Balatro review: poker face - The Verge
A new game from solo developer LocalThunk combines the hand mechanics of poker with the thrilling loop of roguelikes.
Two words: poker roguelike
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If that phrase is appealing to you, then you’ll find plenty to love in Balatro.
ByKevin Nguyen, a features editor at The Verge, where he publishes award-winning stories about labor, business, and policing. Previously, he was a senior editor at GQ.
Feb 26, 2024, 8:00 PM UTC
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If that phrase is appealing to you, then you’ll find plenty to love in Balatro.
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FAQs
What is a Rake Chase?
Rake chases are poker promotions which are incentives for players to rake more and reward them generously for that.
Does Showman stack Balatro?
Showman when equipped allows duplicates of other Jokers Planet Cards and Tarot to show up in the shop and Booster Packs. Normally when players already have a particular Joker Planet Cards or Tarot in their possessions the shop will never have a duplicate but with Showman equipped this is now possible.
How do you unlock the invisible Joker in Balatro?
Unlock Requirement Win a game while never having more than 4 jokers. Invisible Joker is a rare Joker that can be sold after two rounds to duplicate a random Joker in the players inventory. The copied Joker will retain almost all the properties of the original including any scaling Edition and Stickers.







