Alright, the mp system makes sense now so there's more decision making for sure. But holy shit, I just had the worst streak of unlucky hands ever, and no amount of mp could help me. No idea how could I have beaten this first try with no skills.
Current setup works mechanically, but there are probably more interesting ways to make this twist. Right now it feels like fighting against the community cards rather than the npcs, especially since it's asymmetric. If you are going the game-y route and slowly become balatro/solitaire battle then it should be fine.