# Balatro: poker hands, Jokers and very big numbers

Source: https://roam.new/balatro/

Balatro is a roguelike deckbuilder built on poker hands, made by the solo developer LocalThunk and published by Playstack. It came out on February 20, 2024 on PC and consoles, and on iPhone and Android on September 26, 2024. You play poker hands to hit a score target, and Jokers bend the rules until the numbers get huge.

## How scoring works

Every hand you play has two numbers: chips and mult. The hand type sets a base, for example a flush scores more than a pair, and each scoring card adds its value in chips. Then chips are multiplied by mult. Your score has to reach the blind's target before you run out of hands.

You get a few hands and a few discards per blind. Discards let you throw cards away and draw new ones, so you can chase the hand you want.


## Blinds, antes and the shop

- **Small Blind and Big Blind**: The first two targets of each ante. You can skip them for a reward tag.
- **Boss Blind**: The third target, with a rule that works against you, like debuffing a suit.
- **Antes**: Beat the Boss Blind of ante 8 to win the run.
- **The shop**: Between blinds, spend money on Jokers, Planet cards that level up hand types, Tarot cards that change your cards, and vouchers.

## Jokers are the whole game

You can hold five Jokers at a time. Each one changes scoring: some add mult for a suit, some multiply mult when a condition is met, some earn money. The fun is finding Jokers that work together, so a plain pair turns into millions of points. Order matters, because Jokers score from left to right.


## Where to play, and card games on Roam

Balatro is on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iPhone and Android, and Balatro+ is on Apple Arcade. Pumpkins Pay Out is a card-based farm slot roguelite on Roam: plant the cards, spin the pumpkins, pay the tax. Crypt Deck is a roguelike deckbuilder with a boss on each of three floors. Mate the Machine is a chess roguelike with cards. They are Roam games, not Balatro.


## Play it on Roam

- [Pumpkins Pay Out](https://roam.gg/play/pumpkins-pay-out/): The tax is due in 5 days. The pumpkins have reels.
- [Crypt Deck](https://roam.gg/play/crypt-deck/): Three floors down. One card at a time.
- [Mate the Machine](https://roam.gg/play/mate-the-machine/): Ivory pieces, a hand of cards, one chrome King to take.

## Make your own card roguelite with Roam

Roam is a free iPhone app that turns a description into a game. Set the cards, the scoring and the bosses, then ask for new jokers between runs. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "card roguelite with Uno-style cards, combos score points times a multiplier, 8 bosses with weird rules, buy wild cards in a shop between rounds"

[Get Roam on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6745489251?pt=126889634&mt=8&ct=rnew-balatro)

## Questions people ask

**Who made Balatro?**
LocalThunk, a solo developer. Playstack published it.

**Is Balatro on mobile?**
Yes. It came to iPhone and Android on September 26, 2024, and Balatro+ is on Apple Arcade.

**Do you need to know poker to play Balatro?**
It helps to know the hand types, but the game lists every hand and its score.

## About Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play. https://roam.gg