How to Pick Your First Tarot Deck

Image description: Title reads: “How to Pick Your First Tarot Deck”, Subtitle reads: “Finding a deck that you’ll love to learn with”. The text is in black on a white background. Behind the textbox are neon red lights of hearts, radiating outward from the text box.

*Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org. The links in this article are affiliate links. I receive a portion of the purchase of any book or tarot deck through the link. It comes at no additional cost to you. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores.

Greetings, seeker! Welcome to the magical world of tarot, we’re so happy to have you join us! This is a comprehensive guide to selecting your first tarot deck. It covers how to find a deck that calls to you, what to consider when choosing your first deck, what makes a deck beginner-friendly, where to shop for your first deck, and even what to avoid.

May your journey be joyous, expansive, and filled with curiosity!

Getting started

You do not need to be gifted your first deck. This is a common misconception. Tarot is not a practice that requires initiation. If you feel called to explore tarot, then it’s for you. You do not need to wait until someone gives you a deck. In fact, choosing your own first deck may result in a better experience because you have selected a deck that calls to you. If you’ve been waiting for someone to invite you in, this is your invitation to get started.

Tarot vs. oracle decks: This is a foundational distinction to understand as you are getting started with cards. Tarot decks have a specific structure. They usually have 78 cards consisting of 22 Major Arcana and Minor Arcana in four suits (wands, cups, swords, and pentacles.) Oracle decks are more free form. They are designed around a central theme that the deck creator has come up with. The deck creator determines the number of cards for an oracle deck, but generally it is fewer cards than a tarot deck. Many readers work with both tarot and oracle cards, and I encourage tarot readers to keep an open mind to oracle cards.

Both tarot and oracle cards can be read in a pure intuitive style, but tarot requires more study than oracle cards do because tarot has a structure. If you are not interested in doing any studying at all and want to read cards without a structure, start with oracle cards instead of tarot. You may find after working with oracle cards that you are open to learning a structure, or you may find that the open style of oracle decks really resonates for you.

Where to begin with tarot cards: A good place to begin is to identify what system of tarot you want to start with. There are multiple systems within tarot. The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) is the most popular, but there are also the Marseille and Thoth. I personally suggest starting with an RWS-style deck because most tarot books and educational resources on the market are geared towards the RWS, which makes learning with an RWS easier than starting with a Thoth or Marseille. This makes RWS decks slightly more beginner-friendly in my opinion.

This does not mean you need to start with the original Rider-Waite-Smith itself. Many people don’t enjoy the original RWS for different reasons. One of the most common reasons that some modern readers avoid it is a lack of diversity in the figures portrayed in the cards. There are several modern RWS-style decks that are more inclusive than the original. Two very popular inclusive options are The Light Seer’s Tarot created by Chris-Anne Donnelly and The Unfolding Path Tarot by Athene Noctua. Both decks are beginner-friendly and come with excellent guidebooks.

How to find a deck that calls to you

This is the fun part! There are so many tarot decks out in the world, with a wide range of art styles and themes. Don’t stress about finding the perfect deck, just focus on finding one that speaks to you. If you find you fall in love with tarot, then your first deck is just the beginning of a long and beautiful journey. You can start your exploration in several ways.

Consider going in person. If you live in area where you have a local metaphysical shop or a Barnes & Noble or other similar bookstore, then you can likely find tarot decks for sale in person. Before you purchase, be aware of store policy. Most stores will not let you return an opened tarot deck. You do not have to purchase a deck your first time looking at them, you can use this as a starting point if that feels more comfortable. Some metaphysical shops have store demonstration copies that allow you to look through cards and hold them in your hands.

Try to approach the in-store experience with an open mind. When you hold a deck in your hands, pay attention to how you are feeling as you look at it. What emotions are coming up for you? Some people know when they are holding a deck that they are meant to work with it. But if you don’t have that experience, don’t worry. The right deck will come. You can take photos of the decks that spark your interest to look them up online for more research. Purchasing from a local metaphysical shop is a great option because it supports your local community and you might get to meet people who have similar interests.

