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🎴 Balatro: All 15 Decks, Unlocks and Starting Plans

Choose among 15 standard decks by their discovery and win requirements and your first decisions after starting. Compare hand size, hands per round and consumable slots separately.

📅 Updated: 2026/10/03

📸 Balatro deck screenshots

Image source: official Steam images (LocalThunk / Playstack)

Scope:The base game's 15 standard decks, cross-checked with public material for the 1.0.1 series. Excludes announced 1.1 features and Challenge-only setups. The currently running build on each platform has not been checked.
Sources checked:2026-10-03

All 15 standard decks: effects and unlocks

The number of different discoveries is not how many times you bought the same item. Check wins with a specified deck separately from wins at a specified Stake.

Decks	Starting and round effects	Unlock condition
Red Deck レッドデッキ	+1 discard each round.	Available from the start.
Blue Deck ブルーデッキ	+1 hand each round.	Discover 20 items in the Collection.
Yellow Deck イエローデッキ	Start with an extra $10.	Discover 50 items in the Collection.
Green Deck グリーンデッキ	Earn $2 per unused hand and $1 per unused discard at the end of each round. Earn no interest.	Discover 75 items in the Collection.
Black Deck ブラックデッキ	+1 Joker slot, -1 hand each round.	Discover 100 items in the Collection.
Magic Deck マジックデッキ	Start with Crystal Ball and 2 copies of The Fool.	Win a run with Red Deck.
Nebula Deck ネビュラデッキ	Start with Telescope and 1 fewer consumable slot.	Win a run with Blue Deck.
Ghost Deck ゴーストデッキ	Spectral cards may appear in the shop; start with a Hex card.	Win a run with Yellow Deck.
Abandoned Deck アバンダンドデッキ	Start without Jacks, Queens, or Kings.	Win a run with Green Deck.
Checkered Deck チェッカーデッキ	Start with 26 Spades and 26 Hearts.	Win a run with Black Deck.
Zodiac Deck ゾディアックデッキ	Start with three Vouchers: Tarot Merchant, Planet Merchant, and Overstock.	Win a run with any deck on at least Red Stake.
Painted Deck ペインテッドデッキ	+2 hand size, -1 Joker slot.	Win a run with any deck on at least Green Stake.
Anaglyph Deck アナグリフデッキ	Gain a Double Tag whenever you defeat a Boss Blind.	Win a run with any deck on at least Black Stake.
Plasma Deck プラズマデッキ	Balances Chips and Mult during scoring, using their average for both. Base Blind score requirements are doubled.	Win a run with any deck on at least Blue Stake.
Erratic Deck エラティックデッキ	Starting card ranks and suits are randomized.	Win a run with any deck on at least Orange Stake.

First decisions after choosing a deck

Red Deck (レッドデッキ)

Unlock:Available from the start.

Start with a hand the dealt cards can make, and discard unwanted cards together.
Use the extra discard as room to assemble that hand again.

Caution:You do not need to spend every discard when the hand is already ready.

Blue Deck (ブルーデッキ)

Unlock:Discover 20 items in the Collection.

Check how much score remains, and estimate how many hands you need including the extra hand.
Even with a weak hand, consider scoring from Jokers and Planets before using the extra hand just to cycle cards.

Caution:An extra hand will not meet late targets if each hand's score remains too low.

Yellow Deck (イエローデッキ)

Unlock:Discover 50 items in the Collection.

In the first shop, identify scoring that can beat the next Blind first.
Compare the cash you can retain and the next useful purchase before spending all the extra money.

Caution:The extra $10 is a starting effect, not $10 paid every round.

Green Deck (グリーンデッキ)

Unlock:Discover 75 items in the Collection.

Prepare scoring that beats the target in fewer hands.
When a win is secure, retain unnecessary discards to collect extra income at cash-out.

Caution:Prioritize purchases that help preserve hands next round rather than saving cash for interest.

Black Deck (ブラックデッキ)

Unlock:Discover 100 items in the Collection.

Early on, secure enough scoring to beat targets with fewer hands before trying to fill the extra slot.
Once scoring is established, use the extra slot for support or scaling.

Caution:An empty extra slot does not add score. The reduced hand count applies from the start.

Magic Deck (マジックデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with Red Deck.

Check both starting copies of The Fool, and read Tarot or Planet cards in the first shop for something useful against the next Blind.
Check consumable space before buying. When using the starting cards, read the displayed target and decide which hand or playing card to improve.

Caution:Before using either starting copy, check its displayed target and the available consumable slots.

Nebula Deck (ネビュラデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with Blue Deck.

Choose a main hand and check for its Planet when opening a Celestial Pack.
Use useful consumables before considering the next purchase rather than holding them indefinitely.

Caution:This deck reduces consumable space. Plans that store several consumables at once have less room.

Ghost Deck (ゴーストデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with Yellow Deck.

Read the starting Hex's effect and obtain a Joker to use it on.
If a Spectral card appears in the shop, check its price and effect, then buy only what you need.

