Choosing your first tarot deck sounds easy until you actually start looking.
There are thousands of them. Traditional decks, gothic decks, goddess decks, minimalist decks, gold foil, oversized cards, tiny cards, decks with enormous guidebooks and decks that give you barely enough information to get started.
Then there's the old advice that you're not supposed to buy your own first deck.
Ignore that.
You don't need to know everything about tarot before you choose a deck. You don't need to find the "perfect" deck either. You need a proper 78-card tarot deck, artwork you can actually connect with, and a guidebook that helps you learn.
The rest comes with practice.
This guide explains what to look for, which decks are easiest to learn from, the practical details that are easy to overlook, and some of our favourite choices for a first deck.
The short version
- Look for a full 78-card tarot deck. If you're learning tarot, don't accidentally buy an oracle deck instead.
- Illustrated minor arcana make learning easier. Being able to see a scene on a card is much more useful than staring at ten identical suit symbols.
- Get a guidebook. You'll use it far more than you expect when you're starting out.
- Choose artwork you like. You'll be looking at these cards a lot.
- Buy your own if you want to. There is no rule that says your first tarot deck has to be a gift.
If you want to have a go at a reading before buying a deck, our free tarot reading lets you draw cards online without signing up.
What's in a tarot deck?
A standard tarot deck has 78 cards, divided into the major and minor arcana.
The major arcana
There are 22 major arcana cards, numbered from 0 to 21.
They include familiar cards such as The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Lovers, Death, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun and The World.
These cards tend to deal with bigger themes, experiences and turning points. You don't need to memorise all 22 before you can start reading them. In fact, you'll probably understand them much better once you've seen them come up in actual readings.
The minor arcana
The other 56 cards are divided into four suits:
- Wands: energy, creativity, ambition and action
- Cups: emotions, relationships and feelings
- Swords: thoughts, communication, decisions and conflict
- Pentacles: work, money, home and the physical world
Each suit contains Ace through Ten, followed by the Page, Knight, Queen and King.
If that sounds rather like a playing-card deck, that's because tarot began as a card game in fifteenth-century Italy. Divination came later.
Our article on how tarot was a card game for three hundred years goes into the history if you're interested.
For a straightforward breakdown of the whole deck, see our guide to what's in a tarot deck.
The most useful feature for beginners: illustrated minor arcana
This is probably the single best piece of advice we can give someone buying their first deck.
Look at the numbered minor arcana cards before you buy.
Some decks illustrate every card. The Three of Cups might show three people celebrating together. The Ten of Swords might show someone surrounded by swords. The Six of Wands might show a figure returning from a victory.
You can look at the card and start making connections.
Other decks, particularly those based closely on the historic Tarot de Marseille, use simple arrangements of the suit symbols for the numbered minor cards. The Ten of Swords may simply show ten swords.
There's nothing wrong with that style. It's historically important and many experienced readers love it. But it gives a beginner less visual information to work with.
When you're learning 56 cards, that matters.
Why Rider-Waite-Smith is such a useful starting point
The Rider-Waite-Smith tarot was first published in 1909. Arthur Edward Waite developed the deck, while artist Pamela Colman Smith created the illustrations.
One of its most important features was that all 78 cards were illustrated, including the numbered minor arcana.
A huge number of modern tarot decks borrow its structure and symbolism, even when the artwork has been completely reimagined. That means learning on a Rider-Waite-Smith-style deck gives you a useful foundation for exploring other decks later.
You don't have to buy the original Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Just look for a deck that uses illustrated minor arcana and broadly follows that tradition.
When shopping, check the product photographs. Don't just look at the box. Find the Ten of Wands, Seven of Cups or another numbered minor card and see whether it has a proper scene.
That tells you much more about how easy the deck will be to learn from.
Choose a deck you actually like
Once you've got the basic structure right, choose the artwork that makes you want to pick the cards up.
This sounds obvious, but it's easy to get caught up in choosing the "correct" beginner deck and forget that you'll be spending a lot of time looking at it.
Maybe you love traditional tarot imagery. Maybe you prefer gothic artwork, celestial designs, mythology or something colourful and modern. Maybe you want gold foil because, frankly, gold foil looks good.
All of those are valid reasons to choose a deck.
A simple test is this: which deck would you enjoy leaving on the table?
That's probably the one you'll use.
Tarot decks for beginners
Here are some of the decks we'd consider good starting points, depending on your taste and budget.
Under £10
Traditional Arcana (£9.95) is a straightforward choice if you want traditional-looking imagery. It comes with a guidebook explaining the symbolism, so you have something to refer to while learning.
Goddess Arcana (£9.95) takes the classic tarot structure and gives it goddess-inspired artwork. It also comes with a companion guidebook.
For something darker, Requiem Arcana (£9.95) has a macabre style without abandoning the familiar tarot structure.
£10 to £30
If you're buying a gift or simply want something a little more decorative, foil decks are worth looking at.
Golden Tarot Cards (£11.49) have a gold finish and smooth plastic cards that are easy to handle. It's a good option if appearance is high on your list.
The Blue Foil Mandala Tarot Set (£16.99) combines mandala designs with blue foil.
For something more detailed, the Kesulu Mythology Foil Tarot Set (£28.59) has richly illustrated cards and a guidebook suitable for beginners.
The Purple Foil Witch Tarot Set (£28.60) comes in a decorative gift box with a guidebook and is an obvious choice if you like witchy or gothic-style artwork.
