I spent twenty years fixing machines whose owners swore they had a system. The system was usually a lucky flipper and a loose coin door. Balatro players have a gentler version of the same habit. They find one Joker, decide it is the run, and act surprised when the run disagrees.
Start with the arithmetic
Every scored hand produces Chips times Mult, two separate numbers multiplied together, according to the GameData Central scoring guide. Chips come from the hand type's base chips plus the scored cards: numbered cards at face value, face cards at 10, Aces at 11. Mult comes from the hand type's base multiplier, Joker bonuses and +Mult effects on scored cards.
That guide gives a useful example. A level-1 Flush scores 35 Chips times 4 Mult, which is 140 before any Jokers. At level 5 it is 95 Chips times 8 Mult, or 760. Planet cards do that work. The Jokers then ride on top of it. If you do not know which hand you are feeding, you cannot judge a Joker, because you do not know what it is multiplying.
Why the first two slots matter
You start with 5 Joker slots, per the same guide. Vouchers and a few Jokers, such as Juggler and Throwback, can expand that. Five sounds roomy until you notice that the guide wants the first two slots to establish a clear synergy. Its view is that a run reaching Ante 3 without a coherent Joker pair rarely recovers. That is one guide's judgment, not a law, but it matches how the scoring math compounds.
The other big point is the type of bonus. The guide says ×Mult is far stronger than +Mult. A ×3 Joker turns a score of 100 into 300. A +10 Mult Joker turns 100 into 110. It also calls +Chips Jokers largely filler, unless you are deliberately building a Chips deck. So when two early offers look similar, check which column the bonus lands in.
The IGN Joker guide adds that the right Joker early can set the direction of a run, and that calling any single card the best is shortsighted. I agree with the second part. I once knew a pinball regular who swore one table was the only one worth a quarter. It had a dead slingshot and he never noticed.
Give each one a job and a lifespan
IGN also notes that some Jokers are best used sparingly, or only to get past an early hurdle. That is a lifespan. A belt is a belt until it snaps. The Balatro builds guide frames a strong run as three layers: an opener that keeps you alive, a scaling engine that grows over time, and a late shell that turns that growth into score.
The labels below are mine, not the guides'. They are a quick way to sort your first two picks:
- Keeper: something you expect to still matter when the antes get ugly, usually a scaling piece or a ×Mult source.
- Bridge: something that gets you over an early blind, and that you will happily replace.
The builds guide gives examples for the opening antes, and it calls them examples only. The basic Joker gives dependable Mult. Half Joker suits hands of three or fewer played cards. Blue Joker rewards keeping cards in your deck. Half Joker can serve as an early bridge, and the guide suggests pairing it with a chip source and hand upgrades so the bridge does not become a ceiling.
Two bridges means you have a plan for the next ten minutes and nothing after. Two keepers can work, but only if you survive long enough to use them. A mix is my bench instinct for the default, and I cannot prove it from these sources.
Pick a hand and follow the checkpoints
The scoring guide says to choose a primary hand type early and put your Planet cards into it. Spreading upgrades across hand types is almost always a mistake. For beginners it calls Flush the most consistent build, since all five scored cards just have to share a suit. It also says Four Fingers is a game-changer if you find it early. Pair and high card builds are easy to play, but they need outside scoring to keep up.
The builds guide lays out a rough timeline:
- Antes 1 and 2: buy a scoring effect that works with cards you can actually draw.
- Antes 3 to 5: find a growth mechanism, such as a hand-level plan, a growing Joker or repeatable deck improvement, while keeping enough immediate scoring to survive.
- Antes 6 to 8: test the build against the blind requirement.
That guide also says to judge blinds against a normal draw and a poor draw, since the best possible hand is an upper bound and not a promise. A beginner guide on JEU.VIDEO suggests a routine: play a hand you can repeat, keep money near $25 once your score is stable, and make your first purchase a Joker that scores often. Treat that page with some caution, though. Parts of it read as generic filler.
Questions to ask at the shop
The builds guide offers a short checklist, and it is the most practical thing I found. Ask what keeps this run alive right now. If the answer is weak, skip the flashy late-game piece. Ask whether the Joker triggers on the hands you usually draw, because a conditional bonus that misses your ordinary hand is not dependable scoring. Ask what actually scales with time, shop cycles or copies, since without scaling the ceiling is fake.
The red flags are as plain. Buying endgame ideas before you have a stable opener is a common way runs fall apart. Saving money is no win if the next blind ends the run. Before you sell a consistency piece, check the boss blind. The sources do not give Joker prices or blind target numbers, so do your own math on hands left, the target and the cash you will have after buying.
My verdict is modest. Pick your first two with roles in mind and a hand type already chosen. Expect one of them to leave. Then write down why the run died. Usually it was a pick that looked clever on its own and did nothing for the other one.
For the original wording, see the IGN guides on Jokers and general tips. Then go lose a run on purpose and read the wreckage.
Sources
- Balatro Tips and Tricks - Balatro Guide - IGN
- The Best Balatro Jokers to Look Out For - Balatro Guide - IGN
- Balatro: Beginner's Guide — How Scoring Actually Works — GameData Central
- Balatro Builds Guide - Archetypes, Openers, and Scaling Paths
- Balatro Strategy Guide: Joker Combos, Scoring and Economy
- [Guide] Balatro beginner guide : Jokers, antes and shop choices for your first win | JEU.VIDEO
Marguerite Osei is a house writer for GamesUnlimited covering classic arcade cabinets, pinball, and the hardware that keeps them running. She spent two decades repairing machines in family arcades before she started writing about them. Her reviews weigh how a game plays against how well it holds up to a thousand quarters.
