K♥Q♥, pair of kings | win |
| 7♣6♣, pair of sevens | win |
| Q♦J♦, straight | loss |
| A♣A♦, set of aces | loss |
A set of tens beats every one-pair hand that can call. A small bet keeps those pairs calling; a big one gets called mostly by the straight and the bigger sets.
Keep going
- Calling to flop a set: implied odds.
- A pair against two higher cards: pair vs overcards.
- The strongest pair: how to play pocket aces.
- Small river bets for value: the thin value bet.
- Preflop decisions to practice: the preflop quiz.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- Pairs from sixes to nines: how to play middle pairs.
- Tens facing a 3‑bet with deeper stacks: deep stack strategy.
Sources
- Every equity and showdown is computed by exact enumeration with the app's equity module; the flop probabilities count the flops among the 19,600 possible, checked on October 11, 2026.
- The answers to the spots follow rules written by the app's author; they do not come from a solver.