Choose and compare Tarot decks

How to choose a Tarot deck

The cards in a deck are only half of a Tarot system. The other half is the method that comes with it: how the cards are ordered, what the numbered cards show, and which meanings the reader is expected to use. Two decks can both have 78 cards and still ask you to read them in different ways.

Rider–Waite–Smith (RWS) shows a small scene on every card, including the numbered Minor Arcana, so each card gives you something to look at and describe. Most modern beginner books and many apps use RWS imagery, which makes it the easiest system to cross-check against other sources. Marseille-style decks use a different approach: the numbered suit cards are mostly patterns of repeated symbols, and readers lean on number, suit and the position in the spread rather than on a scene. Thoth, designed by Aleister Crowley with artwork by Frieda Harris, adds its own titles, astrological attributions and renamed court cards, so it rewards study more than quick use.

The Grand Etteilla Tarot (1857) on this site belongs to a separate French divination tradition with its own card order, and each card carries two printed reading terms. It is useful if you want to see how a different lineage reads the same idea.

A simple way to pick

• Start with RWS if you want pictures to read from and the widest choice of learning material.
• Try Marseille if you like working from numbers, suits and symmetry instead of scenes.
• Come back to Thoth once you are comfortable with the basics and want a more structured symbolic system.
• Use one system at a time. Meanings attached to one deck do not automatically transfer to another.

Our open RWS vs Marseille vs Thoth comparison lists the structural differences in a table, and the traditions pages explain where each system comes from. When you are ready to try a reading, draw three cards or open the full card index.

Quick answers

Which Tarot deck is best for beginners?

There is no single correct answer, but many learners start with a Rider–Waite–Smith-style deck because every card has a scene and most teaching material uses the same imagery.

Can I use the meanings from one deck on another deck?

Only with care. Major Arcana names and some numbering differ between systems, and the numbered suit cards are illustrated differently, so a meaning written for one scene may not fit another deck. It is safest to keep each system separate.

Do all Tarot decks have 78 cards?

The standard Tarot has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. Some historical games and regional decks use different counts, which our card-count article explains.