BALATRO
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First, the player must choose a deck. Only the Red Deck is available at the beginning of the game. After winning runs and discovering certain number of items, the player can unlock new deck types such as the Blue Deck, the Yellow Deck and the Magic Deck. Different decks have different effects, such as the Blue Deck that gives +1 hand every round and the Black Deck that gives +1 Joker slot in exchange for one hand every round. After the player chooses their deck, it's time to start the run.
To defeat blinds more easily, the player may choose to buy various cards which change the rules of the game. These items are bought in a shop in between rounds. As with other games in the roguelike genre, the player wins through a mix of "strategy, risk and reward, and a bit of luck."
During gameplay, players draw cards from a deck that starts at 52, and can be improved with more cards. The objective is to form poker hands of up to five cards in order to score points. Points scored from each hand are determined by "Chips" multiplied by "Mults", which are earned based on the type of hand played and the value of the cards scored. (Example: a Two Pair formed of two 4s and two 6s will score a total of 80pts (20 + 8 + 12 Chips x 2 Mults).) Throughout the game, however, players can obtain Joker cards that affect the game in various ways, such as offering additional Chips or Mults when conditions are met or changing how certain poker hands can be played.
The goal of each run is to clear at least 8 progressively more difficult "Antes", with each Ante consisting of three rounds; Small Blind, Big Blind, and the Boss Blind, which provide additional challenges which increase difficulty, such as debuffing the effects of certain cards or requiring the player to clear the round in only one hand. In each round, players have a limited number of poker hands within which they must beat a target score, as well as a limited number of discards in which may replace up to five cards in their hand with different ones. The game ends if the player runs out of hands before reaching the target score.
Once a Blind has been defeated, players are awarded with cash based on their performance, after which they are taken to a shop. Here, the player may use cash earned by clearing Blinds or selling unwanted cards to purchase individual cards, packs containing a random set of cards to choose from, and vouchers which add additional perks and conditions for the remainder of the run. Players may alternatively choose to skip Small and Big Blinds, along with their respective cash rewards and shop visits, to receive "Tags" with their own rewards such as free cards on the next shop visit. In addition to Jokers, players can obtain additional playing cards, allowing for unique poker hands such as "Five of a Kind" to be played, along with various consumable cards. Tarot cards provide various one-time effects, such as changing cards to different suits or enhancing them to provide bonuses when played. Planet cards raise the level of select poker hands, increasing their base Chip x Mult value when played. Spectral cards, which can only be found in packs, provide more effects beyond what Tarot cards can offer, such as providing finishes to cards that automatically apply bonuses when in play.
After the player wins 8 antes, completing a run, they can continue the game in an endless mode where they see how many points they can get. The types of card decks that the player chooses at the beginning of a run also have their own effects; the player starts out with a "starter" series of decks, and completing runs can unlock new ones. Clearing runs also unlocks "stakes" for the deck used which add more difficult conditions to the run. New special cards and vouchers can be unlocked for future runs by clearing certain conditions.
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