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Every so often a game comes along which leaves us wondering why no-one previously thought about developing it. Balatro is one such title.
Created by an anonymous developer known only as LocalThunk, the game expertly blends poker and solitaire for a truly memorable gameplay experience.
It throws a whole lot of mathematics and a sprinkle of rule-bending into the mix, creating a hugely addictive game you will find difficult to put down.
How to Play Balatro
The game starts simply. You are dealt nine cards and must build the best poker hand – flush, straight, three-of-a-kind and so on. Points are awarded based on your hand strength, and exceeding the target, which is initially a few hundred points, allows you to progress to the next round.
Here’s where things get interesting. Between rounds, you can add an air of complexity and excitement to your deck. Holographic, steel and gold versions of cards offer multipliers, extra chips or planet cards. These items inflate the point value of specific hands, while tarot cards introduce unexpected but interesting transformations. However, the real game-changers are the Jokers – quirky rule-benders that can completely revamp your strategy.
By the fourth or fifth round, your deck becomes a wonderland of charms. Hearts may trigger bonus multipliers, face cards could double your points, and planets could turn a mundane two-pair into a powerhouse that could be key to beating the points target. You’ll be discarding aces with delight, hoping to snag that special steel three of diamonds that will add precious points to your score.
However, every three rounds, a ‘boss’ throws a curveball. You could be limited to five cards, dealt face down, or entire suits get mysteriously disabled. These challenges will force you to adapt, maximising your luck and cleverly manipulating the odds in your favour. Conquer eight gruelling rounds of poker mayhem, and you’ve conquered Balatro.
While getting to the finale of this mesmerising game offers an unprecedented thrill and sense of satisfaction, the real win lies in the captivating journey – an intriguing blend of strategy, card collecting and a touch of mystery.
Balatro Could be the Pathway to a Poker Career
A measure of greatness for any game is whether it provides players with skills they can transfer elsewhere. This game achieves this and then some. For example, the game has already received positive feedback from the poker community in Ireland, with many players using it is a training ground to hone their card-playing skills.
Balatro empowers players to become more strategic in their approach and equips them with the knowledge they need to make better decisions at the tables. One of the biggest issues with poker is the way the game has been glamourised by television, with the edited footage not providing players with a true reflection of the intricacies of the game. The gameplay forces players to think long-term – a tactic which would undoubtedly serve them well if they play cash games or poker tournaments.
Some Irish players have already improved their performance at the best online casinos in Ireland by playing Balatro, highlighting the power of the game. Following in their footsteps could even be the pathway to a fully-fledged poker career for Balatro players.
Only the Most Underhanded Players Succeed at Balatro
Deception is often the name of the game when playing poker-related games and this ethos unquestionably pays dividends when applied to this game, which is an addictive poker roguelike, that throws plenty of strategic twists your way. But there’s one encounter that feels like a personal vendetta – The Flint. This boss isn’t just another ante-upping adversary – it actively nerfs your deck.
Balatro revolves around navigating stages with three blinds – small, big and boss. Each blind represents a score you must achieve by crafting poker hands such as flushes, straights, pairs and so on, with each hand offering unique chip values and multipliers.
The goal is to outsmart the blinds and shuffle your way to victory by making the most of the cards you’re dealt. At the early stage, blinds are manageable, hovering around 300-450 chips. However, these ante levels and accompanying stakes skyrocket as you progress, reaching into the tens of thousands with each defeated boss. Reach an ante of eight, and you’ve conquered Balatro.
Nevertheless, The Flint stands between you and glory as a constant thorn in your side. This villain doesn’t just raise the stakes, it halves your hand’s chip score and multiplier. Sometimes it appears with a blind of just 600, but other times it’s an enormous 22,000. In fairness, The Flint isn’t the only trickster in the game. Each boss has its own devious strategy. Some weaken specific card suits, rendering them useless in your overall score count. Others confine you to a single-hand type for the entire match. Then there’s the cheeky Tooth, who steals a dollar for every card you use.
However, Balatro isn’t about blind acceptance of fate or even simply beating the odds. It’s about manipulating the odds to your advantage, which requires smart and intelligent card plays.
Here’s where things get even more interesting. The name of the game is derived from the Latin language courtesy of the brilliantly conceived Joker cards, which ironically is the key to bending the rules. These ingenious cards allow you to pull off some truly audacious poker manoeuvres.
We won’t spoil the surprise, but let’s just say that Balatro rewards clever exploitation of its systems. Cheating isn’t just encouraged in this game, it’s almost mandatory.