Balatro (PC, 2024)

Just one more run...

Nostalgia Factor: None.
Difficulty: Medium to hard.

Is there a game genre that you just can not get into? For a long time, I simply could not get into rogue-likes. Rogue-lites are a different story, since there is some sense of in game progression that carries you forward. For rogue-likes, it’s the lack of progression, the difficulty, and the brutal RNG that has frustrated me to no end. That is, until I played Balatro.

I’m not sure what it was about Balatro that sucked me in so deep and broke open this genre for me. The frustrations somehow turned into thrills. I enjoy poker, but I’ve never sought out poker games. Balatro is barely a “poker” game anyway, because it’s so far removed from any traditional poker format. You don’t play against human opponents, you play against predetermined blinds (predetermined scores that you have to meet in order to continue the run). You start with a hand of 8 cards from which to create poker hand combos, but Balatro throws in so many upgrades, bonuses, enhanced cards, etc., that some runs could end with a heavily modified 70 card deck and a hand size of 11 cards. Almost anything is possible, which is what makes Balatro so fun and addictive.

The joker cards are the real highlight. In Balatro, jokers don’t act as wild cards, they act as unique modifiers to juice your score. They can provide a bonus to your total chips (the points needed for each blind), or various types of “mult” (multiplies total chips during calculation), or a variety of unique effects. After each round, you earn cash which can be spent in a randomized shop on new joker cards or card packs. Enhanced playing cards, planet cards (upgrades the base score of a particular poker hand), tarot cards (a wide assortment of effects), and spectral cards (powerful RNG effects) all contribute to your run. Many of these effects come with a cost or a condition, so you’re often faced with difficult “A or B” choices as you develop your run.

The first night I gave Balatro a shot, I couldn’t stop. I had to force myself to quit and get some sleep. It’s an unbelievably addictive game. At first, it can be overwhelming, but you slowly learn the ins and outs of the game as you discover your favorite strategies and upgrades. It’s easy to fall into the flush strategy (especially when you unlock the checkered deck which only contains two suits), but I found a lot of success in two-pair synergy. Everyone has their own style and preferences.

The game has great artwork and style, but I did turn down the CRT effect a bit in the settings. The soundtrack is fantastic, even though it consists of just one primary musical theme in a handful of variations. Somehow after 40+ hours of play time, I’m still not sick of the music, which is an incredible testament to the soundtrack’s quality. However, it would’ve been nice to have a rotation of different tracks.

Balatro is not for everyone, and some will bounce off of it quickly. I was immediately sucked in and played almost nonstop for a week. After 20+ hours of play time, I thought I was done. Balatro itself is a bit of a puzzle to be solved. You learn which jokers and synergies are the key to a winning run, and once you’ve cracked the code and racked up a few winning runs, the game loses a bit of its luster. I took a few weeks off, but then got sucked in again, putting another 20 hours in. There are loads of achievements, unlockable jokers, challenges, and difficulty levels (stakes). I can certainly see myself returning to Balatro periodically just to get a few quick runs in. I managed to work my way up the various stake difficulties, but I seem to have met my match against the gold stake, which is pretty tough.

Balatro is well balanced and designed, and it gave me a taste of what a great rogue-like can be. It’s piqued my interest in other rogue-likes, and I’m much more willing to dive into top games from the genre. I strongly recommend giving Balatro a try. If you want a little help getting started, check out my Balatro Quick Guide below.

Balatro Quick Guide

If you’re just getting started, scoring that first Ante 8 winning run can seem daunting. Here are some tips and strategies to get you started.

Money is king.

Getting a good economic engine going is crucial. Jokers like Golden Joker, Rocket, To The Moon, Midas Mask, or Egg are fantastic if you find them early. Credit Card can also be useful to get a strong start. You’ll eventually need to ditch these tempo cards for high scoring cards later in the run. I almost always opt for tarot cards like Temperance (gives sell value of all jokers) or The Hermit (doubles current money) unless their values are low. More money means more packs, more upgrades, more re-rolls, and a better run. The Seed Money voucher is always a good investment when you’ve got the cash to afford it.

The Right Jokers (chips, +mult, and x-mult)

When it comes to choosing jokers, there’s a pseudo-standard formula that seems to lead to winning runs more often. First, you need one or two good jokers with a high chip bonus. Square Joker is my favorite for the two-pair strategy. Banner can be very effective when you have lots of discards. Castle and Arrowhead are fantastic with the checkered deck. Wee Joker can work with a flush or high card strategy. Scary Face, Ice Cream, Blue Joker, and Hiker can also be good options. Any decent foil Joker can get you by in early rounds. Upgrading your target poker hand with the right planet card or a Space Joker can also help increase your base chip count. Typically, it’s best to focus on one poker hand type per run. The Telescope voucher is very strong (ensures you always get the planet card for your most played hand in celestial packs) and I almost always pick it up when I can.

