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Balatro Tips | SteelSeries
Want to win more runs in Balatro? These Balatro tips cover deck building, Joker synergy, blind strategy, and more to help you crush higher antes.
Wordsmith at SteelSeries. Enthusiastic about Dota 2 and fighting games. A cat dad.
Balatro is taking over, and this seemingly simple game has a huge cult following. If you’ve played a few runs of Balatro and found yourself wondering, "Why did that Joker combo break the game last time but flop this time?" you’re not alone.
Balatro might look like a simple roguelike deckbuilder with a poker twist, but it’s full of sneaky synergies, game-breaking Jokers, and traps. Whether you're trying to survive past Ante 6 or looking for your first score run, these Balatro tips will help you make smarter plays, build stronger decks, and stop getting bullied by Boss Blinds.
Having a basic understanding of traditional Poker, especially hand rankings and combinations from Texas Hold ’Em, can give you a leg up in Balatro. But don’t worry if you’re new to it; it’s not required. Before we dive into advanced strategies, let’s make sure we’re on the same page:
You’re dealt a starting hand of eight cards.
You play hands to beat Blinds (just like poker tables).
You earn Chips × Multiplier = Score.
You earn money after each win, which you spend on Jokers, Tarot, and Planet cards, and deck upgrades.
The goal is to build a high-scoring, combo-driven deck that can scale across multiple Antes.
Unlike poker, you’re not playing against other players; you’re building a machine. And the machine you build? It better be good by Ante 7 or you’re toast on the last run.
There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy in Balatro; each run is a mix of luck, planning, and smart decision-making. To help you improve across the board, we’ve broken down the most important Balatro tips into four key areas: Joker synergy, deck building, Blind strategy, and resource management.
Mastering just one of these can push you a few Antes deeper. Mastering all four? That’s how busted runs are born.
Jokers are the engine of every strong run in Balatro and there are 150 options for you to choose from. Some offer subtle boosts, while others straight-up break the game, if you know how to use them. The trick isn’t just finding rare Jokers, but building your entire strategy around them. Here’s how to spot powerful synergies, avoid duds, and stack effects that scale into absurd territory.
Don’t just buy Jokers – build around them. If you pick up a Joker that boosts Flushes but your deck is all about Full Houses, that Joker’s doing nothing for you.
Stack multipliers or chips – but pick a lane. Some Jokers boost your multiplier, others boost raw chip value. Mixing too many of both can dilute your power.
Look for scaling early. Jokers like The Droll Troll or Buffered Chip get stronger the longer you keep them. Invest early, reap rewards late.
Don’t sleep on rare variants. Holographic or Foil Jokers can be game-changers. If it’s holographic and synergizes with your deck, snap it up.
Pro Tip: A busted synergy (like Merry Andy + Four Fingers) can carry your whole run. Keep an eye out for pairs that create loops or reward discard-heavy play.
Your deck is the foundation of every play, and in Balatro, a bloated or unfocused deck can tank even the best Joker setup. The goal? Trim the fat, specialize early, and build a lean, high-scoring machine.
The right deck will help you lock in powerful hand styles, make smart card choices, and avoid common pitfalls that derail runs.
Specialize early. Trying to hit everything (Flushes, Full Houses, Straights) is a fast way to a weak deck. Pick one or two styles and double down.
Thin your deck like your life depends on it – because it does. Use Tarot cards or card removal to get rid of low-value cards (2s, 3s, off-suits).
Plan your Planet cards. Each Planet upgrades a hand style. Don’t grab a Straight upgrade if you’re aiming for flushes.
Add cards only if they fit the plan. A shiny new Ace is useless if it breaks your Full House rhythm.
Beating Blinds isn’t just about playing your strongest hand; it’s about managing limited resources, anticipating nasty Boss modifiers, and knowing when not to play. Each Blind is a puzzle, and making the right call can mean the difference between a smooth win and a mid-run meltdown.
Every run is structured around a series of Blinds: Small Blinds, Big Blinds, and the dreaded Boss Blinds at the end of each Ante. While the first two are mostly about hitting a target score, Boss Blinds come with extra rules or restrictions designed to mess with your strategy: think hand limits, scoring nerfs, or Joker-disabling effects. Winning consistently means more than just playing strong hands; it’s about knowing when to fold, how to manage your discards, and how to prep for the curveballs Boss Blinds throw at you. These tips will help you survive the climb and avoid being blindsided by a bad modifier.
Don’t waste hands. You only get a few per Blind, so play strong or fold early to preserve discards.
Scout Boss Blinds early. If you see “Only hands of exactly 5 cards can score,” and your deck relies on bonus cards, plan now—or suffer later.
