I've professed my love for Balatro on nౠumerous occasions this year already, but I haven't engaged with it like I have other games. I haven't explored the online communities, I haven't looked up playthroughs or strategies, I've just plonked away on the poker ‘♎em-up at my own pace.
Thus far, this has been enough. But a recent YouTube recommendaﷺtion strong-armed me into watching a 20-minute video of a man taking Balatro apart piece by piece until he gets a score so big that it breaks the game. Not only did this change how I played the game, ꦅI had numerous epiphanies that I can only equate to religious experiences. Before I dive in, here's the video in question.
I knew Balatro scores could get big. I've had my fair share of million and billion-scoring hands, but I've never quite got a run to come together where I've reached the 'e' numbers listed on the scoreboards for the bigger antes. Perhaps it's my reliance on Flushes? Perhaps I hold onto nostalgic jokers from the early antes for too long and don't focus on my multipliers. Whatever the reason, this Infinite score ꦦhas chanꦑged how I view this entire game in all manner of ways.
The Truth About Balatro's Seeded Runs
First thing's first, seeded runs. I never really got the point in these. Sure, it’s a little code that you can share with your friends to see iღf they get a better score while being dealt the same jokers in the shop. But your hands are still random. There's still a large element of chance.
In the video, YouTuber RTGame is running a specific seed along with a list of instructions that tell him exactly how to get the Infinite score. Someon🐎e has gone🍌 through this run and figured out how to manipulate the RNG in order to get multiples of certain Jokers (Blueprint, I'm looking at you) and guarantee others.
This includes doing things like having enough money to reroll the shop exactly 8 times in a specific ante. Not only is this inordinately expensive and a run-ender on numerous occasions, I'm just baffled that someone tried this the first time around, utterly by chance, in order to write the very instructions that RTGame follows. I'm every bit as impressed as I am terrified by the combinations that players concoct, and the lengths they go꧑ to guarantee their plans are enacted.
Balatro's Secret Strategies
I never thought I was a great Balatro player, but this video also made me realise that there are very basic strategies that I wasn't aware of. I understand t💜he concept of ordering both your jokers and your hand in order to maximise your score, but I never realised that you could change this order during the scoring process.
At multiple points, RTGame moves his Blueprint from one position to another in order to make it copy two different card effects in the same hand. It's an ingenious move that I never even considered, ൩and it's going t𝔉o be game-changing for me going forward.
In addition to this, the video taught me the importance of money. I've always mana꧃ged my cash as a secondary resource, but never thought of it as an important aspect of the game when compared to my Planets or Jokers (I'm a big fan of the Nebul꧙a deck, so easy Jupiters speed up the early antes).
Now, though, I'm much more frugal. Unless I'm running a Hologram or something, I tend to avoid most packs and focus on saving, accumulating,♚ and purchasing only what I need.
This video has led me to crawling deeper into t🐟his rabbit hole and finding communities of Balatro players each imparting ample wisdom to the masses. Sure, I know the Plasma deck is the bees knees, but these people know how to make it really buzz. I've learned more about Balatro in the past weekend than the entire eight months before it, and I can't wait to dig de🥂eper still until I, too, can reach those fabled heights of the 'e' numbers.
My biggest epiphany, however, has been how impressive this game really is. How impressive the maths behind it is that players must go to such lengths in order to break it. How impressive every Joker is that it can work in so many varying strategies. How impressive the core idea is, to twist poker on its head and create such a simple, engaging gameplay loop. Hꦰow impressive it is ꦆthat this game was made by one bloke. God is real, and his name is Jimbo.
I Downloaded Mobi🦩le Balatro And Instantly Regretted It
Balatro is one of my favourite games this year, but it’s dangerous o𝓀n mobile.
