Balatro: Run Flow, Scoring, and Survival Basics
In Balatro, each run is broken into Antes (stages). Every Ante has three Blinds: Small Blind, Big Blind, and then a Boss Blind with a special rule. To clear a Blind, you must hit its score target before you run out of Hands (the number of plays you get that round). Your score is Chips × Mult (chips times multiplier), so the most stable runs build both instead of overfocusing on just one.
Early on, aim for consistency over flash. Pick up one or two Jokers (cards in Joker slots that change scoring or economy) that help every round, then shape your deck around what they reward. If your Jokers pay off pairs or three-of-a-kind, lean into that plan. In the first few Antes, take clean, low-risk clears and protect your resources. Chasing low-odds hands too early is one of the fastest ways a run falls apart.
Practical Economy Rules
Money carries long runs. In shops, skip panic rerolls and spend with intent: one reliable scoring upgrade, one economy boost, then save. Try to keep cash in $5 increments so interest pays between rounds, up to the default cap at $25. A Reroll refreshes the shop's random card offers. It is strongest when your core is already online; if your build is unstable, blind rerolling usually burns the run.
Common Mistakes That End Runs Early
1) Overcommitting to rare poker hands too soon. 2) Buying too many maybe cards instead of improving your current plan. 3) Ignoring Boss Blind prep until the fight starts. 4) Spending all your money in every shop and losing interest value. 5) Splitting upgrades across too many ideas instead of building one clear scoring engine. Keep the plan simple, scale Chips and Mult together, and protect your economy to make runs much more consistent, fast.