Poker is an exciting game. It’s not for nothing that it has been a perennial favorite among card games for almost two hundred years. The simplicity of the rules appeals to a broad audience, and the element of chance makes every game unpredictable and exciting. As a game of chance, however, poker has very little tactical depth. At least not when you play it digitally. When playing with others in person, of course, there’s also bluffing.
Although digital poker is significantly less tactical, it enjoys great popularity. The appeal probably lies in playing for money. That’s not for me; I don’t like to gamble. But that also makes poker less appealing to me. But what if you took the luck factor to the extreme, but in doing so, massively increased the tactical depth?
Balatro Special Edition
Welcome to Balatro. At first glance, the game looks like poker. You have cards in your hand and must play at least one hand each round. This earns you points. The combinations known from poker form the basis. The more difficult the hand, the higher the multiplier. Higher cards give more points. The points for the round are calculated from chips and the multiplier. The goal is to reach a certain score within a limited number of hands. No good cards? You can also discard, i.e., exchange cards, a limited number of times. So far, so simple. Up to this point, Balatro is very similar to poker.
But now it gets more complex. So far, I’ve only scratched the surface myself. In Balatro, the standard cards are supplemented by Jokers, Planet cards, Tarot cards, Spectral cards, and Vouchers. Jokers offer permanent chip and/or multiplier bonuses during a run, Vouchers offer permanent bonuses, Tarot cards can be actively used once, Planet cards improve the value of hands, and Spectral cards must be used immediately. This massively increases the options, but you are limited by the available money. After each round, you get money, depending on the round’s result and your savings. You can then use this to buy poker cards, vouchers, or card packs.
In total, eight antes are played, each with three rounds. The Small Blind, Big Blind, and Boss Blind rounds together make up one ante. You can buy one voucher per ante, and new Jokers and card packs are available each round. In the Boss Blind, you also have to deal with a debuff, for example, all club cards give no points. While the first few rounds are very reminiscent of poker, the game becomes more and more tactical with every special card you buy. Every purchase must be carefully considered. Does this Joker or bonus fit my current set? How do I increase my multiplier and chips? Will I reach the necessary score with it?
No two rounds play the same. In the end, it’s a variation of poker, and the luck in the first few rounds pushes the player in certain directions. What you make of your hand is the player’s responsibility. This combination is extremely fun and is both exciting and entertaining. The game itself is very small and requires few resources. So it’s no wonder that it’s available on almost all platforms. On mobile for iOS and Android (10 Euros), on desktop via Steam (14 Euros), and on the three major consoles Playstation, Xbox, and Switch (Digital 14 Euros, Physical 30 Euros). I can definitely recommend this game to you. Price-wise, I opted for the iOS version, but the game works well on all platforms.