Six Decks in Balatro, in clockwise order: Ghost Deck, Abandoned Deck, Checkered Deck, Nebula Deck, Magic Deck, and Red Deck.

Balatro—All Decks and Tips for Using Them

Choose your weapon.

Written by:
Avatar photo
Reyadh is a writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction who loves to play video games full of monsters and magic. When he's not scribing unique and unrelenting speculative fiction or slaying demons in virtual worlds, he is writing strategy guides to help others reach their gaming goals.

Reviewed by:
Avatar photo
Marshall is a seasoned writer and gaming enthusiast based in Tokyo. He's a prolific wordsmith with hundreds of articles featured on top-tier sites like Business Insider, How-To Geek, PCWorld, and Zapier. His writing has reached a massive audience with over 70 million readers!

Key Takeaway

There are fifteen Decks in Balatro. The Red Deck is unlocked from the start of the game, but the Blue Deck, Yellow Deck, Green Deck, and Black Deck require you to discover items in the Collection before you can use them.

The Magic Deck, Nebula Deck, Ghost Deck, Abandoned Deck, and Checkered Deck are unlocked by winning runs with each of the five aforementioned color Decks.

As for the Zodiac Deck, Painted Deck, Anaglyph Deck, Plasman Deck, and Erratic Deck, you must win runs on higher difficulties to obtain them.

The full version of Balatro features 15 Decks in all. You’ll need to win multiple runs to get them, as each has different unlocking criteria. Becoming familiar with each Deck helps you optimize your builds. Furthermore, using different Decks adds a bit of variety for more replay value.

Table Of Contents

    Red Deck

    A Deck in Balatro with red backed cards.

    The Red Deck is the only one you’ll have at the start of the game. Its effect gives you +1 discard every round. Out of all the Decks in Balatro, this one is the most boring—you have to start somewhere, right? Get good at using the Red Deck to unlock the rest!

    Best Jokers for the Red Deck

    • Pick up the Drunkard Joker (+1 discard) for even more discarding fun
    • The Merry Andy Joker (+3 discards, -1 hand size) lets you discard way more at the cost of a smaller hand size
    • Using the Banner Joker (+40 Chips for each remaining discard) helps you get more Chips
    • The Castle Joker (gains +3 Chips for every [insert suit] card discard [specified suit changes every round]) is also great for getting Chips
    • For those who hate Jacks, grab the Hit the Road Joker (x0.5 Mult per Jack discarded this round) for more Mult
    • If you need more money, look for the Mail-In Rebate Joker (gives $3 per [insert card] discarded [specified card changes every round])
    • To get rid of low-value cards and gain easy cash, obtain the Trading Card Joker (if the first discard in a round only contains one card, destroy it and gain $3)
    • The best Joker for the Red Deck is Yorrick (x5 Mult after using 23 discards this run), as it gives you a ton of Mult

    Tips for Using the Red Deck

    Keep your eyes peeled for the Wasteful and Recyclomancy Vouchers, as they each give you +1 discard (+2 if you have both).

    On top of that, pick up the Medium Spectral Card (adds a Purple Seal to one card) whenever you can, as this is the best out of all the Spectral Cards in Balatro for a Red Deck. Purple Seal cards create a random Tarot Card every time they are discarded. Doing so often can help you get and unlock every Tarot Card in Balatro.

    Blue Deck

    A Deck in Balatro with blue backed cards.

    To unlock the Blue Deck in Balatro, you must uncover 20 items in the Collection. The items in question can be Jokers, Vouchers, or anything else. Check your Collection at the main menu to track your progress. In terms of effect, the Blue Deck gives you +1 hand every round. Besides the Red Deck, this is the least interesting out of all the Decks in Balatro.