Browsing online. If a mainstream bookstore or a metaphysical shop isn’t an option for you, consider shopping online. You can browse the inventory of major publishers like Llewellyn, HayHouse, U.S. Games, Rockpool, and Blue Angel. Browsing a publisher’s inventory can be a great way to look at what is on the market as well as upcoming releases. Most publishers run seasonal sales regularly and may offer coupons for email sign-ups. Be cautious with other sites. Some sites that pay for advertising in search engine results have poor ratings on the Better Business Bureau. Official publisher websites are reputable sources.

Consider keywords. You might write down a list of keywords that you find inspiring. Here’s a list of keywords that you could consider: diverse, inclusive, abstract, feminine, masculine, dark, light, colorful, minimal, surrealist, watercolor, collage, illustration, witchy, fairy, fantasy, vampire, the list goes on and on. If you follow a specific spiritual practice or are interested in connecting with your ancestry from a specific culture, you can also use those cultural descriptors as keywords. If you’ve already been browsing, you can write down keywords from listings of decks you already like.

Look at Flip Through Videos. This is one of the most powerful tools you have in your search. Once you have a deck that is sparking your interest, it’s time to take a deeper look at it. It can be hard to get a good feel for what the cards will look like based on just a few images on the product listing or box. Thankfully, there are flip through videos! Flip throughs are videos on YouTube that other tarot readers and collectors have made showing each of the cards in a deck. Just search on YouTube “Deck name + flip through” and videos of the deck will likely come up. You can pause or put the video on a slower or faster speed depending on your taste. “Quick flip” is another search term, which generally filters the results down to remove videos that include a full deck review. Watch the flip through carefully and ask yourself if the imagery in the cards resonates with you. This can help you get a better sense for whether a deck is going to work for you. I always search for flip throughs when considering a new deck.

Once you find a deck that speaks to you and you feel you’ve done enough research, it’s time to go for it and purchase your first deck! Congratulations on this awesome step forward in your tarot journey! Take a moment to celebrate! 💕

Good add-ons to consider: Some good add-ons to consider in addition to your first deck are an intro to tarot book and a journal. There are many excellent beginner tarot books on the market. My top two suggestions for beginner tarot readers are The Ultimate Guide to Tarot by Liz Dean and Tarot: No Questions Asked by Theresa Reed. The Ultimate Guide to Tarot is an excellent reference book and introductory text, it is a wonderful and comprehensive guidebook for RWS style decks. Tarot: No Questions Asked by Theresa Reed is an excellent Tarot 201 book. It has more advanced material but is still accessible to new readers.

If you are interested in working with crystals, a good crystal to work with for tarot reading is selenite. Selenite can be used to cleanse your deck between readings. Some people like to rest a piece of selenite on top of their tarot deck while it is not in use.

What to avoid when shopping for your first deck

Knowing what to avoid can make it easier to find a beginner-friendly deck. These are my personal suggestions for things to avoid when you are just getting started.

1. Decks with nontraditional structures: Avoid decks with reimagined suits, courts, or a fifth suit introduced. Some modern RWS-style decks call the suits by different names. For example, pentacles might become stones. Some decks reimagine the court cards. Queens might become Seers. These decks may be very beautiful, but they can make it harder when you are just beginning. Try to stick with decks that have the original suit names and court names so you can learn the cards more easily. Some tarot decks include a fifth suit invented for the deck. This can also make learning more challenging.

2. Cheap card stock: This is a common complaint in deck reviews. Readers vary in their preference for cardstock, but if you see a lot of reviews complaining it is cheap, you might avoid the deck. If you are looking at a deck in person, you want the cards to have enough slip that they do not stick to each other but not be so slippery that they’re flying all over the place. If you are holding the deck in your hands, ask yourself if you like the feel of the cards.

3. Decks without people: Animal decks, nature decks, and abstract decks are all awesome, but they aren’t ideal for a first deck. Look for a deck has people portrayed on the majority of the cards. It makes it easier to interpret what the card means when you are first starting out.

4. Pipish decks: Pipish decks are decks where the Minor Arcana have sparse imagery or are represented very literally. For instance, the four of cups may only have four cups on it and no other imagery. I personally love a good pipish deck, but they aren’t a good fit for a first deck. The minimal imagery can make it very hard to interpret the minors for new readers.

