Balatro taught me poker hands so now can I play poker with cowboys

As a child who wasn't old enough to play Red Dead Redemption in 2010, I never understood how to play a poker minigame, even with tutorials. I was not too bothered to learn and continued my life, until he was 20 at the time of the RDR2 market and still didn't know how to play poker. I was all right with that.

And then came along Balatro, Roguelike to build packages that immers almost anyone who fired it – and, like many people, Balatro taught me how to recognize different poker hands used to score in poker, even though he is not a poker game.

To my surprise, when I returned to the annual repetition of Red Dead Redemption 2, I could suddenly play poker. At least a little.

Wait, I don't like poker

I'm not someone who takes care of gambling. Sure, I understand the rush of coincidence and victory big, but I'd rather do it by buying some Kirby Blind Boxes imported from Japan or something like that.

The sweetest thing I've ever said caught 4K.

I really don't want to risk playing with money to raise more money, and the mini games in Red Dead Redemption, among other things, never had enough draws to get involved. Still, if I do, I'll do it in video games. I am willing to take advantage of the chance because they are not my real money. Well, when it comes to these mini games, at least not prey microtrans or gacha game – that's a slippery slope in itself.

I was late to the table with Balatro

A moment showing three copies of the legendary Joker Perkeo in Balatra.

While people praised the Joker-Prominent card game during 2024, I just got in December when I was introducing my steam package at the Paris hotel. I needed something simple to go through time, and Balatro was still waiting for me to call.

A week later I waited at the airport on board, glued to the screen and tried to get a higher score. I was invested and, thanks to the rapidly developing, recurring nature of the game, I have already recognized poker hands. I didn't think much about it – it looked like a great thing I learned to play the game – and I became more and more familiar with my hand structure.

At the beginning of this year, I was on the way to find Reverend Swanson at a nearby train station, ready for drunk men and Bridge Bridge incident. But this time, before all the men who played poker with Swanson, they asked Arthur to take his place – something I usually refuse – I thought, “Yeah, why not?”

Poker teaching programs appeared as they always have – betting, breeding, folding – but this time something clicked. I knew what I was looking for in my hands. I knew the value of what I had at first glance, and could decide on my chances to success. I will not be proud of victory in this game, because it is easy to be as a tutorial for minigame, but it is curious when the knowledge can take me, now I have access to these parts of the game I have never started before.

Sure, I'm not going to plan a trip to Vegas or something, but now I can play poker with cowboys. It's not okay, partners.