What is the Obelisk in Balatro and how does it work? - Dot Esports
It’s a powerful Joker that needs quite a lot of setup. It’s a powerful Joker that needs quite a lot of setup. 
A great card that’s hard to use. Screenshot by Dot Esports
The Obelisk is a Rare Joker card in Balatrothat multiplies the Mult for scoring poker hands. It starts with a x1 Mult, but every time you play a poker hand that isn’t the one you’ve currently played the most, it adds x0.2 to its Mult multiplier. But, when you play your most-played poker hand, the multiplier resets to x1 Mult. Both effects apply after you play your hand but before the score calculation starts.
For example, let’s say you’re in a situation where you’re the Big Blind of Ante 2 and you have the Obelisk, starting with a x1 Mult. You check Game Info and find out you’ve played the Flush hand five times, more than any other hand. This means Flush is your most-played hand at the moment. If you play a Flush, the Obelisk’s Mult won’t increase by x0.2. But, if you play any other poker hand, the Obelisk’s multiplier increases by x0.2, making it x1.2. If you then play another different hand (not a Flush), it adds another x0.2 to the Mult, bringing it up to x1.4 Mult.
As you continue to play without using the Flush and build up the Obelisk, you find yourself using Two Pair so much that it becomes tied with Flush as your most-used hand, each played five times. When a tie for your most-used hand happens, the Obelisk keeps its bonus. But after that, if you now play either Two Pair or Flush, the Obelisk’s multiplier will drop back to x1.
So, the strategy with the Obelisk is to constantly mix up which poker hands you play, aiming to use all other hands less frequently than your most-used hand. This way, you maximize the Mult multiplier you can achieve. Here’s a detailed explanation:
| Poker hand to be played | Obelisk bonus |
|---|---|
| Is your most-played poker hand | Resets to x1 mult |
| Is tied for your most-played poker hand before you play this hand | Resets to x1 mult |
| Will tie for your most-played poker hand after you play this hand | Gains 0.2x mult |
| Is any poker hand except your most-played one(s) | Gains 0.2x mult |
Best strategy to use the Obelisk effectively in Balatro
To really boost the Obelisk’s multiplier in Balatro, start by frequently playing a common and low-score poker hand, such as High Card, which you plan not to use again. This approach sets a high initial play count for High Card, making it challenging for more valuable hands like Flush, Straight, Full House, or higher to catch up since they’re less common.
For instance, if you grab Obelisk early on and manage to win Blinds using only High Card, go for it. Completing a full Ante run could give you at least nine plays of High Card, depending on your Hands count, creating a strong base to enhance Obelisk. Even if you end up playing another hand nine or 12 times in a row after that, you could achieve an Obelisk with a x3.4 multiplier, helping you gain even with lower-value hands like Pair and Two Pair.
If you find Obelisk later in the game, first check your most frequently played hand to see if focusing on other hands is feasible. For example, if your Balatro deck is designed for Flushes, like the Checkered Deck, and you’ve already played Flush many times, changing your strategy to accommodate Obelisk might not be beneficial.
If you believe Obelisk can still be advantageous without a specific setup of poker hands, pick it up. Later, you can swap it for another Mult multiplier Joker, like Madness, Throwback, or Cavendish, if you come across one.
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