Balatro Joker Tier List – All Cards Ranked

Balatro is a unique poker-themed roguelike that allows players to use a mix of poker skills and Joker trump cards. In this Belatro Joker tier list, I'll share cards that got me big wins alongside others that didn't get me far.

Balatro Best Jokers Tier List

I've created the Joker tier list below based on the cards I gravitate toward and the ones that do the best for how I play. Depending on your playstyle, your rankings of these Balatro Joker cards may differ vastly.

Best Joker Cards in Balatro - What They Do & Which to Choose

S-Rank Joker Cards

• Astronomer - All Planet and Celestial packs in the shop are free. This Joker allows you to constantly upgrade your hands for free, making it perfect in virtually any run.
• Blackboard - x3 "Mult" if all cards held in hands are Clubs or Spades. This is perfect for the Checkerboard deck because you can play hands made entirely of the Hearts suit while leaving the Spades in your hand.
• Bloodstone - Played cards with the Heart suit have a 50% chance of giving x2 Mult when scored. Like Blackboard, this card was made for the Checkerboard deck. However, it will always be useful so long as you have a deck that contains Heart cards.
• Blueprint - Blueprint copies the abilities of the Joker to the right. This applies to any Joker in the game, so if you have one overpowered card Blueprint can be used to give you two. It can also be moved to new cards during rounds, so you can copy different cards to get the best outcome for every hand you play.
• Brainstorm - Brainstorm copies the abilities of the Joker on the far left. Brainstorm is the exact same as the Blueprint card with the exception that it only copies the Joker at the front of your hand. This does limit the cards it can be used on, but it'll be a winner in the right situation.
• Card Sharp - x3 Mult when playing a poker hand that has already been played in the round. I love using this card when running decks that focus on a specific hand, like Flushes or Straights.
• Cavendish - x3 Mult; 1 in 1,000 chance of being destroyed at the end of the round. This is essentially the gold-star version of Gros Michel. Since it's chance of being destroyed is so low, you can potentially hold onto it for an entire run.
• Ceremonial Dagger - After selecting a blind, the Joker to the right of the Ceremonial Dagger will be destroyed. The Ceremonial Dagger's "Mult" value will be increased by 2x the destroyed Joker's sell value. This is essentially a more structured and helpful version of the Madness Joker. Since only cards on the right side will be destroyed, you can put the Ceremonial Dagger on the far right if you don't have anything to feed to it. It's a perfect partner to the Egg because you can build up the Egg's value through multiple rounds, then feed it to the Dagger when the time is right.
• Chicot - Chicot disables the effect of every Boss Blind. This is probably the best Joker in the game because it allows you to build a deck that can withstand any Boss Blind.
• Hologram - This Jokers adds starts with x1 "Mult" and gets +0.25 "Mult" every time a playing card is added to your deck. After adding just 4 cards to your deck, you'll double your Mult for every round. Just make sure to properly place this card and similar Mult multipliers on the far right of your Joker lineup for the best effect.
• Luchador - Selling the Luchador card disables the current Boss Blind. It's a weaker version of Chicot, but it's sheer helpfulness in tough situations make it stand alongside it in the S-Tier.
• Mr. Bones - If the chips scored are at least 25% of the required chips, Mr. Bones prevents death and self-destructs. If you run into an unexpected Boss Blind that perfectly counters your hand, Mr. Bones will help you out.
• Oops! All 6s - Doubles all listed probabilities. This is extremely helpful for cards like Bloodstone as it essentially guarantees that there effect will always apply. However, be cautious of using it with Gross Michel or Cavendish because it will double their odds of being destroyed as well.
• Perkeo - Perkeo creates a copy of one random consumable in your possession at the end of the Shop. The copy will be a "Negative" edition of the original, allowing for an extra consumable to be held. This is perfect for hoarding a helpful consumable, like those that change the suit of your cards.
• Triboulet - Triboulet allows played Kings and Queens to give 2x "Mult" when they score. It's a stronger version of the Baron Joker in that its Mult factor is higher and it also applies to Queen cards.

