Balatro Guide#
Balatro is a poker roguelite from LocalThunk — you score with standard Texas hold’em poker hands, using Jokers, Tarot cards, and Planet cards to push past astronomical score ceilings.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, iOS, Android | Release date: February 20, 2024
Game Overview#
| Item |
Detail |
| Developer |
LocalThunk |
| Publisher |
Playstack |
| Genre |
Card roguelite |
| Core mechanic |
Score with poker hands — Jokers provide multiplicative bonuses |
| Difficulty |
8 starting decks + Challenge mode |
| Recent accolades |
2024 TGA Best Independent Game nominee — 98% positive rating on Steam |
| Signature elements |
Jokers, Tarot cards, Planet cards, Spectral cards, deck customization |
Core Features#
| Feature |
Detail |
| Jokers |
The heart of the game — each Joker grants a unique buff (+mult, x mult, trigger effects, and more). Hold up to 5 (can be increased) |
| Poker hands |
Standard Texas hold’em hands — High Card > Pair > Two Pair > Three of a Kind > Straight > Flush > Full House > Four of a Kind > Straight Flush > Royal Flush. Each hand type has its own base score |
| Planet cards |
Level up a chosen hand type — each level adds base chips and mult. Hand levels are the bedrock of your score |
| Tarot cards |
Single-use consumables that modify your deck (e.g. turn the 2 of Spades into an Ace of Spades, add an enhancement, change a suit) |
| Spectral cards |
Powerful consumables — usually at a heavy price (destroy your hand, duplicate a Joker, and more) |
| Mult system |
Score = base chips x mult. Stacking additive and multiplicative mult from Jokers is the key to big scores |
| Blinds |
Three blinds per round: Small Blind (a free win) > Big Blind (with a reward) > Boss Blind (with a debuff) — hit the target score to advance |
Getting-Started Advice#
| # |
Advice |
Detail |
| 1 |
Focus on one hand type |
Don’t level every hand evenly — pick one (Flush or Pair recommended) and pump it with Planet cards |
| 2 |
Pick up more Jokers |
Jokers are your score engine — buy 1-2 Jokers per round early on. Without good Jokers, even perfect hands won’t survive the late game |
| 3 |
Manage your economy |
Interest income is the steadiest source — $1 per $5 held each round (capped at $5). Try to end rounds holding $25+ |
| 4 |
Optimize your deck |
Fewer cards is better — use Tarots to remove low cards (ranks 2-5) and add high cards and suited cards. The leaner the deck, the more consistent it is |
| 5 |
Watch out for Boss Blinds |
Each Boss Blind has a debuff — some ban Flushes, some limit your plays. Plan your build around them ahead of time |
| 6 |
Multiplicative mult first |
There is plenty of additive mult ("+Mult"), but multiplicative mult (“xMult”) is what breaks score ceilings. xMult Jokers are the late-game core |
| 7 |
Don’t ignore card enhancements |
Tarots add “Mult”, “Lucky”, “Wild”, and other enchantments — one Mult card carries its own mult, and it adds up fast |
Deck Types#
| Deck |
Trait |
Difficulty |
Recommended style |
| Red Deck |
+1 play per round |
⭐ Easy |
Any style — the most flexible |
| Blue Deck |
+1 hand size |
⭐ Easy |
High Card / Pair builds — more cards in hand = more room for error |
| Green Deck |
$2 interest per round (no extra-interest cap) |
⭐⭐ Moderate |
Economy builds — more money = more Joker options |
| Black Deck |
+1 Joker slot — but starts with -1 hand size |
⭐⭐⭐ Hard |
Joker-stacking builds — an advantage unique to Black Deck |
| Yellow Deck |
Starts with $10 — a stronger opening economy |
⭐ Easy |
Rapid economy start — good for fast pushes |
| Checker Deck |
Starting deck is 26 black and 26 red — guarantees flushes |
— |
— |
| Zebra Deck |
Starts with the Sun, Moon, and World tarot cards |
⭐⭐ Moderate |
Tarot-support builds — ideal for deck remodeling |
| Plasma Deck |
Score becomes (chips + mult) x 2 — a balancing act |
⭐⭐⭐ Hard |
You must balance chips and mult — huge multiplicative gains but little tolerance |
Challenge Mode#
Challenge mode introduces entirely new rules — each challenge imposes specific conditions.
