The strongest all-around vouchers in Balatro are Grabber, Nacho Tong, Paint Brush, Palette, Observatory and Antimatter: they add repeatable hands, expand hand size, boost a focused Planet strategy or make room for another Joker. This is an editorial ranking based on voucher effects, not an official ranking or a measured win-rate comparison. The right pick still depends on your run, your cash and whether its upgrade is available.
How this ranking works
Vouchers are shop purchases whose effects persist for the current run. Balatro HQ lists 32 vouchers in 16 base-to-upgrade pairs; its data is marked current as of patch 1.0.1o. Each voucher costs $10, so a strong effect can still be the wrong buy if spending that money prevents an urgent purchase. The base voucher must be redeemed before its paired upgrade can become eligible, and the upgrade has its own unlock condition. Balatro HQ’s voucher list and unlock conditions provides the details, while the Balatro Wiki’s voucher overview describes the general mechanics.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Balatro Special Edition - PlayStation 5 | $29.90 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Balatro: Special Edition - For Nintendo Switch | $34.20 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Balatro: Special Edition - For Playstation 5 | $28.90 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Balatro (Special Edition) for Xbox Series X | $43.33 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Balatro Special Edition - Compatible for NS - UK PAL | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The order below favors effects that can help repeatedly across rounds, then weighs how broadly useful they are and how much setup they need. It is a practical guide, not a claim that one voucher wins every run; value changes with deck, stake, economy and strategy.
The 10 best vouchers
1. Grabber — best general-purpose pick
Grabber permanently adds one hand per round. An extra hand gives you another chance to play during a round, making this a broadly useful purchase rather than one tied to a particular poker hand or Joker combination.
#1 Best Overall
- Endless possibilities - every pick-up, discard and joker can dramatically alter the course of your run.
- In-depth campaign mode complete with 5 difficulties, as well as challenge, daily and seeded runs.
- Deftly deploy an array of potent tools
- Immerse yourself in Balatro’s distinctive psychedelic world.
- Improve your collection and discover new cards and secrets with every single run.
2. Nacho Tong — another repeatable hand
Nacho Tong adds a second additional hand per round through Grabber’s upgrade pair. Its effect is compelling when available, but it is not an independent early-shop option: you must first redeem Grabber, and Nacho Tong’s unlock condition is playing 2,500 cards. Treat it as a potential follow-up, not a guaranteed part of every run.
3. Paint Brush — more cards to choose from
Paint Brush adds one card to your hand size. Holding more cards can give you more flexibility when deciding what to play or discard, so its benefit can support a range of plans without requiring a particular build.
Rank #2
- 150 Jokers, each with their own unique abilities.
- 15 Decks with distinct modifiers to choose from for each run.
- 5 potential variants of each Joker which add further abilities.
- 22 Tarot cards variants that can enhance your regular playing cards.
- 11 Planet cards that help level up your possible poker hands.
4. Palette — extend the hand-size advantage
Palette adds another card to hand size through Paint Brush’s upgrade pair. It builds on the same broadly useful effect, but its value depends on first taking Paint Brush and meeting Palette’s unlock condition. If that follow-up is unlikely, prioritize a useful base voucher over planning around the upgrade.
5. Observatory — strong for a committed Planet strategy
Observatory makes Planet cards in your consumable area give ×1.5 Mult for their specified poker hand. That is a powerful payoff when you repeatedly play the hand those Planet cards support; it is less compelling if your run has no clear hand focus. Its paired upgrade, Telescope, instead makes Celestial Packs always contain the Planet card for your most-played hand.
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Rank #3
- 150 Jokers, each with their own unique abilities
- 15 Decks with distinct modifiers to choose from for each run
- 5 potential variants of each Joker which add further abilities
- 22 Tarot cards variants that can enhance your regular playing cards
- 11 Planet cards that help level up your possible poker hands
6. Antimatter — an extra Joker slot, if unlocked
Antimatter adds one Joker slot, a highly useful effect when you have another Joker worth carrying. The practical catch is access: it is Blank Voucher’s upgrade, and its unlock condition requires redeeming Blank ten times across runs. Its in-run payoff is simple; getting it into the available pool takes persistence.
7. Clearance Sale — discounts that can compound
Clearance Sale reduces the price of shop cards and packs by 25%. The discount can matter across several shop visits, but it needs enough future purchases to repay its $10 cost. A run with little cash or few opportunities to shop may not get much from it.
Rank #4
- Over 150 unique jokers, 15 decks with modifiers, and 22 tarot card variants.
- Dive into a psychedelic world complete with a synthwave soundtrack.
- Track your progress with an in-depth stats screen and permanent buffs from voucher cards.
- Special Edition includes 10 exclusive physical playing cards for real-life play.
8. Liquidation — a larger discount with an entry condition
Liquidation raises the shop discount to 50% through Clearance Sale’s upgrade pair. The bigger reduction can pay off over multiple purchases, but only if you can afford to shop; the upgrade also requires redeeming at least 10 Voucher cards in one run. Consider the actual runway ahead rather than treating the discount as immediate profit.
9. Overstock — more shop selection
Overstock adds a shop card slot, giving you another option to consider during shop visits. Its upgrade, Overstock Plus, adds further shop capacity and requires spending $2,500 across runs to unlock. More choices help only when you have the money and shop visits to use them, so this is a selection boost rather than a direct scoring effect.
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10. Telescope — the focused-run alternative
Telescope guarantees that each Celestial Pack contains the Planet card for your most-played hand. Choose it when you have settled into a consistent hand strategy and expect to make use of Planet cards for that hand. It is Observatory’s upgrade, so it requires taking Observatory first; without a focused Planet plan, the extra certainty may not be worth the shop investment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When an economy voucher is a better tenth pick
If your run is reliably holding cash instead of spending it, consider the Seed Money pair instead of Telescope. Seed Money raises the interest cap to $10, and its upgrade, Money Tree, raises it to $20. These can reward a cash reserve, but they are poor fits when your immediate needs keep your balance low. The cap is useful only when you have enough money for interest to matter.
How to choose in the shop
- Need more chances within a round? Favor Grabber; treat Nacho Tong as a later upgrade if it is unlocked and appears.
- Want flexibility in card selection? Paint Brush is the broadly useful starting point; Palette can extend the effect if its prerequisite is met.
- Already built around one poker hand? Observatory or Telescope can support that commitment through Planet cards.
- Have Joker options you cannot fit? Antimatter is excellent once available, but its unlock path is a real limitation.
- Expect several future shops and have cash? Discounts or extra shop slots may offer value; without that runway, they are less reliable than direct, repeatable effects.
- Comparing an upgrade with a more urgent purchase? Remember the $10 voucher cost and consider whether redeeming it leaves enough for the rest of the shop.
Unlock requirements and effects cited here come from Balatro HQ’s database, which identifies patch 1.0.1o as its data version. If you are playing a later game patch, check the in-game descriptions for any changed effects or requirements.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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