{"id":73017,"date":"2024-11-28T00:22:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T00:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/?p=73017"},"modified":"2024-11-28T00:22:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T00:22:07","slug":"indie-poker-game-balatro-doubles-up-at-golden-joystick-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/indie-poker-game-balatro-doubles-up-at-golden-joystick-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Indie Poker Game \u2018Balatro\u2019 Doubles Up at Golden Joystick Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poker-themed roguelike videogame Balatro<\/em> has won both the \u2018Best Indie Game\u2019 and \u2018Breakthrough Award\u2019 at the 42nd Annual Golden Joystick Awards.<\/p>\n

The game was created by a Canadian developer known online as LocalThunk, and has been released on multiple platforms including Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One and Series X\/S, along with more recent mobile ports for iOS and Android.<\/p>\n

\"Balatro
Image: Flickr\/future.publising.events<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If all you\u2019ve seen of Balatro<\/em> is a still screenshot, it\u2019s probably very confusing that this game is receiving so much hype. But what it lacks in cutting-edge graphics it makes up for in fresh, fast-paced gameplay which keeps players coming back.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s all based around poker.<\/p>\n

How to Play Balatro<\/span><\/h2>\n

A roguelike is a fairly liberal gaming term for a specific genre of videogame. In roguelikes, you\u2019ll move through levels which have an element of random generation, equipping yourself with things like ammo, armor, and special skills which make each run unique.<\/p>\n

In Hold\u2019em, you always receive two hole cards and up to five community cards, but there are a million variables which make every hand unique. Similarly, Balatro<\/em> gives you a completely new experience every time you start a run.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a solo game and there\u2019s no bluffing involved. You begin with a deck of 52 cards and have to meet certain chip thresholds to beat the \u2018Blinds\u2019. The three Blinds are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Small Blind<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Big Blind<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Boss Blind<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Along the way, you\u2019ll also earn in-game cash, which can be used to unlock useful items in the shop.<\/p>\n

    Your challenge is to reach a certain number of chips to qualify for the next round. To do this, you make a series of hands, each containing up to five cards. Higher-ranked hands like full houses and flushes give you a higher base score than pairs or high cards. There are also a bunch of bonus cards which can multiply your chips.<\/p>\n

    \"A
    Players choose up to five cards to make a hand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Once you complete three rounds, you\u2019ll move up an \u2018ante\u2019. If you complete all eight antes, you then take on a Finisher Blind to beat the game. There\u2019s also an endless mode, where you just keep going.<\/p>\n

    The App Store describes Balatro<\/em> as \u201ca magical mix of card games like Solitaire and Poker\u201d, but perhaps it would be more accurate to include slot games in that mash up. There\u2019s a huge element of luck, from which cards you\u2019re dealt to the early jokers you can pick up. Hit the right cards and you\u2019ll breeze through the early stages.<\/p>\n

    When you lose, you have to start over. All of your power-ups are lost, although there are a few unlockables which remain available for future runs. For example, you can start with a special deck which gives you an advantage, such as the Yellow Deck which starts you off with an extra $10.<\/p>\n

    Balatro vs Poker<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Balatro<\/em> uses poker hand rankings to score points, but it\u2019s nothing like a regular hand of Texas Hold\u2019em.<\/p>\n

    Earning points in Balatro<\/em> is primarily based around the use of non-traditional cards. When you begin the game, you have space for up to five jokers. Each of these has a special power-up which can add to or multiply the score of your hand.<\/p>\n

    Combining jokers can lead to a massive increase in points. For example, if you hold the Fibonacci card, your score will be multiplied by eight when you play an ace 2, 3, 5 or 8. Couple that with the Hack joker, which retriggers 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s, and you\u2019re in a situation where any 2, 3 or 5 will multiply your score, get retriggered, then multiply it again.<\/p>\n

    Trust us – once you play it, it\u2019s a lot more intuitive than it sounds.<\/p>\n

    \"The
    Upgrade your deck in the in-game Shop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The exciting thing about it is that players will naturally learn poker hand rankings, as these are the basis of every hand you play. And, even though it\u2019s a wild game, it does teach you some of the skills you\u2019ll need to play poker.<\/p>\n

    You have two main options when looking at your hand: Play or Discard. Discarding is useful if you\u2019re close to hitting a strong hand. For instance, if you have eight cards in your hand and four of them are hearts, you might discard the other four and aim to hit a flush.<\/p>\n

    But it doesn\u2019t always go to plan. Over time, this teaches players to play in such a way that, if they don\u2019t hit the ideal hand, they have a back-up. Just like a missed river.<\/p>\n

    Hand reading, knowing hand ranks, risk management, and understanding the likelihood of hitting a premium hand are all useful poker skills which Balatro<\/em> can help amateurs learn. So long as they don\u2019t then head to the Hold\u2019em tables expecting jokers and multipliers.<\/p>\n

    What Next?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Balatro<\/em> could disappear into obscurity as quickly as it rose to the top. That\u2019s the nature of indie games – even award-winning ones. But if it has staying power, history would suggest that we\u2019ll see tournaments with cash prizes on the line.<\/p>\n

    Hearthstone<\/em>, a strategic card game from World of Warcraft<\/em> creators Blizzard Entertainment, proved that there\u2019s a big market for this type of game. The official Hearthstone World Championship carries a prize pool of $1 million.<\/p>\n

    Balatro\u2019s<\/em> design is set up for solo play, but there\u2019s no reason two players couldn\u2019t compete for the most chips or the fastest run. With a bit of work from the developer, the game could definitely be rejigged for players to take each other on directly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Poker-themed roguelike videogame Balatro has won both the \u2018Best Indie Game\u2019 and \u2018Breakthrough Award\u2019 at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":73019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"vebbtech_seo_disable_yoast":false,"vebbtech_seo_hide_author":false,"vebbtech_seo_hide_date":false,"vebbtech_seo_hide_factchecker":false,"vebbtech_seo_fact_check_enabled":false,"vebbtech_seo_post_reviewer":55,"vebbtech_seo_post_review_date":"2024-11-27T04:14","footnotes":""},"categories":[279],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-73017","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-poker"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIndie Poker Game \u2018Balatro\u2019 Doubles Up at Golden Joystick Awards<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Balatro, the latest craze in poker hybrids, has captured two major gaming awards. 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