More Tens in Lowball

Tens are troublesome hands that most lowball players misplay. They err more by sins of commission than omission.

It would be better in the long run to play no tens than to play too many. Nonetheless, it's a mistake not to play any at all.

I know players who never play tens – Mr. Notence, for example. Live Lily limps in from the middle blind. Mr. Notence calls from the big blind. Lily asks for two cards. Mr. Notence pulls a 10 and a 9 from his hand and turns them briefly faceup on the table. Saying, "I never play tens," he asks the dealer for two cards, also. Lily checks. Mr. Notence says, "I made two pair" – it would never occur to him to bluff here – and Lily takes the pot with her pair of eights. That's totally ridiculous. Mr. Notence cost himself one and a half small bets here. And that's just what was in the pot if he didn't raise. (This includes the dealer blind.) He actually cost himself more, because he should have raised. So, he actually cost himself two and a half small bets. That's more than one big bet. To put that in perspective, remember that many pros are happy to win one big bet per hour.

OK, we'll get into when to play tens. First, let's look at when not to play them.

In most eighthanded games, you should not play a 10 in any of the first three positions to the left of the big blind. If you're to the right of the button and the player on the button is very aggressive, you might consider not even playing your 10 from that position. Also, if you are about to open with your 10 and it looks like the button or the small blind will play, you probably should just muck your hand. (But do watch out for hand fakes. Some players act like they are going to fold when they intend to raise. You'll soon learn who they are. Some are consistent enough with this act that you can slow-play big hands for extra bets.) Ideally, you want to play a pat 10 against one player drawing two cards, and that's usually only the big blind. Of course, in a Southern California-style double-limit game, you always open for a raise. In a Northern California-style double-limit game, all you can do is open. Now, I'm talking about opening here. If the pot is already opened (for a raise), most of the time you don't play a pat 10 even on the button (and often not from the small blind).

So, basically, more than half the time you get a pat 10, you shouldn't even play. This is where players make their mistake. They think they can fudge on that seat-position opening requirement and come in from three positions to the left of the big blind (three to the right of the button). Uh-uh. Nope. Wrong.

Let's stop here for a minute and define what we mean by pat 10. Yes, a pat 10 is any no-pair hand topped by a 10. What we mean, though, is a hand topped by a 10 and another card higher than what you might draw one card to from that position. That is, in early position, a 10-7 qualifies as a pat 10, but when you open with it, you fully intend to draw a card. So, you don't regard the hand as a pat 10; you regard it as a one-card draw to a 7. Similarly, if you open from three to the left of the big blind with a 10-8, your plan really is to draw a card. Of course, if only one player calls (one of the blinds) and draws two cards, you can play the hand as a pat 10.

Here's another mistake. Some players open one position earlier than strategy indicates with a 10-8 "because it's pat." The problem is, if someone raises behind, they're taking the worst of it whether they stand on that 10 or draw one card. If the raiser is drawing, most of the time he is drawing one to a hand better than an 8, and he has the best of it. If the raiser is pat, he usually has way the best of it over a player drawing one to an 8. In fact, often the player drawing one card is drawing dead, and loses three small bets and one big bet on a hand he shouldn't have played to begin with. When they open, their plan is to just stand pat if anyone calls. The trouble is, they don't think about what they'll do if someone raises, nor do they realize that they're either behind any one-card draw or only about even. Against more than one player, they're decided underdogs. So, if strategy does not permit playing a one-card draw to an 8 in your position, don't play a 10-8.

Here's an even worse play with that 10. Mr. Yestence opens for a raise just to the left of the big blind. Johnny Tucard calls. The next three players fold, and Action Al raises on the button. Both players in the blinds fold. Mr. Yestence reraises. Johnny calls. Mr. Yestence knows he has Johnny beat, because Johnny would have raised already if he was pat. Al reraises. Mr. Yestence goes one more bet. Johnny calls again. Al finally calls. On the draw, Mr. Yestence stands pat, Johnny draws a card, and Al stands pat. Mr. Yestence finally shows some sense and checks. Johnny slams the table with his fist to indicate he checks. You can tell he missed his hand. Al checks. Mr. Y. shows his 10-9. He knows he can't win. Johnny unhappily dumps his cards, and Al shows 8-7-6-5-4, shrugs apologetically and says, "No place to break." He also takes the pot. So, playing that 10 so aggressively was a huge mistake. But even had Al had a hand like 9-6 and the aggressive betting of Mr. Yestence convinced him to break his hand, Mr. Y. still would have been taking much the worst of it – not quite as bad as when Al stood pat, of course, because there, Mr. Yestence had no chance of winning, but still pretty bad. In typical matchups, he would win maybe 28 percent of the time, and 33 percent is break-even. But it's worse than that, because he often calls a bet when he gets drawn out on.

