Choosing Your First Tarot Deck: Rider-Waite and Beyond

The best first tarot deck is one built on Rider-Waite-Smith symbolism, since nearly every guidebook, course, and online resource is written against that visual language. Beyond that baseline, the deck that will actually get used is the one whose art you find genuinely appealing — consistency in symbolism matters more than any specific publisher or edition.

Why symbolism matters more than style

The Rider-Waite-Smith deck, first published in 1910 with artwork by Pamela Colman Smith under the direction of A. E. Waite, was the first widely distributed deck to illustrate every card in the Minor Arcana with a full narrative scene rather than simple suit symbols. That decision is why it became the default teaching deck: a beginner can look at the Three of Swords and see three swords piercing a heart under a rainstorm, and grasp the meaning before reading a single word of guidebook text.

Decks built on this same symbolic structure — and there are hundreds, from muted modern reinterpretations to elaborately illustrated fantasy versions — let a beginner transfer what they learn from one resource directly onto their deck. Decks that abandon this structure, however beautiful, force a beginner to learn an entirely separate symbolic system with far fewer available teaching resources.

What to actually evaluate in a first deck

• Does it follow Rider-Waite-Smith scene structure? Check a few Minor Arcana cards, like the Five of Cups or the Nine of Swords — if they show a narrative scene rather than an abstract pattern of suit symbols, most existing guidebooks will apply directly.
• Do you actually like looking at it? A deck you find dull or off-putting will get used less, and consistency of practice matters more than which specific artist's take on the Hierophant you own.
• Is the card stock manageable? Very thin or very slick cards are harder to shuffle by hand, which matters more for daily practice than it might seem before you try it.
• Does it come with a guidebook you would actually read? Some included booklets are excellent starting points; others are minimal keyword lists. Neither is disqualifying, but it is worth knowing which you are getting.

What not to worry about

New readers often worry about needing a deck "gifted to them" rather than bought for themselves, a superstition with no basis in any documented historical tarot tradition — it is a relatively recent piece of folklore, not a rule. Similarly, owning multiple decks is common practice among experienced readers, not a sign of indecision; different decks often suit different moods or types of questions once you have a foundation in one.

A practical starting point

If in doubt, start with a deck that closely follows the original Rider-Waite-Smith imagery, learn its structure of seventy-eight cards over the first few months, and only branch into more stylized or non-traditional decks once the underlying symbolic system feels familiar. The specific edition matters far less than sticking with one deck long enough to actually learn it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need someone to gift me my first tarot deck?

No. This is a popular but undocumented superstition. Buying your own first deck is standard practice and has no bearing on how well the deck "works" for you.

How many cards are in a full tarot deck?

A standard deck has seventy-eight cards: twenty-two Major Arcana and fifty-six Minor Arcana, split evenly across four suits of fourteen cards each (Ace through Ten, plus Page, Knight, Queen, and King).

Should a beginner start with oracle cards instead of tarot?

Oracle decks are simpler and often gentler for absolute beginners, but they follow no consistent structure from deck to deck, which makes them harder to study systematically. Tarot's fixed seventy-eight-card structure, especially in the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, gives a beginner a stable system to actually learn.

For an overview of how the seventy-eight cards are organized once you have a deck in hand, read what the major and minor arcana actually mean. To start building a reading practice right away, draw a free reading using our deck, no purchase required.