    Best Jokers for the Blue Deck

    • To upgrade your Poker Hands consistently, try out the Space Joker (1 in 4 chance to upgrade the level of played Poker Hands [Flush, Straight, etc.])
    • The Burglar Joker (gives +3 hands at the start of each Blind, but you lose all discards) is great for getting a ton more hands per round
      • The Green Joker (+1 Mult per hand played but -1 Mult per discard used) works well alongside the Burglar Joker for getting more Mult
    • If you want to duplicate a playing card, use the DNA Joker (if the first played hand of a round only contains one card, create a permanent copy of it in your deck and then draw it)
    • For more money, grab the To Do List Joker (gain $5 if the Poker Hand played is a [insert Poker Hand type] [specified Poker Hand type changes after each payout]) since you have hands to spare
    • The Hiker Joker (every played card gains +4 Chips when scored) is a solid way to buff the Chips of playing cards, so play as many hands as possible!
    • Big Mult gains can be obtained when you use the Card Sharp Joker (x3 Mult if the played Poker Hand type has already been played this round)
    • You can create many Tarot Cards if you play hands while you’re under $3 and have the Vagabond Joker (creates a random Tarot Card when a hand is played while you have $3 or less)

    Tips for Using the Blue Deck

    Get the Grabber and Nacho Tong Vouchers if you spot them in the shop, as they each give you +1 hand (+2 together).

    Furthermore, there are a couple of Spectral Cards that are helpful when you plan on playing lots of hands. The first of these is the Talisman Spectral Card, which adds a Gold Seal to a card. A Gold Seal card gives $3 when played and scored. While all Decks in Balatro can benefit from this, those that play more hands can reap the rewards consistently. Next is the Deja Vu Spectral Card, which adds a Red Seal to a card. Red Seal cards are triggered twice when scored, so you can boost your hand scores easily with plenty of these in your Deck.

    Yellow Deck

    A Deck in Balatro with yellow backed cards.

    The Yellow Deck in Balatro is unlocked when you discover 50 items in the Collection. Simple but sweet, the Yellow Deck lets you start a run with an extra $10. This makes it easier to get a good build going. Buy shop goods earlier to start optimizing your strategy. Of all the Decks in Balatro, the Yellow Deck is one of the best for a money build.

    Best Jokers for the Yellow Deck

    • Since you want to focus on money tactics when using the Yellow Deck, the To the Moon Joker (earn an extra $1 of interest for every $5 you have at the end of a round) can be a prime way to snowball your cash gain
    • Pick up the Hallucination Joker (1 in 2 chance to create a random Tarot Card when a Booster Pack is opened) so you can get and use more Tarot Cards—you’ll likely have enough money to buy Booster Packs
      • The Fortune Teller Joker (+1 Mult per Tarot Card used this run) stacks nicely with the Hallucination Joker for big Mult yields
    • Using the Bull Joker (+2 Chips for each dollar you have) is ideal for acquiring tons of Chips easily
    • For a similar reason as the Bull Joker, the Bootstraps Joker (+2 Mult for every $5 you have) is a great way to increase your round score

    Tips for Using the Yellow Deck

    Always buy the Tarot Cards called the Hermit (doubles your money [maximum of $20]) and Temperance (gives you the total sell value of all owned Jokers). Money tactics are enhanced notably by using these ‘free money’ Tarot Cards.

    As for Vouchers—pretty much all of them are worth getting for a money build. The sole exception is the Blank Voucher, as it does nothing besides help you unlock the Antimatter Voucher.

    Green Deck

    A Deck with green backed cards.

    The Green Deck is unlocked when you obtain 75 items for your Collection. Regarding all the Decks in Balatro, this one has the most effects. At the end of each round played with the Green Deck, you’ll get $2 per remaining hand and $1 per remaining discard. However, you won’t earn interest.

    Best Jokers for the Green Deck

    • The Banner Joker (+40 Chips for each remaining discard) is useful for gaining Chips since you’ll be saving discards
    • To get money, the Delayed Gratification Joker (earn $2 per discard if no discards are used by the end of the round) can be handy
    • For trading discards for hands—as hands are more valuable—try the Burglar Joker (gives +3 hands at the start of each Blind, but you lose all discards)
    • Since you want to play as few hands as possible, the Turtle Bean Joker (+5 hand size but hand size is reduced by 1 at the end of every round) can help
    • On the topic of hand size, the Juggler Joker (+1 hand size) is also useful for using fewer hands and discards
    • For more discards, the Drunkard Joker (+1 discard) is great
    • When playing a build focused on using as few discards as possible, the Ramen Joker (x2 Mult but loses x0.01 per card discarded) is a solid addition

    Tips for Using the Green Deck

    As with the Yellow Deck—which is also great for a money build—all Vouchers except the Blank are useful (it does nothing except unlock the Antimatter Voucher).

