Clearing the table▍
How to choose a tarot deck
A short guide to buying a first deck, or the next one: the traditions, what to check on the box, and the questions people ask most.
How to choose a deck
- 01
Choose pictures you want to keep looking at
A deck is something you come back to for years. If the art leaves you cold in the photos, it is unlikely to open up on the table.
- 02
Scenes help at the start
Rider–Waite–Smith decks and most modern decks draw a scene on every minor card. Marseille and Thoth decks use patterned pips instead, which read well but take longer to learn.
- 03
Check the size and the finish
Standard tarot cards measure about 70 × 120 mm (2.75 × 4.75 in). Smaller hands often shuffle a pocket edition more easily, and matte cards slide more smoothly than glossy ones.
- 04
A booklet is enough
Most decks come with a short booklet of meanings, and some with a full book. Either works: every card also has a long-form page on this site.
- 05
Buy from the publisher or a shop you trust
Very cheap unbranded decks on marketplaces are often unlicensed copies of published decks, with thin card stock, blurred printing and nothing paid to the artist. Check the publisher's name and the ISBN on the box.
The traditions
The classic Rider–Waite–Smith
Drawn by Pamela Colman Smith to Arthur Edward Waite's design and published in 1909, this is the deck most tarot is taught from. Its minor cards show scenes rather than bare suit symbols, so you can read the picture before you know the meaning. The editions in this shop share the same drawings and differ in colour, size and card stock.
See these decks →
Modern decks built on it
These decks keep the Rider–Waite–Smith structure and much of its symbolism but redraw every card in a new style, so the meanings on this site still apply. Choose the one whose pictures you want to keep looking at.
See these decks →Tarot de Marseille
The older pattern, printed from woodcuts in France from the seventeenth century on. Its trumps are full pictures, but its pip cards show arranged suit symbols, read by number and suit rather than by scene. A good second deck, or a first one if its plainness appeals to you.
See these decks →
The Thoth deck
Designed by Aleister Crowley and painted by Lady Frieda Harris between 1938 and 1943, then published in 1969, after both had died. Its imagery is dense with astrology and Kabbalah, and several trumps carry different names from the Rider–Waite–Smith, so it rewards study more than a quick draw.
See these decks →Lenormand and other fortune-telling decks
Not tarot, but close relations. A Lenormand deck has 36 plain picture cards, such as a ship, a house and a key, read in pairs and lines rather than one at a time. The last two decks here borrow the same idea for tea-leaf symbols and short printed messages.
See these decks →Try the cards before you buy
The Rider–Waite–Smith and the Tarot de Marseille are free to draw on Familiar. Turn over today's card, pull one for a yes-or-no question, or connect Familiar to Claude and talk a spread through with a deck that is actually shuffled.
Questions
What are tarot fortune cards?
Usually a tarot deck: 78 illustrated cards, 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana in four suits. The name also covers smaller fortune-telling decks such as the 36-card Lenormand, which follow their own systems.
Which tarot deck should a beginner buy?
A Rider–Waite–Smith edition, or a modern deck built on it. The pictures carry the meanings, and almost every book, course and app, this site included, is written around it.
How many cards are in a tarot deck?
78: the 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana, which split into four suits of 14 (Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles). Lenormand decks have 36 cards, and oracle decks vary.
Where can I buy tarot cards?
From the publisher's own shop, from bookshops, or from large online retailers. Most decks carry an ISBN, so any bookshop can order one; each deck in this store lists its ISBN with links to the publisher and a shop.
Is it bad luck to buy your own tarot deck?
No. The idea that a first deck has to be a gift is folklore; most readers buy their own.
Does Familiar sell these decks?
No. Familiar is a tarot site with digital decks you can speak with on the web or inside Claude. This page points to the publishers and shops that sell printed decks.