A-Rank Joker Cards

• Ancient Joker - Each played card with the designated suit gives x1.5 Mult when they score. This card is a bit of a risk since the suit giving the bonus is always changing, but I find it worth the risk since most decks contain cards of every suit.
• Baseball Card - Uncommon Jokers give x1.5 Mult. As the description implies, the effectiveness of this one is highly dependent on the rest of your Joker Cards. While situational, its effect in the right decks makes it worth an A-tier ranking.
• Burglar - When selecting a blind, lose all Discards and gain +3 Hands. I highly recommend pairing this with the Green Joker to increase its Mult value.
• Burnt Joker - The level of the first poker hand discarded in each round is upgraded. It's a good way to increase your hand levels at the beginning of a run, but you will need to swap it out for something better toward the end.
• Cartomancer - A Tarot card is created every time a Blind is selected, as long as there is space for it.
• Constellation - Constellation's Mult value, which begins at x1, will be increased by x0.1 for every Planet card that is used. Use this Joker for the Zodiac Deck and any other planet-based runs.
• Diet Cola - The Diet Cola card can be sold to get a free Double Tag.
• Egg - The Egg gains +$3 sell value at the end of every round. This is amazing in combination with the Ceremonial Dagger. Let it build up its sell value, then feed it to the Dagger to vastly increase its Mult bonus.
• Even Steven - When even-numbered cards score, Even Steven gives +4 to the value of Mult.
• Fibonacci - Each played Ace, 2, 3, 5, and 8 will add +8 to the value of Mult if they score. This is a good early-run card because the variety of cards it covers allows you to boost your Multiplier in many of your hands.
• Fortune Teller - The Fortune Teller gains +1 Mult for each Tarot Card used on the current run.
• Four Fingers - Flushes and Straights can be made with only four cards. Pair it with Shortcut to allow yourself to make straights every round.
• Gift Card - Adds $1 to the sell value of every Joker and Consumable card at the end of a round. Use it to power up the Swashbuckler or Ceremonial Dagger cards.
• Green Joker - For every hand played, the Green Joker gets +1 Mult. For every discard, the Green Joker loses 1 "Mult." It's an indispensable card for players playing a run using no discards at all.
• Gros Michel - Gros Michel adds +15 to the value of Mult. There is a 17% chance that Gros Michel is destroyed at the end of each round. It's a good early-game card that would reach S-Tier if the chance of being destroyed wasn't so high.
• Half Joker - The Half Joker adds 20 Mult if a hand contains 3 cards or less. This is good for decks that rely on Steel or Gold Cards.
• Joker Stencil - x1 Mult for every empty Joker slot including the slot holding the Joker Stencil. It's very handy for runs where you focus on upgrading hands and cards over gathering Joker Cards. Pair it with Negative Joker cards to get the most use out of it.
• Ramen - The Ramen Joker starts by giving you x2 Mult. For every card you discard, the Mult value goes down by 0.01. It's a great card to start with at the beginning of the run or if you're using cards that get rid of your Discards.
• Satellite - Satellite gives players $1 at the end of each round for each unique Planet card used in the current run. Any run focused on upgrading your deck using Planet cards will benefit this, especially since the money can be used to purchase more Planet packs.
• Seeing Double - If a played hand has a scoring Club and a scoring card of any other suit, the hand gets x2 Mult. These are pretty easy prerequisites to meet so you should be able to consistently double the Mult of your hands.
• Shortcut - The shortcut allows straights to skip one number and still be valid. For example, the player could play "5 6 7 9 10" as a legal straight. Pair it with Four Fingers to make playing straights as easy as can be.
• Space Joker - The Space Joker has a 25% chance of upgrading the level of the hand that is being played. This is extremely handy if you get it at the start of your game. However, it could easily be replaced in the later stages of a run.
• Supernova - Supernova adds the number of times the current hand's type has been played to the value of "Mult." For example, if you've previously played 4 full houses and have just played another, the Supernova card will add 5 to the value of Mult.
• Swashbuckler - This Joker adds the sell value of all other owned Jokers to the round's multiplier. Pair it with the Egg or the Gift Card to greatly increase your Multiplier each round.
• The Duo - A hand gets x2 Mult if it contains a pair. This is an easy Joker to utilize since you're always likely to have a pair in your hand.
• The Order - A hand gets x2 Mult if it contains a straight. When combined with either the Shortcut or Four Fingers cards (or both), you'll be able to use this Joker nearly ever hand.
• The Tribe - A hand gets x2 Mult if it contains a flush. This Joker is a good addition if you're gathering mainly one or two suits of cards or playing the Checkered Deck.
• Throwback - Starts with x1 Mult and adds an extra x0.25 Mult for each Blind skipped in a run.
• Vagabond - If the player has $4 or less, the Vagabond creates a tarot card when a hand is played. If you're low on money, this is a great way to gather fast resources. It could also help you upgrade your Jokers if you're lucky and get several Wheel of Fortunes.

Looking for more unique Roguelikes? Check out our list of the Top 10 Best Roguelites and Roguelikes in 2024 here on Pro Game Guides.