    Similarly, pick up the Tarot Cards named the Hermit (doubles your money [maximum of $20]) and Temperance (gives you the total sell value of all owned Jokers). More money means more purchases, which, in turn, means more build optimization!

    Black Deck

    A Deck with black backed cards.

    You’ll get the Black Deck when you’ve found 100 items in the Collection. The Black Deck’s effects are that it gives you another Joker slot while decreasing your hands per round by one. As such, since the normal number of Joker slots is five, you’ll now have six. As opposed to all other Decks in Balatro, it grants you more Joker synergy potential.

    Best Jokers for the Black Deck

    • Keeping some of your Joker slots empty would allow the Joker Stencil (x1 Mult for each empty Joker slot, which includes Joker Stencil) to grant you more Mult
    • Alternatively, if you fill up all Joker slots, the Abstract Joker (+3 Mult for each owned Joker) will add lots of Mult to your score
    • Thanks to more slots, you can make even better use of the Joker-summoning Riff-Raff Joker (when a Blind is selected, create up to 2 Common Jokers)
    • To gain money more easily, you can sell unwanted Jokers after you boost their selling price with the Gift Card Joker (adds $1 to the sell value of every Joker and consumable card at the end of each round)
    • While the Baseball Card Joker (Uncommon Jokers each give x1.5 Mult) is always useful, it becomes even better if you gather more Uncommon Jokers than usually possible
    • Keep a Swashbuckler Joker (adds the sell value of all owned Jokers left of this card to Mult) on the far right of your Joker zone to add a bunch of Mult to your score

    Tips for Using the Black Deck

    For stacking the power of your Jokers, try getting the Vouchers called Hone (Foil, Holographic, and Polychrome cards appear twice as often in the shop) and Glow Up (Foil, Holographic, and Polychrome cards appear four times as often in the shop). Adding additional Chips and Mult gain to a bigger lineup of Jokers causes your round scores to skyrocket. What’s more, the Antimatter Voucher (+1 Joker slot) helps you collect more Jokers.

    Although it usually isn’t worth getting, the Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card (1 in 4 chance to add Foil, Holographic, or Polychrome to a random Joker) can be great in a Joker-filled build. Of course, the Judgement Tarot Card (creates a random Joker, but you must have an open Joker slot) is also handy here by netting you another Joker for your insane clown posse.

    As for Spectral Cards, Wraith (creates a random Rare Joker but sets money to $0) is a decent one to grab—but you should get it when you don’t have much money on you. The Ectoplasm Spectral Card (adds the Negative edition [+1 Joker slot] to a random Joker) is also a solid pick, as it lets you collect even more Jokers! Furthermore, look for The Soul Spectral Card (creates a Legendary Joker), as Legendary Jokers are very powerful.

    Magic Deck

    A Deck with card backs that have an abstract purple and yellow design.

    To unlock the Magic Deck, you need to win a run with the Red Deck on any difficulty. Despite the name, don’t get it mixed up with a deck for Magic: The Gathering! Doing so would be foolish (in the Tarot Card sense)—which is another trait of the Magic Deck.

    In a run, this mystical pile of cards starts you off with the Crystal Ball Voucher (+1 consumable slot) and two copies of the Fool Tarot Card (creates a copy of the last-used Tarot or Planet Card [except the Fool]). Out of all the Decks in Balatro, this is the best for Tarot-focused tactics.

    Best Jokers for the Magic Deck

    • A Tarot-centric build can be improved by using the Vagabond Joker (creates a Tarot card if you play a hand while you have $3 or less) to gain lots more Tarot Cards
    • Find the Hallucination Joker (1 in 2 chance to create a random Tarot Card when a Booster Pack is opened) so you can get and use more Tarot Cards
    • To ramp up your Mult gain, obtain the Fortune Teller Joker (+1 Mult per Tarot Card used this run)
    • The Cartomancer Joker (creates a Tarot Card whenever a Blind is selected) is another boon for Tarot Card collecting
    • If you’re looking to trade in all those Tarot-granted enhancements, try using the Vampire Joker (gains x0.2 Mult per enhanced card played, but removes the enhancement)
      • Conversely, you can instead make use of all those enhanced cards by grabbing the Driver’s License Joker (x3 Mult if you have at least 16 enhanced cards)—but don’t use the Vampire and Driver’s License Jokers together

    Tips for Using the Magic Deck

    You should buy as many Tarot Booster Packs from the shop as possible, so the Vouchers Clearance Sale (25% off all cards and Booster Packs in the shop) and Liquidation (40% off all cards and Booster Packs in the shop) help a lot. For even more options in the shop, pick up the Overstock and Overstock Plus Vouchers (each gives +1 single card items in the shop; +2 together). The Vouchers Tarot Merchant (Tarot Cards appear twice as often in the shop) and Tarot Tycoon (Tarot Cards appear four times as often in the shop) are also great for finding more Tarot Cards.

