Scoring Guide

Every point in Beat The Deck comes from one formula, but two variables feed into it independently, and they multiply rather than add. That's why a run with a couple of long streaks can score several times higher than a run with more total guesses but shorter ones.

The formula

Points = (10 + Card Streak × 2) × Global Streak Multiplier

The card streak is how many consecutive correct guesses you've made on that one specific position. The global streak is every consecutive correct guess across the whole board, regardless of which card it was on. Both climb independently; both feed the same formula.

Card streaks: base points

Card Streak Base Points vs. Streak 0
0 10 —
1 12 +20%
2 14 +40%
3 16 +60%
5 20 +100%
7 24 +140%
10 30 +200%
15 40 +300%
20 50 +400%

Global streak: the multiplier

Global Streak Multiplier 10 base becomes 30 base becomes
0–2 1× 10 30
3+ 1.2× 12 36
5+ 1.4× 14 42
7+ 1.6× 16 48
9+ 1.8× 18 54
15+ 2× 20 60

Read the right two columns together: at global streak 0, a fresh card pays 10. At global streak 15+ on a card that's built its own streak of 10, the exact same kind of correct guess pays 60 — six times as much, for the same action, purely because of how long you'd stayed alive beforehand.

Worked example: ten guesses in a row

Guess # Card Streak Global Streak Multiplier Points Earned
1 0 1 1× 10
2 1 2 1× 12
3 2 3 1.2× 16.8
4 3 4 1.2× 19.2
5 4 5 1.4× 25.2
6 5 6 1.4× 28
7 6 7 1.6× 35.2
8 7 8 1.6× 38.4
9 8 9 1.8× 46.8
10 9 10 1.8× 50.4

First guess: 10 points. Tenth guess, same card, same run: just over 50. Total across all ten: roughly 282 points, an average of 28.2 per guess despite starting at 10 — that gap is entirely the compounding at work, not luck.

What a wrong guess actually costs

The obvious cost is zero points on that guess. The bigger, less obvious cost is everything that follows: your global streak drops to zero, the card you were playing locks out for the rest of the game (see the How To Play guide for exactly how that works), and every guess afterward earns at whatever reduced rate you're rebuilding from. A guess that was paying 46.8 points at streak 12 drops straight back to 10 after a miss — a roughly 78% cut that takes another twelve clean guesses just to recover from, on top of losing the card you'd built.

Coins

Logged-in players earn coins at the end of every game, scaled to final score and best streak. Coins unlock cosmetic card backings in the shop — there's no separate coin multiplier, so anything that raises your score also raises your cosmetic unlock rate. Guest play earns in-game points normally but doesn't accumulate coins between sessions.

Score benchmarks

Score Range Roughly indicates
Under 150 Still learning the loop — streaks tend to break early on mid-range guesses
150–400 Making probability-based choices consistently; occasional runs into multiplier territory
400–800 Deliberate streak management; starting to identify and protect hot cards
800–1500 Combining hot-card strategy with streak discipline; few unforced errors
1500–2500 Regularly reaching and holding the 2× multiplier
2500+ Leaderboard-contending territory — minimal self-inflicted mistakes

These are patterns, not hard thresholds — deck randomness affects every single run, so treat them as a guide to what to work on next rather than a verdict on any one game.

Quick answers

Is there a maximum possible score?

No hard cap. The theoretical ceiling needs all 52 cards cleared with a continuously growing card streak and the 2× multiplier held the entire way — an extremely unlikely combination in practice.

Does switching cards mid-game cost me anything?

No. Your global streak keeps counting regardless of which position you play, and each card's individual streak is preserved exactly where you left it.

Are there bonus points outside the streak formula?

No — the formula above accounts for every point earned during play. There are no time bonuses or completion bonuses; a fully cleared deck simply scores high because of how much streak compounding it required.