This Ain’t Even Poker, Ya Joker Review – Incremental Deckbuilder with Jesterish Charm
A quirky Windows-only incremental that turns poker rules inside out: buy cards, send minions on expeditions, ascend and grow your hand. Charming, addictive and rough around the edges — great for idle fans but expect UI hiccups and a short campaign.
This Ain’t Even Poker, Ya Joker mixes idle/incremental loops with deckbuilding in a surprisingly playful package. Think Balatro-lite meets expedition mechanics and a cheeky ascension system — it’s small, charming and eager to reward your tinkering.
Core loop is simple: buy new cards to increase the odds of good hands, upgrade your deck and even break the 'five-card' rule if you can afford it. You unlock expeditions that send minions to discover powerful otherworldly cards, and you can upgrade those missions to fine-tune your gains. There’s also a shop and upgrade tree where coins buy faster progression and gimmicks like extra decks so you can play more hands simultaneously. Ascension (via poker chips) lets you reset in exchange for persistent boosts — and this is where the pace really opens up. Gameplay blends active clicking with idle progression: early runs are clickier, later runs let you lean back. Visually it’s polished for an indie: animations pop and the UI is cute if a bit cramped. Audio and music are mood-appropriate, though some players (myself included) will notice the soundtrack loops a lot. Biggest pain points are small buttons, unclear tooltips on some upgrades, and an annoying aspect-ratio/startup issue on ultrawide displays — Mac/Linux not supported atm, Windows only. If you enjoy incremental progression and card tinkering you’ll find a lot to like, but expect the current build to feel compact rather than sprawling.
This Ain’t Even Poker, Ya Joker is a delightful little incremental with smart deck toys and a rewarding ascension loop — perfect for idle/card fans willing to forgive a few rough edges. Grab it on Windows if you want a compact, addictive time-sink; wait for patches if ultrawide support or deeper late-game content matters to you.
Pros
- Addictive progression loop — ascensions make later runs much more satisfying.
- Creative deckbuilding: buy, destroy and mix cards; expeditions add fun surprises.
- Charming visuals and satisfying upgrade feedback — the little animations sell the upgrades.
Cons
- UI problems: tiny buttons, unclear tooltips and an ultrawide/startup resolution bug.
- Feels a bit short and the upgrade trees are sparse — replayability depends on future updates.
Player Opinion
Players praise the pacing (especially after the first ascension), the addictive incremental design and the freedom to sculpt your deck — some even logged hours nonstop. Common complaints are the UI (buttons too small), unclear upgrade mechanics and a nasty ultrawide/resolution issue that blocks settings access. Folks compare it to Balatro and other idle-deck games; if you like those, this is an easy recommendation — just expect a compact, early-accessy experience.