You’re staring at the shop screen. You’ve got a decent run going, maybe a couple of Holo Jokers and a decent mult engine, but then you see it. A voucher with a white, empty square. It costs $10. You hover over it, and the description simply says "Does nothing."
It feels like a prank. Honestly, the first time I saw it, I assumed it was some kind of developer joke or a weird social experiment by LocalThunk to see how much we’d overthink a literal void. But in a game as tight and punishing as Balatro, every dollar counts. Why would the game tempt you to throw away two rounds worth of interest on a blank card?
The truth is, what does the blank voucher do in balatro is one of the most common questions for new players because the answer isn't immediate. It’s a long-term investment. Buying that voucher is a "tax" you pay now to unlock one of the most powerful permanent upgrades in the entire game for your future runs.
✨ Don't miss: Nintendo switch interactive games: Why most people are playing them wrong
The Mystery of the $10 Paperweight
Let's be clear: the Blank Voucher literally does nothing for your current round. It doesn't give you +1 Hand Size. It doesn't increase your interest cap. It just sits there in your voucher slot, looking empty and slightly judgmental.
If you are struggling to survive the next Boss Blind, do not buy this. You’ll die.
However, the game is tracking how many times you buy it across all your playthroughs. This isn't just about the run you're in right now; it's about the meta-progression of your save file. Balatro is full of these "secret" unlock conditions that aren't spelled out in the UI. To unlock the upgrade for this voucher, you have to buy the Blank Voucher 10 times total.
It doesn't have to be in consecutive runs. You don't have to win the run after buying it. You just have to click buy, watch that $10 vanish, and eventually, the game will reward your persistence with the Antimatter Voucher.
Why Antimatter Changes Everything
Once you’ve "paid your dues" by purchasing the Blank Voucher 10 times, the Antimatter Voucher enters the shop pool. It’s the upgraded version (the "Tier 2" voucher) that can appear later in a run if you’ve already bought a Blank Voucher in an earlier Ante.
What does it do? It gives you +1 Joker slot.
Think about that for a second. In Balatro, the five-Joker limit is the ultimate ceiling. It’s the bottleneck that prevents your score from going from "pretty good" to "scientific notation." Adding a sixth slot is arguably the single most powerful buff in the game. It allows for an extra X-Mult Joker, another utility card like Blueprint or Brainstorm, or even just a Negative Joker that doesn't actually take up the new space, giving you effectively seven slots.
When Should You Actually Buy It?
Knowing what does the blank voucher do in balatro is only half the battle. The real skill is knowing when to tank your economy for it.
If you’re on a Gold Stake run and you’re barely scraping by, spending $10 on a promise of future greatness is a death sentence. The game is too fast for that. But on White Stake or when you have a massive economy (maybe you’re running a Rocket or a lucky Golden Ticket), you should buy it every single time it appears until you get that unlock notification.
- Early Game (Ante 1-2): Only buy if you have a "guaranteed" win for the next few rounds.
- Mid Game (Ante 3-5): This is the sweet spot. If your Jokers are carrying you easily, "waste" the money now.
- Late Game (Ante 6+): If you haven't unlocked Antimatter yet, buy it just to tick the counter. If you have unlocked it, buying Blank is the only way to make Antimatter spawn in the next shop.
Most players make the mistake of ignoring it because "I need that $10 for a reroll." I get it. The dopamine hit of a reroll is real. But the long-term math favors the Antimatter unlock. Once it's unlocked, it stays unlocked. Forever.
Breaking Down the Math of the "Nothing"
Let’s talk about the opportunity cost. $10 in Balatro isn't just $10. Because of the interest system, where you earn $1 for every $5 you hold (up to a cap of $25 or $50), spending $10 early can actually cost you $2 in interest every single round for the rest of the game.
If you buy Blank in Ante 1, and the game lasts until Ante 8, you might have effectively spent $30 or $40 on that voucher when you factor in lost interest.
💡 You might also like: Why Letter Boxed the New York Times is the Hardest Puzzle You Aren't Playing Yet
Is it worth it? For the unlock, yes. For a single run? Only if you are fishing for Antimatter to save a run that needs more power to beat the final Boss Blind. Some players gamble on it, hoping Antimatter shows up in the very next shop. It’s a high-risk, high-reward play that usually fails, but when it works, you feel like a genius.
Common Misconceptions and Reddit Myths
Early on, there were rumors on forums that the Blank Voucher increased the appearance rate of rare Jokers or affected the RNG of the Spectral Packs.
They’re wrong.
LocalThunk, the developer, has been pretty transparent through the game’s code and community interactions: the Blank Voucher has zero hidden stat buffs. It is purely a gateway. It’s a "patience check." It tests whether you can manage your resources well enough to sacrifice the present for a better future.
I’ve seen people skip it because they thought they already "filled the meter." Keep in mind that even after you unlock the Antimatter Voucher, you still have to buy the Blank one in a specific run to see Antimatter in that same run. It’s a two-step process. You buy the "useless" one to enable the "god-tier" one.
The Psychological Trap of the Shop
There’s a specific kind of pain in seeing the Blank Voucher when you have exactly $10 and there’s also a Joker you really need.
Choose the Joker. Always.
Survival comes first. The Blank Voucher will come back in another run. It’s a common fixture in the shop pool. Don't ruin a winning run just because you feel obligated to progress your unlocks. Balatro is a game of tiny edges, and throwing away your entire bankroll for a voucher that does nothing right now is the fastest way to see the "Game Over" screen.
Strategic Next Steps for Your Run
If you’re currently in a run and staring at that empty white card, here is your checklist:
- Check your Unlock Progress: Have you already bought it 10 times? If you aren't sure, check your "Vouchers" section in the collection menu. If Antimatter is still a silhouette, you need to keep buying Blank.
- Evaluate your Economy: If you have more than $35, buy it. You’ll stay above the interest cap anyway.
- Look for the Telescope/Planet Synergy: If you are already set on a specific hand (like Flush or Five of a Kind), you might need that money for Planet packs instead.
- The "Ante 8" Rule: If you are in Ante 8 and you haven't bought Blank yet, don't bother unless you are purely doing it for the meta-unlock. It’s too late for Antimatter to realistically help you unless you have a lot of shop refreshes coming up.
Stop treating the Blank Voucher like a mystery and start treating it like a long-term savings account. It’s annoying, it’s expensive, and it feels like a waste—until the moment you have six Jokers and you’re hitting for 100 million points. Then, you’ll realize that $10 was the best money you ever spent.
Actionable Advice for Your Next Session
Go into your next three runs with the specific goal of "buying the void." Don't worry about winning. Just build a stable enough economy to afford the $10 hit without dying. Once you hit that 10th purchase, the game fundamentally changes. You'll stop asking what the voucher does and start praying for it to show up so you can break the game wide open.
📖 Related: Disney Heroes Battle Mode Angel Animations GIF: Why Her Smooth Moves Actually Matter for Your Team
Keep an eye on your interest levels. If you can time the purchase right after a Boss Blind where you got a big payout, the sting of the $10 price tag is much easier to swallow. Just click buy, ignore the "does nothing" text, and keep moving. Your future self will thank you when that extra Joker slot saves a high-stakes run.