    Be on the lookout for Tarot Cards that give you even more Tarot Cards (Tarotception!), such as the Fool and the Emperor (creates up to two random Tarot Cards, but you must have room for them).

    Nebula Deck

    A Deck from Balatro with card backs that show a starry night sky.

    For the Nebula Deck to become yours, you must win a run with the Blue Deck on any difficulty. This starry stack of cards starts your run with the Telescope Voucher (Planet Booster Packs always contain the Planet Card for your most-played Poker Hand type). However, you’ll only have one consumable slot (unless you somehow increase the number of them). Regarding all the Decks in Balatro, this one enables Planet-themed strategies the most.

    Best Jokers for the Nebula Deck

    • Adding Mult is easy with the Supernova Joker (adds the number of times the used Poker Hand type has been played to Mult for each played hand)
    • To further increase the potency of your Poker Hand types, use the Space Joker (1 in 4 chance to upgrade the level of the played Poker Hand type before it’s scored)
    • The Constellation Joker (gains x0.1 Mult per Planet card used) is a must-have for a Planet-focused build, as it’ll naturally give you tons of Mult in later Antes
    • For earning money, try the Satellite Joker (gain $1 at the end of the round for every unique Planet Card used this run)
    • If you want to acquire as many Planet Cards as possible, be sure to grab the Astronomer Joker (all Planet cards and Celestial Packs in the shop are free)
    • To counteract the -1 consumable slot feature of the Nebula Deck, attempt to find the Perkeo Joker (creates a Negative edition copy of 1 random consumable card in your possession each time you leave the shop)

    Tips for Using the Nebula Deck

    Due to the Nebula Deck revolving around consumable usage, you’ll want to take a similar approach as when using the Magic Deck. Primarily, seek out the Clearance Sale and Liquidation Vouchers for lower prices in the shop. On a similar note, pick up the Overstock and Overstock Plus Vouchers as well. Obtaining the Crystal Ball Voucher (+1 consumable slot) is also a good idea to offset your lack of consumable slots. Furthermore, the Vouchers Planet Merchant (Planet Cards appear twice as often in the shop) and Planet Tycoon (Planet Cards appear four times as often in the shop) grant you even easier access to Planet Cards.

    If you see Spectral Booster Packs, try to find the Trance Spectral Card, as it adds a Blue Seal to one of your cards. Blue Seal cards create a Planet Card if held in your hand at the end of the round. While Black Hole (upgrades every Poker Hand type by one level) is a Spectral Card, it’s only found in Planet Booster Packs—keep an eye out for it, as it’s an awesome boon for Planet builds.

    Ghost Deck

    A Deck with card backs showing yellow and blue blobs.

    To get the Ghost Deck, you need to complete a run on any difficulty with the Yellow Deck. In addition to causing Spectral Cards to sometimes appear in the shop, you’ll start your run with the Hex Spectral Card (adds Polychrome to one random Joker but then destroys all other Jokers). Out of all the Decks in Balatro, the Ghost Deck is the best for spooky Spectral Card plays.

    Best Jokers for the Ghost Deck

    • Use the Sixth Sense Joker (if the first hand of the round is a single 6, destroy it and create a Spectral Card) to get lots of Spectral Cards
    • The Chaos the Clown Joker (one free reroll per shop visit) can help you find more Spectral Cards in the shop

    Tips for Using the Ghost Deck

    Like with the Magic Deck and Nebula Deck, the strength of the Ghost Deck increases the more consumables you use. Therefore, the Overstock and Overstock Plus Vouchers help find more Spectral Cards. Rerolling in the shop also becomes more beneficial for similar reasons, so grab the Reroll Surplus and Reroll Glut Vouchers (rerolls in the shop cost $2 less for each; $4 less when combined). On that note, pick the Omen Globe Voucher (Spectral Cards may appear in Tarot Booster Packs) for even more Spectral fun.

