Balatro, the captivating roguelike card game, offers a delightful experience in its early stages. However, as you progress to Purple Stake and beyond, particularly the daunting Gold Stake, the escalating score requirements and unpredictable Jokers can present a formidable challenge. Many players find their Gold Stake runs faltering without a near-perfect start. This guide presents a reliable strategy focused on High Cards and Pairs, coupled with specific Jokers, to help you consistently achieve victory on Gold Stake.
This strategy leverages the simplicity of High Cards and Pairs, minimizing the need for complex setups, crucial when hand size and discards are limited. While seemingly basic, these hands are consistently available, making them a surprisingly effective foundation. The Abandoned Deck is recommended for its consistency, but all decks are viable with this approach.
The core strategy revolves around playing High Cards and Pairs, prioritizing Steel Card upgrades, and assembling a potent Joker lineup. Your ideal team comprises a +Chip Joker, one or two +Mult Jokers, and the remaining slots filled with xMult Jokers. The following Jokers excel with this strategy, paving the way to conquer Gold Stake.
Essential Jokers for Gold Stake Domination
These Jokers, when combined with the High Card/Pair strategy, offer a powerful synergy for consistent wins.
Burnt Joker (Uncommon)
Ability: Upgrades the level of the first discarded poker hand each round.
Burnt Joker in Balatro
While Gold Stake only allows two discards (excluding the Red Deck), dedicating one to Burnt Joker is invaluable. It significantly boosts the value of early High Cards, scaling both Chips and Mult. An early Burnt Joker is an instant purchase, providing consistent value, though it can be replaced later for a superior option.
Stuntman (Uncommon)
Ability: +250 Chips, -2 hand size.
Stuntman’s +250 Chips are a game-changer, considering a full deck is worth 380. Copying this Joker virtually guarantees sufficient Chips for the entire run. Even a late-game Stuntman can warrant a strategic shift due to its sheer power.
Square Joker (Common)
Ability: This Joker gains +4 Chips if the played hand has exactly 4 cards.
Square Joker’s strength lies in its flexibility. Any four cards trigger its effect, regardless of scoring. This allows you to discard unwanted cards while boosting Square Joker’s Chip potential.
Castle (Uncommon)
Ability: This Joker gains +3 Chips per discarded card from a random Suit. The suit changes every round.
Despite the -1 hand size and limited discards in Gold Stake, an early Castle can become a powerful Chip engine. Its effectiveness persists throughout all eight Antes.
Square Joker in Balatro
Ride the Bus (Common)
Ability: +1 Mult for every hand played without a scoring face card. Resets to +0 Mult when a face card is scored.
Ride the Bus is a readily available and efficient Mult booster. The key is avoiding scoring face cards. Careful play maximizes its potential, while accidentally playing a face card resets your accumulated Mult.
Ride the Bus Joker in Balatro
Supernova (Common)
Ability: Adds the number of times a poker hand has been played this run to Mult.
Supernova synergizes perfectly with the High Card/Pair strategy. Its value is directly tied to playing readily available hands, making its timing in the shop irrelevant. Consistent High Card and Pair plays translate to a powerful Mult boost.
Supernova in Balatro
Green Joker (Common)
Ability: +1 Mult per hand played. -1 Mult per discard.
An early Green Joker is a high priority, scaling your Mults effectively with minimal discarding. However, its value diminishes in the later stages, making other options preferable.
Green Joker in Balatro
Gros Michel (Common)
Ability: +15 Mult, 1 in 6 chance this is destroyed at the end of the round.
Gros Michel offers a strong early-game advantage with its +15 Mult, easing through the initial Antes. Leverage this boost to build your economy and secure a replacement before its inevitable demise. Its destruction can also potentially spawn the powerful Cavendish Joker (x3 Mult).
Gros Michel Joker in Balatro
Mystic Summit (Common)
Ability: =15 Mult when 0 discards remaining.
Mystic Summit is an underrated early-game asset, providing a consistent 15 Mult. While not scalable, its early-game power is undeniable. Its synergy with Green Joker is less effective.
Mystic Summit Joker in Balatro
Blackboard (Uncommon)
Ability: x3 Mult if all cards held in hand are Spades or Clubs.
Blackboard provides essential xMult, crucial for managing increasing blind scaling. Its activation is straightforward, requiring minimal deck manipulation. Simply play or discard red cards each turn. Its flexibility allows for strategic play even if you’re not aiming for a single-hand round win.
Blackboard Joker in Balatro
Card Sharp (Uncommon)
Ability: x3 Mult if the played poker hand has already been played this round.
Card Sharp consistently triggers with the High Card/Pair strategy. Playing duplicate hands is natural, and the x3 Mult can snowball your score. Note its ineffectiveness against certain Boss Blinds like The Needle and The Mouth.
Card Sharp Joker in Balatro
Ramen (Uncommon)
Ability: Gives x2 Mult. Loses x0.01 Mult per card discarded.
In the absence of Castle, Mystic Summit, or Burnt Joker, Ramen offers a reliable x2 Mult, especially when discarding is minimal. Even with occasional discards, it remains strong as long as its xMult stays above x1.75.
Ramen Joker in Balatro
Baseball Card (Rare)
Ability: Uncommon Jokers each give x1.5 Mult.
Baseball Card’s strength depends on your build. Prioritize Uncommon Jokers if acquired early. Later on, with at least two Uncommon Jokers, it provides a valuable x2.25 Mult. Without Uncommon Jokers, it’s effectively useless.
Baseball Card Joker in Balatro
Acrobat (Uncommon)
Ability: x3 Mult on the final hand of the round.
Acrobat amplifies your final hand’s impact, especially when combined with scalable flat Mult Jokers like Green Joker. This can enable unexpected comebacks and overcome Boss Blinds like The Needle.
Acrobat Joker in Balatro
Burglar (Uncommon)
Ability: When Blind is selected, gain +3 Hands and lose all discards.
Since the High Card/Pair strategy and most recommended Jokers don’t rely on discards, Burglar provides consistent value. It boosts Jokers that benefit from playing numerous hands and provides extra cash for unused hands. It’s especially powerful with the Black Deck.
Burglar Joker in Balatro
Blueprint (Rare)
Ability: Copies the ability of the Joker to the right.
Blueprint’s ability to copy Joker abilities creates powerful combinations. Its position can be adjusted between actions to maximize value. Placing it next to Supernova or Gros Michel for tough rounds or Burnt Joker before the first discard for weaker rounds are effective strategies. Positioning it left of your best xMult Joker on the final hand can secure victory. Blueprint and its variant, Brainstorm, are must-buy Jokers.
This strategy, combined with the right Jokers, transforms the daunting Gold Stake into a conquerable challenge. Embrace the power of High Cards and Pairs, build a strategic Joker lineup, and dominate Balatro!
