Best Jokers In Balatro

Summary

• Jokers in Balatro have passive abilities that enhance gameplay and can break the game when played strategically.
• Some Jokers, like Constellation and Hologram, offer scaling multipliers based on specific actions during the game.
• Jokers like Hanging Chad and Throwback provide unique abilities that can significantly boost scoring potential in runs.

Jokers are at the heart of Balatro. This deck-builder game, inspired by traditional poker, plays less and less like a real card game the more the player grows in confidence. A lot of this confidence comes from knowing more of the game’s standout feature: the Jokers. These are cards that add passive abilities to the player’s deck and, more often than not, end up breaking the game.

Finding all the Jokers in Balatro isn’t an easy task, and some are more hidden than others. Some require significant effort, like finding every Planet card in the game or earning 100 million Chips in one run. Nonetheless, the significance of Joker cards cannot be understated, as even a common starting Joker can be turned into a fearful force when played in the right run.

Updated January 4, 2025 by Vlad Mazanko: Officially one of the top games of 2024, Balatro continues to captivate players with its deep mechanics and strategic depth. Central to the game’s appeal is the wide range of Joker synergies that can be instrumental in conquering higher Ante ranks and overcoming challenges in each available Deck.

The list has been updated to re-evaluate existing rankings while also highlighting some of the best and most powerful Jokers for achieving consistent victories in Balatro. Notably, certain strong and popular Jokers like Blueprint and Brainstorm are excluded, as their effectiveness heavily depends on synergy with other powerful Jokers, and they are almost useless without a pair.

15

Pareidolia

All Cards Are Considered Face Cards

Pareidolia by itself isn’t very good as the cards aren’t turned into real face cards, and they don’t count as the same rank. But with the right combination of Jokers, this card unlocks unique strategies that don’t interfere with the rest of the deck.

Pareidolia is especially good with Sock and Buskin, Scary Face, and other Jokers that activate when a face card is played. The best part about the face card strategy is that it doesn’t require you to focus on a scoring hand. With the right combination of Jokers, every card played will add bonus Chips, Mult, or some other bonuses, regardless of what shape they take.

14

Hiker

Every Scored Card Permanently Gains +4 Chips

No cards boost the deck as fast and effectively as the Hiker. The deal is simple: every card scored gains a +4 Chips bonus when played in later hands. This bonus can stack, meaning a single card can go to +8, +12, +16, and so on. And, if a Joker were to appear in a shop further down the road, no problem. The bonus granted by the Hiker will stay where it was.

The Hiker is a great Joker for any occasion, especially in runs focused on playing five cards per hand. The more cards played, the faster the deck levels up. Another strategy that works well with the Hiker is slimming down the deck to the essential, deleting weak cards, and cloning those that are already boosted, a staple of deck-builder strategies.

13

Supernova

Adds The Number Of Times A Poker Hand Has Been Played To Mult

The Supernova Joker is ideal for runs focused on smaller poker hands, but it works great on any hand that is easy enough to make. Runs that produce plenty of pairs or two pairs work great with Supernova, but so does a highly optimized Straight or Flush run, perhaps with the help of a Shortcut or Smeared Joker.

The best part about Supernova is that it’s a Joker that gets better the more a poker hand is used, but it doesn’t need to have been there from the beginning to be fully leveled up. Unlike something like the Runner, who gains chips the more Straights are played, Supernova can be extremely powerful right when it’s acquired.

12

Smeared Joker

Merges The Red And The Black Suits Together

The Smeared Joker does one very specific thing, but it does it well. While it isn’t essential for Flush runs, it’s vital to switch from a Flush to more advanced hands, like a Full House Flush or a Four of a Kind Flush, as long as you make sure to get the right Planets.

The problem with the Smear Joker is that it’s not just enhancements that apply to two suits at once. Debuffs, like those from the Club, Goad, Window, and Head blinds, are applied to two suits at once, too. Because of this, Smear Joker runs pretty much require boosting and playing those high-scoring hands. This way, even if most cards played are debuffed, the value of the hand itself will be enough to win the boss blind.

11

Splash

Every Played Card Counts In Scoring

Splash is an alternative to the Half Joker for low-ranking poker hand runs. Which of those cards is better depends on the run, but Splash is certainly the more versatile option. It makes a High Card strategy viable, even if it’s far from ideal, and can turn a non-hand into a decent hand. Plus, the card art is charming.

Splash is also resistant to blinds like The Psychic – which, by requiring every hand to be made of five cards, completely disables the Half Joker. Using the Splash effectively means taking any opportunity to boost high-value cards regardless of whether they fit in your hand’s strategy, using the fact that they can be scored anyway to their full potential.