Save strong hands for Big Blinds. You don’t need a Royal Flush to beat a Small Blind. Conserve firepower when you can.
Learn to fold. Sometimes it’s better to fold and keep your discard pile intact than to force a weak hand and blow resources.
The shop is where runs are won, or quietly doomed. Every Ante gives you a chance to pick up Jokers, cards, and upgrades that can supercharge your deck, but only if you spend wisely.
From choosing the right Tarot cards to knowing when to reroll (and when to walk away), these tips can help you stretch your money and make every purchase count.
Prioritize hand upgrades. More cards = more potential. Increasing your hand size or number of discards is almost always worth it.
Don’t blow all your money rerolling. Set a reroll limit. If it’s not working after 3-4 tries, move on or bank the cash.
Buy with synergy in mind. Tarot and Planet cards should fit your deck’s direction. No filler!
Pro Tip: Check your Joker slots. If you’re full, don’t waste money unless you plan to replace.
Nailing the basics is essential to getting past basic Balatro runs. But to become unstoppable, you need a deeper strategy. Advanced play requires long-term scaling, synergy stacking, and squeezing value out of every discard, card removal, and modifier.
Whether you're chasing high-score builds or trying to survive endless mode, these advanced tips can turn a decent deck into a game-breaking engine.
Stack synergies, not just stats. A Joker that gives +5 Chips is fine. One that gives +X per discard on a discard-heavy build? Game-breaking.
Use Tarot for deck control. Some Tarot cards let you add, remove, or modify cards; these are secretly some of the most powerful tools in the game.
Focus on scaling. Jokers or cards that get stronger each turn or round (like Abstract Joker) are slow burns, but can carry your late game.
Manipulate discard loops. Cards like ‘To the Moon’ or ‘Hack’ can create wild loops if used strategically with discards or free plays.
Even though Balatro leans into chaos and experimentation, there are a few common missteps that can quietly sabotage your runs, especially early on. Here are the beginner mistakes to watch out for and ways to fix them:
Just because a Joker is rare or shiny doesn’t mean it fits your build. Stacking random Jokers leads to inconsistent scoring and clogs your five-slot limit.
Example: Buying Mime (gains multiplier per played card) when you’re only playing one hand per Blind. Or picking up Mad World (based on discarded cards) with no discard upgrades.
Do this instead: Focus on Jokers that directly benefit your current hand type or playstyle. Two synergized Jokers are better than five random ones.
While Balatro doesn’t let you fold a hand like in traditional poker, that doesn’t mean you should blindly play every combo. You get a limited number of plays and discards per Blind, and throwing them at weak, unscorable hands can leave you stuck when you do draw something promising.
Example: You're trying to hit a Full House, but your hand is a 3, 5, 6, 9, and Jack, all different suits, no pairs, and no chance of a strong combo. If you play it anyway, you’ve wasted a hand. If you instead discard selectively to chase a pair or flush, you still have a shot at scoring this Blind.
Do this instead: Be deliberate. Use your discards to build a real hand, or hold off on playing until your draw gives you something viable. Playing garbage just to use a turn rarely pays off, and it can cost you the Blind.
A deck full of 2s, 3s, and off-suit junk cards makes it harder to hit straights, flushes, or high-scoring hands consistently.
Example: Keeping a full 52-card deck and wondering why you’re not hitting that Full House or Four of a Kind after multiple tries.
Do this instead: Use Planet cards (like Mercury or Earth) or Tarot cards (like The Fool or The Devil) to remove low-value or off-suit cards. A 30-card deck that hits consistently beats a bloated one every time.
Chasing the “perfect Joker” can quickly drain your gold, leaving you broke when an actual good card shows up, or when you need upgrades.
Example: Rerolling 12 times and missing the one useful Tarot that could’ve removed a dead card from your deck.
Do this instead: Set a reroll cap (e.g., 3–5 rolls). If nothing great shows up, take the L and save your cash for more consistent value, like hand/discard upgrades or a synergy-boosting Tarot.
It’s tempting to build around Full Houses or Flushes from the start, but if your Jokers end up supporting something else, you’re stuck with a mismatch.
Example: Committing to Full Houses and upgrading them with Planet cards only to get Sock and Buskin and Theatrical Poster (both reward Flushes).
Do this instead: Stay flexible in the early Antes. Pick a hand style once you see at least one synergy-boosting Joker or modifier that supports it.
Chasing big-chip hands (like Four of a Kind) might win early rounds, but they usually don’t scale as well as multiplier-focused strategies.
