LocalThunk’s Balatro has taken the gaming world by storm, and we’re racking up the chips just like everyone else. Our team at The Punished Backlog has been sharing optimal build tips, reveling in stories of triumph, and otherwise just chatting about what makes this poker-based roguelike so damn special.
If you’ve been playing since release, you’re probably anxiously awaiting the next balance patch—or just some new content in general. And while I sadly don’t have news on that front, I do have the next best thing, and that’s a game recommendation.
Pile-Up Poker is the newest addition to the browser-based puzzle app Puzzmo. If you’re unfamiliar with Puzzmo, it’s essentially a competitor to the New York Times’ suite of games, only cuter and far more inventive. Our own Gary Wilson had this to say about the app in late 2023:
Puzzmo has become the first thing I do every morning. Much like my father before me, I pour myself a cup of coffee and do the crossword puzzle. And I’ll continue doing so, on a sharp and easy-to-use platform.
Gary Wilson, Gary’s 10 Favorite Games of 2023
Puzzmo launched in 2023 with a handful of puzzles, such as the aforementioned crossword as well as an updated version of 2016’s Really Bad Chess. Try the latter for yourself below:
The team’s creative lead, Zach Gage, promised more puzzles in the future, and we’re seeing the latest fruit of that labor with Pile-Up Poker.
What the Heck Is Pile-Up Poker?
To be clear, Pile-Up Poker is inherently different than Balatro—and that’s a good thing. Where the latter focuses on amassing cards, discovering rare jokers, and racking up insane combos, Pile-Up Poker is a far quicker and simpler play.
You begin with an empty four-by-four grid and a hand of five cards. Each turn, you play four of your five cards and discard the fifth. Then, you draw a new hand of five cards—and rinse and repeat until you’ve played 16 cards in total and discarded four.
The challenge comes from the scoring. Each line on the grid counts as a dedicated hand. Play three 7s along the top row, and you’ll score a three of a kind. Place a 7, 8, 9, and 10 along a column, and you’ll score a straight. Get nothing of note, and you score nothing for that row/column. At the end of your fourth hand, the game will calculate all your played hands (of a maximum of 10 possible). The higher the score, the better.
Sounds simple, right? Not so fast.
Mere minutes into Pile-Up Poker, I realized how complicated this game gets. In addition to the obvious—four vertical hands and four horizontal hands—you can play a ninth hand via the four corners of the grid. Successfully score nine hands, and you’ll also play a tenth hand: your four discarded cards.
In order words, no cards in Pile-Up Poker go to waste. Every decision you make, from what to play and where to place it, has ramifcations over your overall score for the day. Make a poor move with hand one, and it’ll come back to bite you for hand four. Thankfully, you can play four games a day (five if you’re a paid Puzzmo subscriber).
Why Pile-Up Poker Is Worth a Look
Pile-Up Poker only launched today, and I’m already obsessed with it. No, I didn’t play well today, and I doubt I’ll ace it tomorrow. But I’m already strategizing ways to improve my hands, develop new strategies, and bolster my top score.
If you’re a fan of Balatro or poker at large, then Pile-Up Poker might just be your next fix. Puzzles rotate every day, meaning there’s plenty of room for experimentation. Give it a try for yourself over on puzzmo.com. Thank me later!