10

Shortcut & Four Fingers

Allows To Make Straights With Gaps Of A Rank (Make Flushes And Straights With Four Cards)

The Shortcut‘s ability to break the game goes beyond what most card-based roguelikes would allow. Its description might be a bit confusing: by keeping this Joker in your team, the requirements to score a Straight change. You still play five cards of increasing rank while skipping a rank between two or more cards.

Calculating just how good the Shortcut is might be a mathematical nightmare, but the feeling is that the chance to get a Straight on a first draft goes up by 1000%. The Shortcut goes well with the Runner, which gives more and more Chips the more Straights are scored, and the Smeared Joker, which turns most Straights into a Straight Flush.

For a more direct approach to Straights-based gameplay, players should consider the Four Fingers Joker. This simple yet effective Joker allows Straights to be scored with just four cards instead of the usual five. When paired with the Shortcut Joker, achieving Straights becomes almost effortless. Additionally, the Four Fingers Joker makes it significantly easier to score Flushes, providing added versatility for players who prefer focusing on that hand type in Balatro.

9

Half Joker

+20 Mult If Played Hand Contains Maximum Three Cards

The Half Joker is one of the best Mult-scorers of any common Joker, especially considering its simple, single prerequisite. It’s also great because it allows players to focus on a relatively common hand, a Three of a Kind. This hand can be boosted further with the Jolly, Sly, Zany, or Wily Jokers stacked to make the Three of a Kind even better.

The Half Joker’s +20 Mult is quite powerful but comes with a significant drawback. The hands that use more than three cards are usually worth more points, and some kinds of scoring (Straight and Flush) require five cards. But even a Pair or a Three of a Kind usually allows players to remove some unwanted cards by playing them next to the scoring. The Half Joker makes this impossible.

8

DNA

If First Hand Played In A Round Is A Single Card, Clone It And Add To Hand

The DNA Joker is sometimes dangerous and definitely a gamble, but it can turn a deck with just one or two improved cards into Mult ace haven. It’s also the easiest way to reach Five of a Kind Flush, a somewhat secret hand that is only possible by heavily manipulating the deck, a classic deck-builder technique.

DNA does copy one card, which is effective, but using this card every round requires quite a bit of luck. This is because the card played this way has to be drawn at the very start of a round or through discards. Because of this, it’s best to accompany DNA with plenty of Death and Hanged Man Tarots, which help make the deck more predictable.

7

Chicot

Disable The Effect Of Every Boss Blind

Any player who has seen their run ended by grueling boss blinds knows how much bad luck can ruin a run. Blinds like The Needle, which forces the player to play one hand, or The Arm, which permanently decreases the level of every hand played, are particularly demoralizing. With the legendary Chicot Joker, players will have the option to miss these devastating results altogether.

At the cost of one Joker, the Chicot promises to make those boss battle problems a thing of the past and future, considering how rare the Chicot is. And even if there are other options for dealing with those blinds, like the Director’s Cut voucher or the Luchador Joker, none are as good as the Chicot.

6

Ancient Joker & Bloodstone Joker

Adds X1.5 Mult To Each Card Of A Certain Suit (50% Chance To Each Heart Suit Card)

The Ancient Joker isn’t an easy card to use efficiently, but the X1.5 Mult is unlike anything else. It’s a relatively common card, but what makes this card a hard sell is that the suit that gains this hefty Mult bonus changes at the end of each round, making it impossible to plan in advance. This Joker is a great fit for any run focused on playing common hands, but it also benefits from playing many cards at once, since it means there are more chances to play the right suit. Cards like Splash and the Smeared Joker are some of the Ancient Joker’s best friends.

The Bloodstone, much like the Ancient Joker, is a suit-specific Joker that works exclusively with the Heart suit. It offers a 1-in-2 chance to apply a x1.5 multiplier to each Heart card when scored, making it a powerful tool for maximizing points. Unlike the Ancient Joker, the Bloodstone does not change suits between rounds, providing a more consistent strategy. This stability, combined with its synergy with the Ancient Joker, makes the Bloodstone one of the strongest suit-based Jokers. Players who can collect enough Sun Tarots from Arcana Packs will find it particularly useful, although they should watch out for The Head boss who debuffs all Heart cards (getting Chicot is one way to counter it).