| Challenge |
Restriction |
Goal |
| Loser |
Start with $0 — cannot buy Jokers |
Clear round 4 |
| Primitive |
Starting deck only (no Jokers + no Tarots) |
Clear round 6 |
| Spectral |
Spectral cards only — no Tarots and no Planets |
Clear round 8 |
| Double Up |
All Jokers cannot be active at once — half in each half |
Clear round 5 |
| Minimal |
Hand size reduced to 5 |
Clear round 4 |
Stake Levels#
| Stake |
Detail |
| Normal |
The standard 8 rounds — best for learning the game’s mechanics |
| Hard |
Starting rounds +2 — higher score requirements |
| Very Hard |
Starting rounds +4 — extreme score requirements |
| Endless |
Continue past round 8 — scores grow exponentially — test the limits of your build |
Scoring Mechanics Explained#
| Concept |
Formula |
Detail |
| Base score |
Hand’s base chips + each card’s rank value x the hand’s mult |
The higher the hand level and the card ranks played, the higher the base score |
| Chip stacking |
All “chip” sources add together — base, Jokers, enhanced cards |
Planet card hand upgrades are the main way to add chips |
| Mult stacking |
Additive mult (+Mult) sums first — then multiplicative mult (xMult) multiplies it |
Multiplicative mult is the core of high scores — one x3 plus one x2 = x6 |
| Final score |
(total chips x total mult) |
Beat the blind’s required score to advance |
Economy Management#
| Strategy |
Detail |
| Interest is the foundation |
$1 interest per $5 held at round end (capped at $5 = $25 banked) — ending rounds at $25+ is basic discipline |
| Save early |
Buy as little as possible in the first 3 rounds — let interest build to $50+ before shopping big |
| Skip the Small Blind |
The Small Blind (the first blind) carries no money penalty — skip it straight away and take the skip reward |
| Don’t skip the Boss Blind |
Skipping a Boss Blind grants no skip reward — and costs you an extra round — bad value |
| Sell Jokers to recover |
Jokers can be sold — sell unneeded ones (especially early-game stopgaps) for cash without hesitation |
Frequently Asked Questions#
| Question |
Answer |
| Which deck is best for beginners? |
Blue Deck (+1 hand size) is the most forgiving — one extra play is one extra attempt |
| How much should I save? |
Keep $25+ through the early and mid game to collect the full $5 interest — the late game doesn’t require hoarding |
| Which matters more, xMult or +Mult? |
One xMult is worth at least ten +Mult. The late game runs entirely on multiplicative mult |
| When should I skip the Big Blind? |
When the tag reward (free Joker, Planet, and so on) is worth more than the money |
| How big should my deck be? |
30-45 cards is ideal — under 30 the deck runs dry, over 50 draws become inconsistent |
Playtime: a first clear takes roughly 5-15 hours — full achievements run 100-200 hours.
Version History#
| Version |
Changes |
Release date |
| 1.0 |
Full release |
2024-02-20 |
| 1.0.1 |
iOS/Android port + UI scaling improvements |
2024-03-05 |
| 1.0.1c |
Tarot probability fix + seed feature enabled |
2024-03-15 |
| 1.0.1e |
Expanded-deck bug fixes + performance optimization |
2024-04-01 |
| 1.0.1f |
Localization polish + Steam achievements fix |
2024-04-20 |
| 1.0.1g |
Daily challenge leaderboards |
2024-05-10 |
Quick Reference#
| Category |
Core mechanic |
Key resource |
Core strategy |
| Poker hands |
15 hand types, each with its own base chip value |
Planet cards |
Focus on leveling 1-2 hand types |
| Jokers |
150+ Jokers offering +chips, +mult, xMult, and more |
Shop |
Build a multiplicative mult chain |
| Decks |
15 decks, each with special rules and starting conditions |
Stakes |
Unlock harder stakes step by step |
| Tarot |
22 tarot cards that remodel your deck |
Tarot packs |
Deliberately compress and strengthen your deck |
| Spectrals |
Powerful but irreversible high-end deck operations |
Spectral packs |
High risk, high reward — single use only |
| Tags |
Reward tags earned by skipping blinds |
Skip a blind |
Skip sensibly — not every round needs to be played |
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Full Guides#
In-depth sub-guides — beginner basics, the full Joker gallery, decks and strategy, advanced techniques, collection and achievements, card enhancements, vouchers, Spectral cards, challenges, consumables, economy, scoring, endgame, stakes, seeds, secrets, and an FAQ — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Balatro section.
If you read Chinese, the Joker gallery sub-guide there covers all 150+ Jokers with effect breakdowns and strength ratings.