🎯 Balatro Stakes: All 8 Difficulties, Unlocks and Stickers
The additional effects from White through Gold, with checks for stickers, active rounds and upkeep before buying Jokers. Keep normal unlock runs separate from seeded practice.
Uses the official 1.0.1f changes as its reference. Current versions on different platforms are not assumed identical; check the displayed version and in-game rules too.
📑 Contents
Stake wins and unlock basics
Stakes are each deck’s difficulty progression. The eight levels are White → Red → Green → Black → Blue → Purple → Orange → Gold, and higher levels retain lower-level restrictions. Blue includes Red, Green and Black restrictions as well as losing 1 discard.
To unlock the next level, win a normal run on the preceding Stake with the same deck. The win is recorded when you clear theAnte 8 Boss Blind. Do not count a win with another deck or a manually seeded practice win toward that deck’s unlock.
Separate Small Blind rewards from total round income
Red and above remove the Small Blind win reward. The rule does not remove unused-hand income or interest too. When deciding to skip, compare the Tag with income and shop opportunities from playing.
Additional effects at all 8 Stakes
The additional-restriction column lists only what is newly added at each level; lower effects also accumulate. This page does not give Black’s spawn odds or a complete Ante score table. Check the score targets and stickers actually displayed.
| Stakes | Unlocking this Stake | New restriction | What to check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| White White Stake | Starting Stake for an unlocked deck | No additional Stake restriction. | Check the next Blind’s target against the score your current hand and Jokers can produce. |
| Red Red Stake | Win White with the same deck | Small Blind no longer pays its win reward. | Unused-hand income and interest are separate. Review a purchase plan that relies only on the win reward. |
| Green Green Stake | Win Red with the same deck | Score requirements rise faster with Ante than on White and Red. | Read the next target rather than reusing the score that won the previous Ante. |
| Black Black Stake | Win Green with the same deck | Some Jokers can be Eternal and cannot be sold or destroyed. | Check the sticker and open slots before buying a temporary Joker you intend to sell later. |
| Blue Blue Stake | Win Black with the same deck | Lose 1 discard per round. | Compare the discards needed to form your target hand with the number remaining. |
| Purple Purple Stake | Win Blue with the same deck | Score requirements rise faster with Ante than under Green’s scaling. | Compare scores before and after hand-level or Joker upgrades, then fill the shortfall for the next target. |
| Orange Orange Stake | Win Purple with the same deck | Eligible Jokers have a 30% chance to be Perishable; their effects are disabled after 5 rounds. | Do not count one as a permanent core. Check its remaining active rounds and your replacement funds. |
| Gold Gold Stake | Win Orange with the same deck | Eligible Jokers have a 30% chance to be Rental. They cost $1 to buy and $3 per round to keep. | Separate the cheap purchase price from upkeep. Do not keep a Rental merely to fill a slot. |
Sticker differences, upkeep and version changes
Read all three Stickers before buying
| Sticker | Introduced at | Rule | Purchase decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eternal | Black and above | The affected Joker cannot be sold or destroyed. | Will you need to replace it, and is its long-term use worth occupying the slot? |
| Perishable | Orange and above | The effect is disabled after 5 rounds. | Five rounds, not 5 Antes. Check the remaining time and prepare scoring for after it expires. |
| Rental | Gold | Costs $1 to buy and $3 each round. | Judge more than the low purchase price. Does it provide enough score or income to justify upkeep? |
- Can you replace it? Do not plan to sell an Eternal Joker to make room for the next one.
- Will it last long enough? Read a Perishable Joker's remaining-round counter, and prepare another scoring source and replacement funds before it expires.
- Is the upkeep worthwhile? Calculate a Rental Joker's purchase price separately from its payment after each round.
Example: keeping a Rental Joker for three payments
$1 purchase + $3 × 3 payments = $10
This is the expenditure after three payments following the purchase. It excludes money recovered by selling, discounts, and income the Joker generates. Spending only $1 up front does not necessarily mean low upkeep. Rental can overlap with Eternal or Perishable, so check the other Stickers too.
Differences between older versions and 1.0.1f
| Stake | Previous rule | Change in 1.0.1f |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | Pack prices increased with Ante | Pack price increases replaced by Perishable |
| Gold | Hand size reduced by 1 | Hand-size reduction replaced by Rental |
Older guides and videos may use different Orange and Gold Stake rules. Version 1.0.1f also adjusted score requirements. Read the current Stake description and next Blind's target again instead of applying an old version's scores or purchase plan directly to the current screen.
Four same-deck steps and achievement distinctions
- Choose the deck you want to progress. Check the highest unlocked Stake you have not yet beaten, and start a normal run without a custom seed.
- Aim to beat the Ante 8 Boss Blind. In the preceding shop, check the required score, your scoring sources, expiring Jokers, and Rental payments.
- After winning, check progress for that same deck. Keep wins with other decks and results from seeded practice separate.
- Move to the next Stake with the same deck. If you start another deck, progress from the Stakes unlocked for that deck.
The three Completionist achievements are separate goals
| Achievements | Condition | Where to check and how they differ |
|---|---|---|
| Completionist | Discover 100% of the Collection | Separate from winning Gold Stake with every deck. Distinguish locked entries from entries you have unlocked but not discovered. |
| Completionist+ | Win Gold Stake with all 15 decks | Progress through the Stakes for each deck and confirm its Gold Stake win. |
| Completionist++ | Earn a Gold Sticker on all 150 Jokers | Applies to Jokers held when you beat the Ante 8 Boss Blind. Keep these separate from Jokers sold earlier. |
Check a Joker's win Stickers in the Collection. A Perishable Joker you still hold can earn a Sticker even after its effect has expired; a destroyed or sold Joker is not treated as one you still hold.
FAQ
Do higher Stakes include lower-Stake effects?
Yes. The additional effects are cumulative. Blue, for example, includes Red’s missing Small Blind reward, Green’s score scaling and Black’s Eternal Jokers as well as losing a discard.
Does a win with another deck unlock Stakes here too?
Stake progression is per deck. Win the preceding Stake with the same deck to unlock the next one. A win means clearing the Ante 8 Boss Blind. Track other decks’ progress separately.
What should I check especially on Black Stake?
Check whether the Joker you want is Eternal. Eternal Jokers cannot be sold or destroyed, which affects plans to free the slot later. Black does not prohibit skipping Small Blinds.
Does Gold require scoring 100 million in 1 hand?
Do not impose 100 million as a fixed requirement. Compare the next Blind’s displayed target, your scoring and remaining hands. Do not treat one copying combo as mandatory; check scoring shortfalls separately from Rental upkeep.
Can entering a seed unlock the next Stake?
Entered-seed runs disable normal unlocks, discoveries and achievement progress. Use them to practice; unlock the next Stake or deck in a normal run with no seed entered.
PSN ¥5,000
Balance toward a PS5 game, PlayStation Store sale purchases or paid add-ons. It may not cover one full game's price; check price and PlayStation Plus subscription conditions.
Affiliate links to Amazon Japan. We may earn a commission on purchases. Listed prices are indicative and may change.
Affiliate links to Amazon Japan. Purchases may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Check the retailer for current prices.
Balatro Switch
Balatro physical cards
Affiliate links to Rakuten Japan. Listed prices are indicative; check the retailer for current prices.