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I am one of those individuals who becomes emotional when the rules of a board game are explained, so I tend to avoid card games. When playing poker in person, I quickly lose interest and end up betting all my chips and losing spectacularly just to add some excitement. However, Balatro is not like real-life poker. It may be the most captivating card game you will ever encounter. This morning, I purposely left my Steam Deck at home to resist the temptation of playing Balatro instead of completing my work tasks. I believe it will be a popular game this year. Come join me and you’ll also get hooked.

“How to Play: You will receive a hand of nine regular playing cards. From these cards, you must create the best four or five-card poker hand possible, such as a flush, straight, or three of a kind. Your hand will be scored and you will move on to the next round with satisfying “ding!” sounds. The goal is to reach the points target, which may start off as a few hundred easily attainable points. You are only competing against yourself in this game.”

In addition, during breaks in between games, you have the option to include enigmatic elements in your deck. These can be in the form of holographic, steel, or gold versions of cards that offer multipliers or bonus chips, planet cards that enhance the value of specific hands, tarot cards that alter the effects of other cards in intriguing ways, and a selection of unconventional Jokers that have the potential to drastically alter your gameplay. Essentially, it’s a poker game with a psychedelic twist where breaking the rules is encouraged.

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After a few rounds of gameplay, you will have a unique and unconventional collection of lucky cards. Hearts will grant you a bonus multiplier, playing face cards will double your points, and the planets will bless a humble two-pair with a massive multiplier that is vital to achieving the points target. In hopes of obtaining the coveted steel three of diamonds, you are discarding aces recklessly, as it will greatly contribute to your score. Every third round, a boss will introduce a tricky modifier to your game, such as limiting the number of cards you can use, drawing cards face down, or disabling entire suits at random. You must constantly adapt to the changing circumstances and rely on good luck to sway things in your favor.

According to online sources, the way to win Balatro is by successfully completing the eighth round of matches. This information was discovered through searching the question on Google and stumbling upon a discussion on a Steam forum where someone boasted about winning Balatro in only their second round and boasting an 80% success rate. Needless to say, I am not fond of this individual.

Twice I have reached the final stages but ultimately failed. One time, I aimed for a rarely obtainable straight flush without realizing I hadn’t leveled up that hand, resulting in fewer points than a lowly pair. On a few occasions, I made poor judgments about my hand and discarded cards hoping for unlikely replacements. Once, I encountered a challenging opponent just before the end who restricted me to one type of hand.

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When this kind of thing happens, Balatro can feel highly cursed, but the catch is that this isn’t a game of chance, not entirely. You need some good luck from the cards and to keep faith that decent Jokers will appear in the shop between rounds, but you do decide where to spend your money on new cards, which hands to go for and which risky chances to take. And thus – like all good roguelikes, games which reset your progress whenever you fail – you feel like you’ll totally have it next time.

After that, two hours go by unnoticed. I am intrigued by the dreamy chillwave tunes and the digital-psychedelic art, along with the creepy Joker card designs and old-school TV static. It’s somewhat concerning how calming it all is. If Balatro’s intention was to swindle money from you, it would be truly insidious. Fortunately, after paying £12.79, all of the betting is simulated and the only currency you’re using is your time.

I envision that its charm will eventually fade, maybe once I achieve that elusive victory. But for now, Balatro is everything, and everything is Balatro. I find myself lost in thoughts of clubs and spades.

Source: theguardian.com