I don’t like poker.

[reesu]

Would I still enjoy this game? I see it’s similar to Slay the Spire which I enjoy but the “poker-inspired” part is keeping me away. In what way is it poker-inspired?

[etwas_w00h]

I don't like poker either.
I'd say the only thing borrowed from poker is the fact that you have (at the start) a normal poker deck and you try to score by playing poker-like hands (things like straights, flushes, full houses, pairs etc.). Of course, this is kind of a familiar starting point for many players.
The game itself is more about cleverly combining upgrades to the scoring system in many ways to get ridiculously higher scores round after round.

The whole "reading your opponent and guessing what he has" of poker is nonexistent. It's more like a solitaire-style game.

As to if you would enjoy it, i can't say. I at least enjoy it.

[reesu]

Originally posted by etwas_w00h:

I don't like poker either.
I'd say the only thing borrowed from poker is the fact that you have (at the start) a normal poker deck and you try to score by playing poker-like hands (things like straights, flushes, full houses, pairs etc.). Of course, this is kind of a familiar starting point for many players.
The game itself is more about cleverly combining upgrades to the scoring system in many ways to get ridiculously higher scores round after round.

The whole "reading your opponent and guessing what he has" of poker is nonexistent. It's more like a solitaire-style game.

As to if you would enjoy it, i can't say. I at least enjoy it.

Thanks for the reply. Is it easy to get into?

[worldofilo]

I have never properly played poker before. i'm now 100+ hours into the game.
easy to start, hard to master

[dmeister]

I can't stand poker. I really enjoy Balatro.

[swolblu]

I've played about 45 hours. Best way I can describe it is poker with random ways to modify your deck and scoring options. Poker with additional layers of RNG. Still poker at it's core and comes with the same highs and lows.

Big numbers and combos drew me in initially, but eventually I grew disillusioned because it was fundamentally not that different.

[etwas_w00h]

Originally posted by reesuw:

Thanks for the reply. Is it easy to get into?

Despite some other people's experiences here, I finished my first run in about two hours with not much previous knowledge of the game. The higher difficulties, which I have yet to master, require a deeper understanding of the interwoven mechanics and when to play what. Just like StS, a bit.

Maybe have a look at some videos some streamers made of their first-time experience? (Day[9] comes to mind, he goes in completely blind in his first hours with no experience beforehand.)

[Zsrai]

It's closer to a solitaire than true poker, you just use poker hands to score.

What do you not like about poker?

[Draco18s]

The game is just poker themed and while the various named pokerhands are used for scoring, you always have full knowledge of what's left in your deck* and how many (base) points a given hand will score.

*Barring boss effects that cause face-down draws.

[The Sharpest Image]

The poker thing is little more than an aesthetic/premise. You play poker hands and you start with a normal deck of 52 cards (with most decks, anyway). There's no bluffing and no betting; the social element is completely absent from this game.

The developer specifically avoided playing Slay the Spire and other deck-builders while making Balatro (so I've been told, anyway) so as not to influence his game design decision, and it does lack a few features you might expect from a contemporary deckbuilder roguelite.

• Deck thinning is generally quite rare. IIRC, there's only 3 items in the game that let you destroy a card of your choice: one tarot card out of 22, one uncommon joker, and one rare joker.
  
• It also features a deck-out mechanic, which seems slightly at odds with its emphasis on cycling. There's also no graveyard to speak of. A card, once played or discarded, cannot be played or discarded again that round.
  
• With the technical exception of tags (which still have an opportunity cost), literally everything costs money. Because of the interest mechanic (gain 1$ for every 5$ you have, capping out at 5$ per interest payment), spending money costs money. Contrast with Slay the Spire or Luck be a Landlord, where fighting enemies/spinning the wheel always gets you cards.

[Gnome]

I never could get into Poker and I enjoy Balatro. Try the game and refund if you you don't like it. You can certainly get the feel of the game in under two hours (which is the limit for asking a refund).

[Trofast 🤕]

same tbh, but i really like this one-

[reesu]

Thanks everyone. I just got the game. I’m going to play it soon and see how I like it.

[Godhand]

Yes you would, but there is still a chance that you don't like it regardless of your distaste for poker. I know many people who don't like poker but dig this game. I hope you're having fun. My suggestion is to win with the Black Deck. It should unlock the Checkered Deck, a deck for flushes. It's really fun.

[Goblin]

Originally posted by Godhand:

My suggestion is to win with the Green Deck. It should unlock the Checkered Deck, a deck for flushes. It's really fun.

That unlocks Abandoned, Checkered you get from beating Black Deck. Unless that changed in the prerelease, but I doubt it.

[Godhand]

Originally posted by Goblin:

Originally posted by Godhand:

My suggestion is to win with the Green Deck. It should unlock the Checkered Deck, a deck for flushes. It's really fun.

That unlocks Abandoned, Checkered you get from beating Black Deck. Unless that changed in the prerelease, but I doubt it.

Thanks for letting me know, I changed it.