Balatro is a deck-based strategy game that reimagines classic poker by combining it with roguelike elements, card modifiers, and layered upgrades. You begin each round with eight randomly drawn cards and aim to create five-card poker hands like flushes, straights, or full houses. The goal is to earn enough points—calculated by combining the base chip value of the cards and the multiplier of the hand—to defeat the current blind. What seems like a simple hand of poker quickly becomes a complex scoring puzzle as you unlock new tools and modifiers to influence the game in your favor.
Making Decisions Under Pressure
Every blind has a score you need to beat, and you’re given a limited number of hands and discards to do it. You can discard up to five cards per turn to try and build a better hand, but each choice counts. You’re also allowed to skip blinds for bonuses, though bosses—tougher blind levels—must be played and often come with special effects that alter gameplay. That’s where Jokers come in. These special cards are purchased between rounds and give passive bonuses that often define the direction of your entire run. Some Jokers multiply chip values, others reward you for specific hand types, and many create entirely new scoring opportunities that weren’t possible before.
Jokers, Upgrades, and Supporting Cards
There are 150 Jokers in Balatro, divided into rarity tiers—common to legendary—each offering different passive bonuses. Some Jokers change the value of suits or add bonus chips for certain cards. Others interact with consumables or reward streaks. But Jokers are just one part of the upgrade system. Tarot cards allow you to change or enhance the individual cards in your deck, giving them chip bonuses, multipliers, or even adding visual effects like foil or holographic status. Planet cards boost specific poker hands, increasing their value when played. And Spectral cards offer powerful upgrades with major trade-offs, such as losing money or shrinking your hand.
Decks and Long-Term Planning
At the start of the game, you select a deck, which determines your base conditions. Some decks give extra hands or discards, while others limit your options but offer stronger bonuses. For example, the Green Deck rewards unused hands with money, while the Black Deck reduces your number of hands but gives you an extra Joker slot. Other decks, like the Ghost or Nebula, introduce rare card types or special conditions. Each deck encourages a different playstyle and can shift your approach to upgrades, risk-taking, and money management throughout a run. Winning with specific decks unlocks new ones, adding replay value and variety.