Caution:Adds Spectral cards to the shop's possible offers. Does not give a free Spectral card every round.

Abandoned Deck (アバンダンドデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with Green Deck.

Inspect the number cards remaining at the start and choose hands they can make.
Before buying a Joker that requires face cards, check whether your current deck can meet its condition.

Caution:With no starting face cards, effects requiring them are initially harder to use.

Checkered Deck (チェッカーデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with Black Deck.

For a five-card Flush plan, begin with the more common suit in your hand.
Even after choosing Flush, check your hand's scoring and the boss conditions in each shop.

Caution:Having only two suits does not guarantee a Flush in every dealt hand.

Zodiac Deck (ゾディアックデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with any deck on at least Red Stake.

Separate shop offers that beat the next Blind from investments that need time to grow.
When more Tarot and Planet cards appear, choose ones fitting your hand and deck.

Caution:More offers do not supply the money needed to buy them.

Painted Deck (ペインテッドデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with any deck on at least Green Stake.

Look for hands the larger selection can form, retain the needed cards, and choose discards.
Before filling your Joker slots, check for unnecessary overlap in their roles.

Caution:Does not suit a plan requiring many Jokers. Hand size and hands per round are different stats.

Anaglyph Deck (アナグリフデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with any deck on at least Black Stake.

After beating the boss, check that you hold the Double Tag.
Before your next skip, read the offered Tag and decide whether it fits your current goal.

Caution:Compare a skip that uses the Tags with the opportunity to buy scoring in the shop.

Plasma Deck (プラズマデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with any deck on at least Blue Stake.

Calculate the balanced score rather than using normal multiplication.
Compare a large increase to either Chips or Mult by how much it raises their sum.

Caution:Targets are higher than normal. You do not have to increase both values equally.

Erratic Deck (エラティックデッキ)

Unlock:Win a run with any deck on at least Orange Stake.

Open the deck view first and check which ranks and suits are common.
Choose hands that fit that composition, then plan discards and purchases.

Caution:Do not assume a standard 52-card distribution or the same available hands each run.

Unlock progression

Learn the controls with Red while checking undiscovered Collection entries. Blue, Yellow, Green, and Black unlock by the number of items discovered.
With a colored deck, aim to beat the Ante 8 boss. Red unlocks Magic, Blue unlocks Nebula, Yellow unlocks Ghost, Green unlocks Abandoned, and Black unlocks Checkered.
Stake-based deck unlocks do not require a particular deck. Win at or above the required Stake with your current deck, keeping these separate from the colored-deck win requirements.
Use normal runs for unlock progression. Keep seeded practice separate from unlock attempts and check the mode before starting.

Compare income, score and slots with numbers

Calculate Green Deck's extra income

With 2 unused hands and 3 unused discards, Green's effect gives 2×$2 + 3×$1 = $7. Count this separately from the normal Blind reward and other income. Losing just to retain more hands or discards defeats the purpose.

Compare Plasma's displayed values

If scoring reaches 100 Chips and 10 Mult before balancing, the average is (100+10)÷2=55, giving 55×55=3,025 rather than the normal 100×10=1,000. Raising Chips to 200 in this example gives an average of 105 and a score of 11,025.

Distinguish similar-looking bonuses

Blue adds 1 hand you can play, while Painted adds 2 cards to hand size. Black's extra Joker slot is also different from the consumable slot added by Magic's Crystal Ball.

Choose by the problem you have now

You cannot assemble the cards your hand needs：Red / Painted

Red adds a discard opportunity; Painted gives more cards to choose from. With Painted, also account for losing a Joker slot.

You need another scoring attempt：Blue

Blue gives an extra hand each round when you need another opportunity to score.

You need more money for the first shop：Yellow

Yellow increases starting money. Prioritize scoring that can beat the next Blind.

You can win using fewer hands：Green

With Green, unused hands and discards provide extra income at cash-out.

You want to choose hands from your starting deck composition：Abandoned / Checkered / Erratic

Three decks change the starting cards. Check the deck view first, then choose hands based on face cards and suit or rank distributions.

FAQ

Are all 15 decks available immediately?

In a normal profile progressing through unlocks, Red is the starting deck. The other 14 unlock through discovered items, wins with specified colored decks, or Stake wins.

Does Ghost give a Spectral card every round?

You start with one Hex. Adding Spectral cards to the shop's possible offers is separate from receiving free cards regularly.

Is Black always the strongest deck?

Its value depends on using the extra Joker slot. The lost hand applies from the start and can make early scoring harder.

Should Plasma keep Chips and Mult equal?

For the balancing calculation alone, their average depends on the sum. Increasing only one side can still raise the score. Compare the values after accounting for Joker order and multiplicative effects.

Do White Stake wins count for colored-deck unlocks?

The five unlocks naming colored decks require a win at any difficulty. The five requiring a particular Stake, such as Zodiac, have separate Stake conditions.

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