    Abandoned Deck

    A Deck with card backs that are beige and look cracked.

    You need to win a run with the Green Deck to unlock the Abandoned Deck. Arguably the most straightforward out of all the Decks in Balatro, the Abandoned Deck has no face cards. As such, you’ll need to make do with only Aces and numbered cards.

    Best Jokers for the Abandoned Deck

    • Higher odds of drawing Aces, 2s, 3s, 5s, and 8s make the Fibonacci Joker (each played Ace, 2, 3, 5, and 8 gives +8 Mult when scored) excellent for adding Mult
      • The Hack Joker (retriggers each played 2, 3, 4, and 5) pairs nicely with the Fibonacci Joker, as triggering 2s, 3s, and 5s, again adds even more Mult
      • Similarly, the Scholar Joker (played Aces give +20 Chips and +4 Mult when scored) syncs up well with the Fibonacci Joker, making Aces even more useful
    • The Ride the Bus Joker (+1 Mult for every hand played without a scoring face card, but starts at and resets to 0 when a face card is scored) is powerful, as it’ll always gain Mult thanks to no face cards in your Deck
    • Be sure to grab the Erosion Joker (+4 Mult for each card below 52 in your deck), as due to the Abandoned Deck having only 40 cards, you’ll immediately get +48 Mult per hand played

    Tips for Using the Abandoned Deck

    Thanks to having fewer cards in your Deck, it’ll be easier to line up a Straight or even a Straight Flush. As such, obtaining the Wasteful and Recyclomancy Vouchers (+1 discard each; +2 if you have both) helps you pull the cards you need when you need them. On a related note, the Paint Brush and Palette Vouchers (+1 hand size each; +2 together) similarly assist you.

    If you want more Aces, use the Grim Spectral Card (destroys one random card in your hand and creates two random enhanced Aces) whenever you come across it. Ace plays are very viable when using the Abandoned Deck. Conversely, for better numbered card plays, use the Incantation Spectral Card (destroys one random card in your hand and creates four random enhanced numbered cards) whenever possible.

    Checkered Deck

    A Deck with card backs that are covered in a red and black checkered pattern.

    You’ll unlock the Checkered Deck when you win a run on any difficulty with the Black Deck. Another simple change among Balatro Decks—albeit a significant one—is that all the cards in the Checkered Deck are either Spades or Hearts. There are still four cards of each rank.

    Best Jokers for the Checkered Deck

    • The Lusty Joker (+4 Mult per Heart card scored) helps build up Mult for big round scores
    • For similar reasons, the Wrathful Joker (+4 Mult per Spade card scored) also assists in Mult increase
    • Since getting Flushes is easy with the Checkered Deck, you can turn them into Royal Flushes without much effort if you use the Pareidolia Joker (all cards are considered face cards)
    • By playing Hearts and leaving only Spades in your hand, you’ll gain tons of Mult with the Blackboard Joker (x3 Mult if all cards held in hand are Spades or Clubs)
    • Straight Flushes won’t be too hard to get with the Checkered Deck, so use them to get more Spectral Cards via the Séance Joker (if the played Poker Hand is a Straight Flush, create a random Spectral Card)
    • Although it won’t trigger half the time, you can get lots of Mult with the Ancient Joker (x1.5 Mult for each card played of a specified suit, but the specified suit changes at the end of each round)
    • The Bloodstone Joker (1 in 3 chance for played Hearts to give x2 Mult when scored) can significantly increase your Mult due to your build being Hearts-focused
    • On the flip side, gaining loads of Chips is easy with the Arrowhead Joker (played Spades give +50 Chips when scored)

    Tips for Using the Checkered Deck

    You can potentially turn the Checkered Deck into a single-suit deck. The Tarot Cards the Sun (converts up to three selected cards into Hearts) or the World (converts up to three selected cards into Spades) can help with such ventures.

    Zodiac Deck

    A Deck from Balatro with card backs that have yellow rings and constellations on them.

    To unlock the Zodiac Deck, you must win a run with any Deck on Red Stake difficulty or higher. Compared to all other Decks in Balatro, the Zodiac Deck makes it the most easy to find the Tarot and Planet Cards you want in the shop. It does so by starting your run with the Vouchers Tarot Merchant (Tarot Cards appear twice as often in the shop), Planet Merchant (Planet Cards appear twice as often in the shop), and Overstock (spawns +1 single card items in the shop).

