Bargain Balatro-like deckbuilder launches to 91% Steam rating, and bundles with some of the best fake-gambling games

Can you believe it's been nearly two years since Balatro did bewildering things to our industry as one of the best card games in recent memory? The sort of game you never pictured being quite as big as it was, despite it being more of an actual game than whatever largely interactive movie the bigger publishers put out around the same time. Anyway, like CloverPit, Ball X Pit, and Slots and Daggers have throughout this year, This Ain't Even Poker, Ya Joker, another zany pseudo-gambling game with a demonic jester and an acronym we won't be using here, has surfaced to sap what time remains of those lazy festive evenings, and the Steam reviews are coming in strong.

This Ain't Even Poker, Ya Joker, a game by a person and/or group with the far shorter name of Mash, dropped on Steam this last Thursday. And while it hasn't caught the world on fire in a matter of hours, hundreds of typically hyper-critical Steam players have decided it's worth a 91% positive rating. And not only is it bundled with some of those aforementioned almighty time wasters, but it's also only $5.

Billed as an idle deckbuilding clicker game, the premise of this one is simple: "You flip cards to earn money, grow your hand, buy new decks, unlock powerful upgrades, discover new cards, and more." And more, you say? It's one of those 'make big number go bigger type of deals,' and with a simple goal to "defeat the Jester," well… you get the idea. Cards, broken poker, and a maniacal carnival character that can't possibly be played by Ben Starr. Is Neil Newbon available for this one?

Now, I'll admit that poker has always gone over my head. Like chess, the rules just won't stay in my noggin. It's probably just a case of getting the reps in, sure, and yes I get it - it's not even poker. I'm the joker. Ha ha. Very funny. But think about it: there's no way in crude carnival hell the millions of people who played Balatro knew what they were doing early on. You're a smart sausage, you'll figure it out.

If cracking packs and seeing coins burst out of dozens of card hands flipped upright on a table is likely to tickle your brain receptors, you'll probably get more of a kick out of this one than your daily cafe latte. They're around the same price, after all. And hey, look: an upgrade tree!

Will this one pair up with seemingly all the major games under the sun every couple of weeks? Who knows. But with the backing of publishers behind A Game About Digging A Hole, one of the first bizarre breakout hits of the year, and September's Easy Delivery Co., you have to admit that taking a chance on this Balatro-adjacent number escalation sim is a brave move.

This Ain't Even Poker, Ya Joker is available at an introductory price of $4.99 or £3.99 through Thursday December 25. Leave it until after the holidays, and you'll have to pony up an extra buck. However long you choose to wait, you can grab it here. Just be ready to see your free time disappear like your money at a dodgy fairground. Just keep some pennies saved up for Raccoin, yeah? That's the next big one.