5

Constellation

Gets X0.1 Mult Every Time A Planet Card Is Used

At first glance, the Constellation Joker might seem underwhelming with its modest x0.1 multiplier scaling, but it’s a mistake to underestimate its potential. Planet cards are among the easiest consumables to acquire in Balatro, making it simple to build up a significant multiplier while simultaneously enhancing various hands. If players can claim the Constellation Joker early, just a few Ante will be enough to push it above x2 Mult – and from there, its scaling can quickly surpass other x2 and x3 Jokers that lack growth potential.

To maximize the Constellation’s power, players should take specific steps during their run. A straightforward approach involves claiming the Planet Merchant and Planet Tycoon Vouchers, along with Overstock and Overstock Plus Vouchers, to increase the availability of Planet cards in the shop. With a bit of luck and sufficient funds, players can potentially add around x0.5 Mult to the Constellation every time they visit the shop, turning this Joker into a formidable scaling powerhouse.

4

Cavendish

Adds X3 Mult But With A Chance To Be Destroyed At The End Of Round

Cavendish is a fan-favorite Joker, as evidenced by the flood of banana memes dominating Balatro discussions. This Joker is both simple and highly effective, offering an impressive x3 multiplier with no drawbacks, applicable to any hand or bonus. However, Cavendish isn’t as straightforward as it first appears, as there are specific conditions players need to be aware of.

First, Cavendish has a slim 1-in-1000 chance of being destroyed at the end of a round. While the odds are extremely low, they’re not zero, so the risk exists. Additionally, for Cavendish to even appear in the shop, a condition must be met: Gros Michel – another banana-themed Joker that provides a +15 multiplier but has a 1-in-6 chance of being destroyed – must actually be destroyed during the current run. This requirement has led some Balatro fans to be almost hostile toward Gros Michel, eagerly awaiting its destruction to secure the far more reliable and revered Cavendish.

3

Hanging Chad

First Played Card Used In Scoring Is Retriggered Two Additional Times

The Hanging Chad is a powerful and versatile Joker, particularly effective for players with plenty of enhanced cards in their deck. It excels at maximizing the value of a High Card hand by retriggering the first card played two additional times. This effect allows players to extract extra value from scoring Mult, Lucky, Polychrome, and especially Glass enhancements. For instance, playing a single Glass High Card with the Hanging Chad results in a massive x8 multiplier – often enough to pass a Blind with a single hand, provided the player has already boosted their hands with Planets and additional common Jokers to further amplify the multiplier.

Thanks to its flexibility, the Hanging Chad synergizes well with almost any Joker combination, consistently delivering strong results whether focusing on High Card hands or other play styles. Unlocking the Hanging Chad is also relatively easy: players simply need to defeat any boss Blind using a High Card hand. This can be achieved easily during early Ante rounds by securing a common Joker with a high plus multiplier, like the Half Joker.

2

Hologram

Gains X0.25 Mult Every Time A Playing Card Is Added To Deck

The Hologram Joker stands out as one of the most powerful Uncommon Jokers in Balatro, offering a simple path to a substantial multiplier for any hand played. Its effect is simple: every time a new card is added to the player’s current deck, the Hologram gains an additional x0.25 multiplier. The math is easy to follow – adding four cards yields a solid x1 Mult. If the Hologram appears early in a run, it can effortlessly scale to over x3 Mult before Ante 8, making it a strong contender for consistently high scores.

To maximize the Hologram Joker’s potential, players should aim to claim the Magic Trick Voucher, which introduces more playing cards to the shop. This allows players to scale the Joker’s multiplier at x0.25 for just $1 per card. Additionally, Spectral cards such as Familiar, Grim, and Incantation are particularly advantageous for a Hologram-focused strategy. While Spectral Packs are rare, claiming the Omen Globe Voucher increases the odds of obtaining them, providing another valuable scaling avenue for this versatile Joker.

1

Throwback

Gets X0.25 Mult For Each Blind Skipped

The Throwback Joker is a delight to play with, offering a straightforward scaling mechanism. Once obtained, players only need to skip every Small and Big Blind to scale its multiplier effortlessly, collect reward tags, and focus on defeating bosses. Each skipped Blind adds an additional x0.25 multiplier to Throwback, making it easy to achieve over x3 Mult before reaching Ante 8. Its simplicity makes it an ideal choice for consistent scaling without much hassle.

For optimal results with Throwback, players should pair it with supportive Jokers that generate Chips when scoring, such as the Bull, while avoiding those requiring Blind-specific actions, like Supernova. Even if players opt to skip only Small Blinds, Throwback can still provide a significant boost to the multiplier, making it valuable for virtually any Joker combination in Balatro. Additionally, it’s one of the easiest Jokers to unlock – players simply need to return to the game’s main menu during a run and then continue playing to unlock it.