    Best Jokers for the Zodiac Deck

    All of the Jokers we mentioned for the Magic Deck and Nebula Deck are viable for builds using the Zodiac Deck. Depending on what you find in the shop, your build will evolve differently. Use your judgment to determine which are the best, as the Zodiac Deck has lots of potential.

    Tips for Using the Zodiac Deck

    Since you start with the Tarot Merchant, Planet Merchant, and Overstock Vouchers, getting their upgraded versions is recommended. The Tarot Tycoon Voucher (Tarot Cards appear four times as often in the shop) is ideal for Tarot-focused builds. Whereas the Planet Tycoon Voucher (Planet Cards appear four times as often in the shop) is better for Planet-themed ones. Lastly, the Overstock Plus Voucher (grants +1 single card items in the shop) stacks nicely with the Overstock Voucher for finding plenty of great items.

    Painted Deck

    A Deck with card backs that have many different colors.

    The Painted Deck is unlocked by winning a run with any Deck on Green Stake difficulty or higher. Regarding all the Decks in Balatro, the Painted Deck starts you with the biggest hand size. As such, it’s very versatile and allows you to play Straights, Flushes, and Full Houses relatively easily.

    Best Jokers for the Painted Deck

    • Since you’ll have lots of cards in your hand, you can retrigger many of them with the help of the Mime Joker (retrigger all card ‘held in hand’ abilities)
    • You can get Planet Cards easily with the help of some 8s and the 8 Ball Joker (creates a Planet Card when the played hand has at least two 8s)
    • Steel Cards (which give x1.5 Mult per Steel Card in your hand) work great with the Painted Deck, so use the Steel Joker (gains x0.25 Mult for each Steel Card in your deck) to maximize your Mult
    • Mult increases are easy if you have lots of Kings and pick up the Baron Joker (each King held in hand gives x1.5 Mult)
    • Having many Queens grants you plenty of Mult by using the Shoot the Moon Joker (+13 Mult for each Queen held in hand)
    • Similarly, you can get tons of money with the Reserved Parking Joker (each face card held in hand has a 1 in 2 chance to give $1)
    • The Juggler Joker (+1 hand size) further increases how many cards you can hold
      • The Troubadour Joker (+2 hand size but -1 hands per round) amplifies your hand size even more

    Tips for Using the Painted Deck

    The most straightforward Vouchers for improving your Painted Deck build are Paint Brush and Palette (+1 hand size each; +2 together).

    When it comes to Tarot Cards, the Chariot is great to use, as Steel Cards can significantly increase your round score in Painted Deck builds. On a related note, the Devil (enhances one selected card into a Gold Card; Gold Cards held in hand give $3 at the end of the round) helps you earn money through Gold Card held-in-hand tactics.

    Anaglyph Deck

    A Deck with card backs that are mostly red and blue.

    To unlock the Anaglyph Deck, you have to win a run with any Deck on Black Stake difficulty or higher. As the most situationally useful out of all the Decks in Balatro, the Anaglyph Deck requires more luck than others to succeed in a run. After defeating each of the many Boss Blinds in Balatro, you’ll get a Double Tag (which doubles the next acquired Tag). There are plenty of better Tags in Balatro, but the Double Tag can still be useful.

    Best Jokers for the Anaglyph Deck

    Since the Anaglyph Deck revolves around Boss Blind defeats and Double Tag spawns, there are no Jokers that are specifically better for it than others. With that said, generally useful ones such as the Blueprint Joker (copies the ability of the Joker to the right) and the Brainstorm Joker (copies the ability of the leftmost Joker) are always recommended.

    Tips for Using the Anaglyph Deck

    Focus on using the Double Tag you get after each Boss Blind to get two of whatever Tag will help the most. For example, if you don’t have many good Jokers, use the Double Tag to get two Rare Tags (spawns a Rare Joker in the next shop). Or, if you need more money (such as to buy two Rare Jokers at once), use the Double Tag on the Economy Tag (doubles your money [a maximum of $40 can be doubled]).

    Plasma Deck

    A Deck in Balatro that has card backs covered in pink and purple waves.