Example: Stacking +chips from cards and Jokers, then stalling out in Ante 6 because your multipliers are too low to hit Boss Blind targets.
Do this instead: Invest in multiplier-scaling Jokers (like Abstract Joker or Loyalty Card) or upgrade your hand types to boost multipliers over time. Chips are important, but multipliers win deep runs.
Pro Tip: If you’re not sure what to buy or upgrade, upgrade your hand size or discards. More options = more chances to combo.
Every Balatro run starts with a basic 52-card deck, but what you do with that deck can go in wildly different directions. Some players chase reliable combos, others bet big on scaling Jokers, and some just want to cause chaos.
Below are some of the most effective starting strategies by deck type or playstyle, including their strengths, weaknesses, and what to look for early.
Goal: Build around Flushes and Straight Flushes
Strengths: Easy to upgrade, high hand consistency, great for multiplier stacking
Weaknesses: Requires early suit alignment and some luck with draws
Look for: Planet cards that boost Flushes, Jokers like Sock and Buskin, Flush Factory, or Suited Joker
Pro Tip: Trim your deck to ~2 suits early and remove off-suits. Flushes get exponentially easier once you’ve thinned out.
Goal: Build around your Jokers and adapt the deck to match
Strengths: Highest potential for busted scaling
Weaknesses: Requires good luck in shop rolls and a strong economy
Look for: Early synergy Jokers (e.g., Mime, Perishable, Four Fingers) and economy tools like Business Card or Loyalty Card
Pro Tip: Don't lock into a hand type too early, let your Joker pickups guide your direction. Sometimes your deck isn’t the build – your Jokers are.
Goal: Play hands like Two Pair, Full House, or Four of a Kind
Strengths: High base chip value, reliable early scoring
Weaknesses: Can stall out without scaling multipliers or Joker support
Look for: Rank upgrades, card duplication tools, and Jokers like Hack, Balloon, or Two of Clubs
Pro Tip: Remove high-variance cards (like single high cards or off-ranks) to increase your odds of landing pairs and sets consistently.
Goal: Abuse the discard mechanic for value or Joker activation
Strengths: Can activate multiple Jokers passively every turn
Weaknesses: Requires specific Jokers and discard upgrades to work
Look for: Jokers like Mad World, Droll Troll, Sock and Buskin, and discard upgrades ASAP
Pro Tip: Discard builds are slow to start but scale hard. If you find a Joker that rewards discarding, go all-in on the hand and discard upgrades.
Goal: Focus on big chip hands like Four of a Kind or Straight Flush
Strengths: Can delete Boss Blinds early if lucky
Weaknesses: Can struggle without consistency or multiplier scaling
Look for: Chip-boosting Jokers (Buffered Chip, Hack, Literal Joker), and upgrades that increase chip value or base hand size
Pro Tip: This style is high-risk, high-reward, so only pursue it if your early cards and Jokers align. Otherwise, pivot.
Don’t hard-commit in Ante 1. The best Balatro runs often start with a little luck and a lot of adaptability. Start light, scout for synergy, and let your deck evolve around what the shop gives you.
Balatro may look like poker, but the real game is in the planning, not the hand you're dealt. Whether you’re chasing busted Joker combos, trimming your deck into a lean scoring machine, or just trying to survive another Boss Blind with 1 heart left, the key is staying flexible and playing intentionally.
Luck will always play a role, but with the right strategy, you can turn even a garbage draw into a game-breaking run.
So play your cards right, reroll when it feels lucky, and remember: sometimes the best move is the one the deck didn’t see coming.
Skipping blinds can earn you special bonuses. If you feel confident about a run, skip it and win the next round to unlock a special tag.
Successful skips can earn you a free Uncommon Joker, money, Booster Packs, and more.
You can hold up to five Jokers simultaneously. Filling all slots isn’t always ideal; prioritize synergy over quantity. Sometimes fewer, well-coordinated Jokers beat a full bench of mismatched ones.
If you want to be able to hold more jokers, Negative addition Jokers increases the number of available joker slots. The Black deck also allows you to hold one additional joker. The Antimatter voucher also gives you a permanent additional Joker slot.
There’s no one “best” hand. It depends on your Jokers and available upgrades. Flush and Full House builds tend to be consistent starters, but if you get Jokers that reward discard or multiplier scaling, pivoting your strategy mid-run is often better than stubbornly sticking to one hand type.
Tarot cards typically offer one-time or situational bonuses (like removing cards or rerolling), while Planet cards provide ongoing upgrades to your hand style or deck consistency. Both are important, but balance spending between them depending on your strategy and current run.