So, OK, you can cautiously open – and I mean raise-open – from the right of the button, on the button, or from the middle blind with a rough pat 10. Notice that I said open. If someone else opens, you should usually throw the hand away. That is, you don't want to just call with the hand, because that encourages others to come in. A pat 10 doesn't play well against several players. But you don't want to reraise, either, because if anyone else comes in, you're taking way the worst of it. If you have one of the blinds and someone opens for a raise, again, you probably shouldn't play. In the small blind, you have to put in too much with what is essentially a multiple-card draw – and thus doesn't even qualify as a pat hand. In the big blind, if you have a good two-card draw, come in to play the hand as a draw, not a pat 10. If it's a rough 10, give it up. Even though you can open on the button with your rough pat 10, if it's already opened, give up, also.

So, that's more than half the time that you have a pat 10 that you can't play it.

When can you play a pat 10, and how should you play it?

The best place to play a pat 10 is from the big blind when the small blind has limped in. However, even if the small blind opens for a raise and the player is not the sort of rock who raise-opens only with a pat hand or a draw to a monster, you can reraise. Your position is good because you get to see what the small blind does on the draw. If the small blind reraises and stands pat, well, you're probably in trouble. Most of the time, though, the small blind calls and then takes one or two cards. You have the best of it in most cases. If the small blind bets after the draw, you're on your own. If you don't know how he plays, you should probably always call. You'll lose most of the time, but you have to be right only about a third of the time to make this a good play. If you know the player, you know what to do. If he bluffs too often, always call. If he rarely bluffs, never call. If he checks, don't make a mistake and bet, as many do. You're hoping for a showdown after the draw. If the small blind checks, you bet, and he calls, you're going to lose a lot more than the little you gain by getting him to throw away a rough 9.

The next-best place to play a pat 10 is on the button. Don't make the mistake that some weak players make and limp in. Always raise. The only exception to this is if you have a solid tell on either of the blinds and you know one of them has a good hand. In such case, of course, as explained earlier, don't open. Otherwise, come in for a raise. If either blind reraises, in most cases you should call. If you know the player will break a 9 for one bet, go ahead and reraise. If you know the player puts in the third bet only when pat and if raised will call, stand pat, and check after the draw, you're best off just calling and hope that you have a good two-card draw. If the player regularly reraises and then draws, you're still best off just calling and standing pat. This is a perfectly natural play that many make with a rough 9 or even an 8. Then, if the player bets after drawing, most of the time you fold because the player knows that anyone who calls three bets before the draw and stands pat "always" calls the bet after the draw, and thus is unlikely to be bluffing. If you've seen this player bluff in this spot, call. But these decisions are fine-tuning of the strategy. What we're interested in is when to play those tens, not what to do with them in tight situations.

The third-best place to play a pat 10 is from the small blind. Again, always raise-open. Oftentimes, you'll just win the big blind, and that should be fine with you. Don't succumb to the temptation to gloatingly show the hand when you don't get called, in some sort of attempt to make people think you're a loose player. Keep them guessing. If you do triumphantly show the hand down, the otherwise meek player in the big blind may be inspired next time to reraise with a rough 9 – or with almost any one-card draw – and you don't want that to happen. The most likely pat hand you'll be dealt is a rough 10, so that's the most likely hand you're holding when you're pat. (I know that's almost a restatement of the same thing and seems self-evident, but many players don't make the connection and figure out that someone who plays lots of pat hands is playing lots of pat tens.) Don't put ideas into the heads of the other players. If you raise from the small blind and the big blind reraises, usually just call and stand pat – and hope he draws. Don't reraise, most of the time; you'll only get yourself in trouble, costing yourself several bets on a hand you could have gotten away from cheaply when it was beat. If the big blind draws, check, and if he bets, call or don't call using similar reasoning as in the previous paragraph. Again, your play is just as natural as that of not reraising even though you have a pat hand, explained earlier under play of tens on the button.

Tens are troublesome and often not playable. But, you can play them often enough to make a profit. Pick your spots and be careful.