Second, you need one or two +mult Jokers that will apply flat multiplication to your high chip count. Scaling Jokers like Red Card, Supernova, Spare Trousers (two-pair strategy), and Green Joker (high card strategy) are ideal. It can be hard to get Fortune Teller going, but I’ve had some good runs with it. Ride The Bus is amazing with the abandoned deck. Half Joker (pair or high card strategy), Abstract Joker, Gros Michel, and Swashbuckler are solid choices, and Popcorn is decent in a pinch.

And third, at the end of your Joker chain, you need at least one strong x-mult Joker, which multiplies your total +mult. It’s crucial to always keep your x-mult jokers on the far right of your joker lineup so that the math plays out to your advantage. Card Sharp and Cavendish (only appears after a Gros Michel in play has destroyed itself) are pretty much always great choices. Acrobat is weaker, but can still give you a good boost on that final hand. The Duo is great for a pair or two-pair strategy. The Tribe is the flush option. Ramen is almost always helpful, but I tend to replace it late game with a better x-mult when possible. Throwback, Baron, and Baseball Card are situational, but potentially very strong. Scaling x-mults like Steel Joker, Constellation, Hologram, and Vampire are great if you are able to fuel them with the required cards. If you’re fortunate enough to find a Blueprint, it typically works best to copy your strongest x-mult joker.

You won’t always find the best jokers, so use your judgment to pick the best of what’s available to you. However, knowing this strategy will help you build winning runs more often. With practice, you’ll learn to look for combos that greatly improve your run.

The Flush Strategy

Hardcore Balatro enthusiasts will sometimes scoff at the flush strategy, since it’s popular with beginners and doesn’t scale as well in the late game, but many players (including myself) have been able to get their first winning Ante 8 run using flush synergy. Once you unlock the checkered deck (which only has two suits), getting those flush hands becomes much easier.

Without the checkered deck, Smeared Joker can achieve the same effect, though it takes up a joker slot. Otherwise, deck manipulation with tarot cards is going to be important for flush synergy. The Moon, The Sun, The Star, and The World each convert 3 cards into their respective suits. As much as possible, try to narrow your deck down to just two suits. The Lovers creates a wild card that works with any suit (choose a card from a suit you’re trying to eliminate). The Hanged Man and Death can eliminate more cards from a “weak suit.” I’ve only used this card a few times, but the Spectral card, Sigil, converts every card in your hand into one random suit. If you get Sigil early, it can determine at least one of your favored suits.

Follow the basic guide on jokers above, but also keep an eye out for any other jokers with flush synergy. Four Fingers, Juggler, and Drunkard can be helpful in the early game to buy time as you manipulate your deck, but you’ll want to replace them with scoring jokers in later antes. The Grabber (+1 hand), Wasteful (+1 discard), and Paint Brush (+1 hand size) vouchers are almost always worth the investment if you have the cash. The Telescope voucher will help you secure lots of Jupiter cards to upgrade your base flush score.

The Two-Pair Strategy

My most satisfying runs focused on two-pair synergy. Again, follow the basic joker guide above, but add to the mix a great joker like Spare Trousers which can get HUGE by the end of a run. Mad Joker and Clever Joker are solid early game picks, and The Duo is almost always a great addition. Jolly Joker and Sly Joker are not as strong, but they can be decent tempo cards in a pinch.

A reasonably achievable and effective two-pair joker lineup might consist of Square Joker, Spare Trousers, Supernova, Cavendish, and Card Sharp (or a Blueprint to copy Cavendish, and a Brainstorm to copy Spare Trousers). Any “negative” jokers (which effectively add a joker slot) would be a bonus. The Grabber (+1 hand), Wasteful (+1 discard), Paint Brush (+1 hand size), and Telescope vouchers are shoe-ins. Score as many Uranus planet cards as you can to boost your two-pair base stats. As for tarot cards, go for Temperance or The Hermit when their $$$ values are high. Use Strength, Death, and The Hanged Man to duplicate higher cards and remove lower cards to make two pair combos easier. Keep in mind, too many of one card rank can actually clutter up your hand with three or four of a kind combos instead of two-pair. Check your deck status often to ensure you’re keeping and discarding the right cards.

Hopefully this quick guide helps you get started! Leave a comment below about your favorite jokers and strategies.