Tarot Cards Guide
All 22 Tarot Cards explained - modify your deck, enhance cards, and create powerful combinations.
What are Tarot Cards?
Tarot Cards are consumable items in Balatro that modify your deck and enhance individual cards. Each Tarot Card can be used once before being consumed. They're essential for deck transformation strategies and creating synergies with suit-specific Jokers.
You can hold up to 2 Tarot Cards at once (expandable with Vouchers). Purchase them from the shop for $3-4, or generate them through Joker effects like 8 Ball.
Card Modification Tarots
These Tarot Cards transform your playing cards, adding enhancements or changing their properties.
Creates the last Tarot card used
Cost: $3
Strategy: Chain powerful Tarots. Use The Fool after Death, The Emperor, or Judgment for duplicates. Works with Fortune Teller for +Mult.
Enhances 2 selected cards to Lucky Cards
Cost: $4
Strategy: Lucky Cards have 1 in 5 chance for +20 Mult. Use on high-value cards you play frequently. Pairs with luck-based builds.
Creates up to 2 Planet Cards
Cost: $4
Strategy: Free hand leveling. Use to level your primary hand type. Works with Constellation for +Mult.
Enhances 2 selected cards to Mult Cards
Cost: $4
Strategy: Mult Cards give +4 Mult when scored. Use on cards you play in scoring hands. Good early game boost.
Creates up to 2 Tarot Cards
Cost: $4
Strategy: Tarot generation. Creates random Tarots. Use when you need deck modifications. Chain with The Fool.
Enhances 2 selected cards to Bonus Cards
Cost: $4
Strategy: Bonus Cards give +30 Chips when scored. Use for chip-focused builds. Great for early ante clearing.
Enhances 1 selected card to a Wild Card
Cost: $3
Strategy: Wild Cards count as any suit. Perfect for Flush builds. Makes any card work for suit requirements.
Enhances 1 selected card to a Steel Card
Cost: $4
Strategy: Steel Cards give +1.5x Mult when held in hand. Use on cards you keep, not play. Works with Steel Joker scaling.
Enhances 2 selected cards to Stone Cards
Cost: $4
Strategy: Stone Cards give +50 Chips when scored but lose rank/suit. Works with Stone Joker. Can break suit builds.
Gain $20
Cost: $3
Strategy: Pure economy. Use when below $5 for interest. $17 net profit. Works with Greedy Joker for Mult.
1 in 4 chance to enhance 1 selected card to a Polychrome Card
Cost: $3
Strategy: Polychrome gives +1.5x Mult when scored. Risky but powerful. Use on key scoring cards.
Increases rank of 2 selected cards by 1
Cost: $3
Strategy: Rank upgrading. Turn 2s into 3s, 9s into 10s. Works for Straight builds (fix gaps). Can't upgrade Aces.
Destroys up to 2 selected cards
Cost: $3
Strategy: Deck thinning. Remove low-value cards. Works with Vampire for ×Mult scaling. Can destroy Stone cards for Stone Joker bonus.
Select 2 cards, convert the left card into the right card
Cost: $4
Strategy: Card duplication. Turn random cards into your key cards. Create Kings for Baron, Queens for Triboulet. Most powerful Tarot.
Gain sell value of all Jokers and Consumables
Cost: $3
Strategy: Sell everything for cash. Use when run is failing or for massive economy boost. Resets progress.
Enhances 1 selected card to a Gold Card
Cost: $3
Strategy: Gold Cards give $3 when held at round end. Economy generation. Use on cards you keep in hand.
Enhances 1 selected card to a Stone Card
Cost: $3
Strategy: Single Stone Card creation. +50 Chips. Works with Stone Joker. Similar to Justice but one card.
Converts up to 3 selected cards to Diamonds
Cost: $3
Strategy: Suit transformation. Build Diamond Flush with Gluttonous/Lusty Joker. Use for suit-specific builds.
Converts up to 3 selected cards to Clubs
Cost: $3
Strategy: Club transformation. Works with Blackboard (Spades/Clubs ×3 Mult). Build dark suit decks.
Converts up to 3 selected cards to Hearts
Cost: $3
Strategy: Heart transformation. Best with Lusty Joker (+3 Mult per Heart). Build Heart Flush decks.
Creates a random Joker
Cost: $4
Strategy: Free Joker generation. Random but free $4-8 value. Can create rare Jokers like Blueprint, Baron.
Converts up to 3 selected cards to Spades
Cost: $3
Strategy: Spade transformation. Works with Wrathful Joker, Arrowhead, Blackboard. Build Spade synergy.
Card Enhancement Types
Tarot Cards can add enhancements to your playing cards. Each enhancement provides unique benefits.
| Enhancement | Effect | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Bonus Card | +30 Chips when scored | Early game chip boost, high-frequency cards |
| Mult Card | +4 Mult when scored | Multiplicative builds, pairs with Mult Jokers |
| Wild Card | Counts as any suit | Flush builds, suit flexibility |
| Steel Card | +1.5x Mult when held in hand | Hold cards, Steel Joker synergy |
| Stone Card | +50 Chips when scored (loses rank/suit) | Stone Joker builds, chip-focused |
| Gold Card | +$3 when held at round end | Economy builds, cards you don't play |
| Lucky Card | 1 in 5 chance for +20 Mult when scored | Risky builds, luck-based Jokers |
| Polychrome | +1.5x Mult when scored | High-value cards, boss rounds |
Tarot Card Strategies
Deck Transformation
Use Death, The Star/Moon/Sun/World to convert your deck to one suit. Combine with suit-specific Jokers (Lusty, Wrathful, Gluttonous) for massive bonuses. A full Heart deck with Lusty Joker gives +15 Mult per hand.
King/Queen Generation
Use Death to convert random cards into Kings or Queens. With Baron (×1.5 per King) or Triboulet (×2 per K/Q), this is the most powerful scaling strategy. 4 Kings + Baron = ×6 Mult.
Steel Card Strategy
Create Steel Cards with The Chariot. Hold them in hand for ×1.5 Mult each. Combine with Steel Joker which gains ×1.5 per Steel card in deck. Hanging Chad retriggers Steel cards for double effect.
Economy Chaining
Use The Hermit ($20) when below $5. Chain with The Fool to repeat. Maintain $25 for maximum interest ($5/round). Use Gold Cards for passive income.
Deck Thinning
Use The Hanged Man to remove low-value cards. Smaller deck = more consistent hands. Works with Vampire which gains ×Mult when enhanced cards are destroyed.
Wild Flush
Use The Lovers to create Wild Cards. Any 5 cards can form a Flush. Perfect for early Flush builds before suit transformation.
Pro Tips for Tarot Usage
- Save Tarots for boss rounds: Don't waste powerful Tarots on small blinds. Use Death and Judgment when you need maximum scoring.
- Chain The Fool: After using a powerful Tarot, The Fool creates another copy. Chain Death → Fool → Death for multiple duplications.
- Check shop first: Before using Judgment (random Joker), check if you need specific Jokers. Sometimes buying is better than gambling.
- Use Strength for Straights: Fill gaps in Straight sequences. Turn 8-9-J-Q into 8-9-10-J-Q with Strength on the 9.
- Combine with Jokers: Tarots synergize with Fortune Teller (+Mult per Tarot used), 8 Ball (free Tarot generation), Space Joker (hand leveling).