    You’ll unlock the Plasma Deck after you win a run with any Deck on Blue Stake difficulty or higher. This is arguably the craziest out of all the Decks in Balatro, as it averages your Chips and Mult for every played hand before scoring occurs. On top of that, it multiplies the base Blind score needed by two—making it twice as hard to clear Antes.

    Best Jokers for the Plasma Deck

    • Stone Cards (gives +50 Chips when scored but have no suit or rank) are great for Plasma Deck builds, so get more of them with the Marble Joker (adds one Stone Card to your deck when a Blind is selected)
      • For Stone Card tactics, be sure to pair the Marble Joker with the Stone Joker (gains +25 Chips for each Stone Card in your deck)
    • Despite tapering off in usefulness after a while, it’s helpful to consistently have the wealth of Chips granted by the Ice Cream Joker (+100 Chips per hand, but loses 5 Chips after every played hand)
    • Similarly, the great Chips yield from the Blue Joker (+2 Chips for each remaining card in your deck) is handy
    • Try to find the Hiker Joker (every played card permanently gains +4 Chips when scored) early, as its incremental buffing of cards benefits you in later Antes
    • While it makes it tricky to play five-card Poker Hand types, the huge amount of Chips granted by the Stuntman Joker (+300 Chips, -2 hand size)
      works great in a Plasma Deck build

    Tips for Using the Plasma Deck

    First up, the Plasma Deck is widely considered to be one of the hardest out of all Decks in Balatro to use successfully. Don’t feel bad if it takes you many tries to win a run with it.

    Regarding high numbers, it’s much easier to gain Chips than Mult. There are plenty of ways to get dozens if not hundreds of Chips, whereas doing the same for Mult takes more effort. Since these two factors will be averaged before scoring, you’ll get higher round scores by building up one side more than trying to build up both as you would in a different Deck. Try to get as many Foil cards as possible, as each gives you +50 Chips.

    Great ways to get Foil cards include buying the Vouchers Hone (Foil, Holographic, and Polychrome cards appear twice as often in the shop) and Glow Up (Foil, Holographic, and Polychrome cards appear four times as often in the shop).

    The only Spectral Card that’ll be useful here is Aura, as it adds the Foil, Holographic, or Polychrome edition to one selected card.

    In terms of the most viable Tarot Cards to use with a Plasma Deck, you should heavily consider frequent use of the Hierophant (enhances two selected cards into Bonus Cards; Bonus Cards give +30 Chips when scored). Another to look out for is the Tower, as it turns up to one selected card into a Stone Card.

    Erratic Deck

    A Deck in Balatro with card backs that are mostly black but covered in small red, yellow, and blue symbols.

    The Erratic Deck is the last Deck you can unlock; you must win a run with any Deck on Orange Stake difficulty to access it. Besides the Plasma Deck, the Erratic Deck is the hardest to use out of all Decks in Balatro. All ranks and suits are randomized, so you never know what you’re going to get. As such, you need to make up tactics as you progress in your run as opposed to going in with a set plan.

    Best Jokers for the Erratic Deck

    Since there’s no way to tell what you’ll get in your next Erratic Deck, we can’t recommend specific Jokers. However, consistent and powerful ones such as the Blueprint Joker (copies the ability of the Joker to the right) and the Brainstorm Joker (copies the ability of the leftmost Joker) will always be useful.

    Tips for Using the Erratic Deck

    Use Spectral Cards as often as you can, as they can manipulate your Deck the most out of all consumables. For example, if your Deck has great Flush potential, use Sigil (converts all cards in your hand to a single random suit) to enhance such plays. In another example, if your Deck has many cards of the same rank, use Ouija (converts all cards in your hand to a single random rank, but decreases hand size by one).


    Now that you have the best tips for using all of the Decks in Balatro, you’re sure to win more runs! For even bigger round scores, be sure to find the secret Planet Cards to buff rare Poker Hands. When it comes to your scoring potential, the sky is the limit!

    Read Next
    Every Card Banned for Being Culturally Offensive in Magic: The Gathering, Ranked
    Reyadh Rahaman | 7 months ago
    Every Jurassic Park Card in Magic: The Gathering
    Reyadh Rahaman | 8 months ago
    All Fetch Lands in Magic: The Gathering (2024)
    Reyadh Rahaman | 7 months ago