Counterfeit decks: Counterfeit decks are stolen artwork reproduced cheaply. The deck creators make no money from counterfeit decks and instead lose sales. Unfortunately, they are very common now, both online and increasingly in-store in metaphysical shops. Many new readers don’t know what to avoid and end up with a counterfeit deck without realizing it. Here are the tell-tale signs that a deck is fake:

1. There is a QR code on the box. Officially released decks will not have a QR code on the box itself. Mass market decks will come with a guidebook. Any deck that says “scan QR for guidebook” on the box is a counterfeit.

2. The price is too good to be true. While you can score great deals on tarot decks if a publisher is running a sale, generally brand-new decks that are $10 and below are counterfeit. You can find secondhand decks online below $10 but look at the photos of the box to make sure there is no QR code. Do not purchase from Temu or other similar sites and be careful with secondhand sites like eBay, Depop, and Poshmark. PayPal and Poshmark have policies where you can be refunded for fake products, but it is still inconvenient to deal with. You can expect to pay between $20 and $40 for most authentic mass-market tarot decks before any sales or coupons, and authentic indie decks are usually priced higher than that.

3. The box of cards is small. While some decks are released in mini versions, counterfeit decks often take larger tarot cards and reproduce them in a smaller scale. The boxes are flimsy. The cardstock is very slick, thin, and cheap. The image quality is not crisp.

Other advice when shopping for decks

If you’re going to collect, be intentional:

If you fall in love with tarot, don’t go overboard with purchasing a lot of decks right in the beginning. Some people feel it is easier to learn tarot if you start with only one deck. People have very different preferences and opinions about deck collections. Some readers only use one deck and don’t feel the need to ever own a second. Other readers have collections that are over 100 decks or more. There is a difference between reading tarot and collecting decks. Some people get into collecting as its own hobby. If you have the resources to collect decks, and it’s something that brings you joy, then other people’s opinions on your collection shouldn’t matter. However, when you are just starting to read tarot, pace yourself. As you keep reading you will come to understand your taste in artwork more deeply, and your taste in decks may change dramatically. Going too hard right off the bat can lead to a collection that doesn’t resonate for you.

Tarot is meant to be a personal journey: it is spiritual in nature. There is no need to rush or compete with others, those mindsets are not aligned with the spirit of personal growth. People with large collections have generally built them up over the course of many years. So, take your time.

More ways to find new decks:

There are other ways to discover decks beyond looking in-store or on publisher’s pages. One fun way is to watch deck collection videos on YouTube. Some readers share their deck collections and their thoughts on their decks in longer videos. This can be a great way to discover new decks and to get a taste of what the cards look like. It can also be interesting to see how other people have structured their collections and what they are drawn to.

You can also search for new decks by deck creator, either by searching on a publisher’s page or by finding the deck creator’s homepage. If you really liked a deck by a specific author or illustrator, following them on social media allows you to get updates on their new projects. Some deck creators produce both mass-market decks through publishers and smaller limited release indie decks through their own websites.

Searching on Etsy and Kickstarter are two great ways to discover more indie decks. Indie decks sometimes come with a considerable wait time before the deck is available. Read the fine print that the deck creator has shared regarding their policies and timelines.

What to do if a deck doesn’t work out for you:

Sometimes we find that a deck doesn’t work out for us. Don’t jump to the conclusion that this means tarot isn’t for you. Instead, study why the deck is not resonating for you. Is it the overall artwork? Is it specific cards you dislike? Is it the cardstock? Is it the borders? Studying whatever traits are causing you to not want to work with the deck will help you avoid decks like that in the future. This process can help you hone your understanding of your taste in decks.

After you’ve studied it, consider re-homing the deck. You can sell it on the secondhand market, you can gift it to a friend, or you might choose to donate it. I generally gift to others. I order the cards in the deck starting with the Fool, then cleanse the deck with smoke or selenite. I thank the deck for our time together and set the intention of a positive experience for whoever owns it next.

Final comments

Thanks so much for reading this comprehensive guide to purchasing your first tarot deck. It is my great pleasure to support clients with custom tarot readings. If you are looking for support and guidance on your tarot journey, I offer one-on-one tarot mentorship to developing readers. If you have any questions as you are searching for your first tarot deck, please feel free to reach out to me directly. I wish you all the success on your journey of self-discovery through the world of tarot. 🩷

Subscribe to my blog for more educational tarot content. Enter your email below and I’ll add you to my newsletter. I reach once a month with links to the blogs I’ve posted along with special offers. Unsubscribe any time

Sources: