I’ve heard great things about Balatro ever since it was released back in February. Trailers and gameplay clips had me thinking that it was just another digital deck building card game capitalizing on the recent “card game craze.” I was wrong. Balatro is nothing like the many card battling games I’ve played (and enjoyed) in recent years. Balatro is a simple, addictive, poker-inspired card game.

Balatro takes the basic poker hands — pairs and trios, straights and flushes, full houses — and adds a complex scoring system. Jokers and ability cards are used to enhance your deck and score more points. I have learned so much about poker ever since I started [obsessively] playing Balatro a couple of weeks ago.

*Side Quest #1:
As a kid, my best friend attempted to teach me how poker works,
and he did a terrible job. He started off by showing me the proper
poker hands. Next, he cheated his way to victory. My hand was always
unable to beat him -- it was basically a game of “I WIN” (Big Daddy, 1999)
-- even when I did beat him. I am still unsure which hands beat which,
but I can now more easily decipher them. After playing Balatro non-stop
for the past few weeks, I’m sure I can become a wiz at Texas Hold ‘Em
in no time -- or at least somewhat understand how it works.

Why So Obsessed?

Is Balatro so addictive due to it feeling like gambling without actually losing money (other than what you paid for the game upfront)? Is it the mix of feeling like you’re at a poker table with the added “one more round” gameplay loop of a rogue-like?

Most people have played some form of digital or mobile Casino games, whether it was for real currency or for fun — we just played virtual Blackjack a few weeks ago on a plane during landing. Most of these games are all left to chance. Balatro allows players to take fate into their own hands by making creative choices to improve their odds.

Each run feels completely different. You can work on building massive multipliers, adding more cards to your deck, leveling up different hands, or some combination of these and more.

Some runs become “teaching runs.” You learn that certain jokers may seem good in theory, but don’t work well — or you just need to find the right combo. There’s also the chase of hunting down a card or ability you had in a previous run that would make the current run so much easier.

While it looks like a simple game, there’s a lot going on in Balatro.

Perfect Handheld Game?

For the longest time my nighttime, bedtime gaming ritual has been any iteration of PICROSS. Balatro is a new heavy favorite because it’s not very intrusive before bed. Some games are too loud in bed, due to pressing too many buttons. Balatro is a game that can be played slowly and even using the touchscreen.

It’s become my nighttime bedtime game, my morning game, and my pretty much all the time game for now. In a time where I’ve been searching for the perfect handheld/TV game on Nintendo Switch, Balatro has answered the call. I have a feeling it will stay around for a while.

BONUS CONTENT • First Win!

Last night, I finally won my first run in Balatro. It was with the red deck. I started off playing different decks each run as I unlocked them. Then I decided to try and beat one at a time. It took me a few days to finally beat the first deck (RED). Now, it’s time to move onto BLUE.

It is very unlikely that I will come across that same set of jokers and upgrades again, but that’s what makes this game special. It’s not about finding one perfect set up and going for it each time. Balatro is about adapting. You make a choice now and try to complement it with the next one.

**Side Quest #2:
As a TCG player (Disney Lorcana, Magic the Gathering, and some others),
I get bored of the weekly game shop scene where everyone is playing the
same handful of meta decks. I'm always working on my decks, and building
new ones. Are they great? Not really, but that's how you learn to play the
game. Maybe this is what I love about Balatro so much, sure it's the same
game with the same purpose each run, but the way you play is different each time.

For those already familiar with Balatro, you can see my game-winning hand in the video below:

Are you enjoying Balatro? Let us know in the comments below…