The Ante 8 boss wants a six-figure score — around 100,000 chips on White Stake. You don't reach that with one strong joker; you build a board across the run that earns money early, scales through the midgame, and multiplies hard at the end.
The win formula: 1 economy + 1-2 scaling + 2-3 high X Mult + 1 utility joker — while leveling your base hand. Build it in that order and you'll clear Ante 8 in roughly 80% of runs.
1. Early game: one economy joker
Your first job is cash flow. You only need one economy joker; by rounds 5-10 it should be adding $10-$20 a run. When money is tight early, don't rush to buy card packs — spend on a joker or a voucher instead.
| Joker | Rarity | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| To Do List | Common | $4 | Earn $4 if your poker hand matches the listed type (it changes each round) |
| Business Card | Common | $4 | Played face cards have a 1 in 2 chance to give $2 — a KKJJ two-pair averages ~$4 |
| To the Moon | Uncommon | $5 | Earn an extra $1 of interest per $5 held at end of round |
To the Moon snowballs once you bank $25+. Sell your economy joker later when the slot matters more than the cash.
2. Midgame: one or two scaling jokers
Pick up 1-2 scaling jokers before round 15. They lose you value the round you buy them, but pay off big later — so the earlier you start, the bigger the payoff.
A scaling joker is only worth a slot if its stable output hits these benchmarks:
| Scaling type | Mid-game target | Late-game target |
|---|---|---|
| +Chips | +100 | +200 |
| +Mult | +15 | +30 |
| X Mult | X2.5 | X4 |
If the trigger condition is too strict to hit reliably, skip it — unstable scaling isn't worth the slot. Scaling jokers also have a weak early window, so bridge it with a flat +80 Chips / +10 Mult joker; a single +15 Mult source is enough to coast through the midgame.
| Joker | Rarity | Cost | Effect | Scales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hologram | Uncommon | $7 | +0.25 X Mult each time a card is added to your deck | X Mult |
| Castle | Uncommon | $6 | +3 Chips per discarded card (suit changes each round) | +Chips |
| Spare Trousers | Uncommon | $6 | +2 Mult each time your hand contains a Two Pair | +Mult |
3. Late game: 2-3 high X Mult jokers + a utility joker
The winning score comes from multiplying repeatedly, so the late board wants 2-3 stable high X Mult jokers (X2.5 or better). Sell your economy and bridge jokers to make room.
Some high-mult jokers have demanding conditions — pair them with a utility joker that makes the condition reliable.
| Joker | Role | Rarity | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball Card | X Mult | Rare | $8 | Each Uncommon joker gives X1.5 Mult (stack uncommons to scale it) |
| Driver's License | X Mult | Rare | $7 | X3 Mult if your full deck has at least 16 Enhanced cards |
| Smeared Joker | Utility | Uncommon | $7 | Hearts/Diamonds count as one suit and Spades/Clubs as one — flushes become easy |
| Four Fingers | Utility | Uncommon | $7 | Flushes and Straights need only 4 cards |
Smeared Joker and Four Fingers both make Flushes trivial, which keeps a flush-condition multiplier firing every hand. If you can't assemble the conditional payoffs, Cavendish ($4, Common) is the simplest fallback — a flat X3 Mult with a negligible destroy chance.
4. Joker order and editions
Jokers score left to right, and the rule is simple:
Put +Mult (additive) jokers on the left, and X Mult (multiplicative) jokers on the right, so the multiplier applies after your flat Mult is added.
A +4 Mult then X3 scores far more than X3 then +4. Drag to reorder before you hit Play — and remember played cards can be reordered too.
Two editions to grab on sight:
- Negative — takes no joker slot (effectively +1 slot). Buy it whenever the economy allows.
- Holographic (+10 Mult) — turns a weak joker into a real one early. A plain +4 Mult joker is filler, but +4 with a Holographic edition carries your midgame; swap it for a rare high-mult later.
5. Build your base deck
Jokers multiply your base hand score, and that only grows with Planet cards. Once your economy is stable, build the deck in parallel.
- Shop priority: Spectral > Tarot > Planet ≈ standard cards — while always leveling your main hand.
- Keep strong, cut weak. Watch your suit and card counts. Flush builds: remove off-suit cards so your chosen suit dominates. Straight builds: thin evenly starting from the 2 so you never leave a gap in the middle.
- Late game: add enhanced cards for base score, and use Glass (X2 Mult) and Steel (X1.5 while held) to grow your multiplier.
- Skipping blinds is usually a loss. Only skip for a strong tag — a rare or Negative joker tag — or when the reward can't give you $20+.
A sample beginner board
A reliable Ante-8 setup, ordered left to right:
To the Moon (economy) → Spare Trousers (+Mult scaling) → Four Fingers (utility) → Baseball Card (X Mult) → Cavendish (X3)
Commit to one hand type, level it with Planets every shop, keep the X Mult jokers on the right, and the multipliers carry you through the boss. Model the exact numbers in the score calculator before you commit a run.
Keep reading
Joker Database — all 150 jokers with effects, so you can slot the right one into each role.
Score Calculator — see how hand level, joker order, and stacked X Mult change the total.
Poker Hands — base chips and mult for every hand, so you know what to level.
Blueprint + Brainstorm — once you have an X Mult engine, copy it for double the payoff.