Gift sets
The Gold Foil Tarot Set with Book (£21.99) is a black and gold foil deck boxed with a full-colour guidebook.
The Let the Magic Begin Gift Set (£49.99) includes a gold foil deck and a detailed companion book covering the meaning of every card.
See all our tarot cards and decks or browse the wider tarot and oracle cards range.
Don't overlook the guidebook
A guidebook might not be the most exciting part of a tarot deck, but you'll be glad it's there.
When you're starting out, you will forget things. You'll remember that the Five of Cups is about disappointment, then forget what the rest of the card means. You'll remember the general idea of The Hermit, then wonder what it means in the particular position you've drawn it in.
That's normal.
A guidebook gives you somewhere to start. As you get more comfortable, you'll rely on it less and begin developing your own interpretations.
It's worth checking whether a deck includes a proper guidebook before buying it.
The practical details nobody mentions
The artwork gets most of the attention when you're choosing a deck, but a few boring details make a surprisingly big difference.
Card size
Tarot cards are generally larger than playing cards.
If you have smaller hands, very large cards can be awkward to shuffle. That's not a reason to avoid them altogether, but it is worth knowing before you buy.
And don't worry if you can't riffle-shuffle a tarot deck. Plenty of readers spread the cards face down across a table and mix them that way.
Card finish
Card stock and finish affect how a deck feels.
Some cards feel soft and papery. Others have a smoother or more laminated finish. Foil decks can sometimes feel slippery when they're new, although regular handling usually makes them easier to work with.
There's no universally best option. It's mostly about what feels comfortable in your hands.
A box
Having somewhere proper to keep your deck stops the cards getting knocked around in a drawer.
The Small Tarot Box with Card Holder (£7.80) is made from mango wood and has a compartment for the cards plus a built-in holder for displaying one card.
If you have several decks, the Three Section Tarot Box (£11.65) gives you more room.
For something more decorative, the Sun and Moon Carved Tarot Box with Drawer (£33.59) has a detailed celestial design.
Our tarot boxes guide explains what to look for.
A reading cloth
A reading cloth keeps the cards off a dusty table and gives you somewhere dedicated to read.
The Tree of Life Tarot Reading Cloth (£5) and Zodiac Tarot Reading Cloth (£5) are both 75cm square, giving you enough room for most common spreads.
See more in our altar cloths.
Tarot or oracle cards?
This catches out plenty of beginners because tarot and oracle cards are often displayed together.
They're not the same thing.
Tarot has a fixed structure. A standard tarot deck has 78 cards, made up of 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana divided into four suits.
Oracle decks don't have a fixed structure. A creator can make 30 cards, 40 cards, 60 cards or any other number. The theme and meanings are entirely up to them.
Oracle cards can actually be easier to pick up casually because the card might say exactly what it's about. Tarot takes longer to learn, but once you understand the structure, you can move between different tarot decks much more easily.
You can also use both together. Some readers use tarot for the main reading and draw an oracle card at the end as an additional prompt.
If you'd like to try oracle cards, Celestial Energy Atlas Oracle Cards (£4) explore planets, constellations and star signs across 40 cards.
Crystals and Elixirs Oracle Cards (£4) centre on gemstones, while Fae Realm Playing and Oracle Cards (£3) can also be used as a normal playing deck.
Our oracle cards guide explains the differences in more detail.
Do you have to be given your first tarot deck?
No.
The idea that buying your own first tarot deck brings bad luck is a popular bit of folklore. It isn't a rule of tarot, and there's no reason to avoid choosing your own deck.
If someone gives you one, enjoy it.
If you'd rather spend your money on exactly the deck you want, do that instead.
In fact, choosing your own deck means you can check the artwork, card size and guidebook before committing to it. That's probably more useful than waiting for somebody else to guess your taste.
Getting to know a new deck
There are plenty of traditions around getting a new tarot deck ready for use.
Some readers shuffle it repeatedly. Some look through every card. Some put the deck under their pillow, leave it in moonlight or use incense or smoke as part of a cleansing ritual.
None of these are required.
The most useful thing you can do is use the deck.
Shuffle it. Look at the cards. Put them back in order and go through them again. Notice which images you keep coming back to.
If you like those rituals, by all means make them part of your routine. Just don't worry that you've somehow ruined the deck because you didn't leave it under a full moon on the first night.
How to start learning tarot
Don't try to memorise all 78 cards before you do your first reading. You'll only make yourself miserable.
Start small.
1. Look through the whole deck
Go through the cards before reaching for the guidebook.
Which ones immediately make sense to you? Which ones make you uncomfortable? Which images keep catching your attention?
There are no wrong answers here.
2. Draw one card a day
Pull one card in the morning.
Read the guidebook if you need to, then think about how the card might relate to your day. At the end of the day, look back at it.
Our one-card tarot reading explains the basic approach.
3. Try a three-card spread
Three cards are enough to start seeing how tarot works in a spread.
Past, present and future is the obvious version, but you can use any three useful positions: situation, challenge, advice; question, obstacle, outcome; or even simply three cards with no fixed positions.
See our three-card tarot spread and our guide to why the positions do the work.
4. Keep a tarot journal
Write down the date, the cards you drew and what you thought they meant.
Then come back later.
You'll start noticing that the meaning of a card isn't always as simple as the one-line definition in a guidebook. Context matters, and that is one of the things you learn through practice.
5. Try bigger spreads later
Once three cards feel comfortable, you can move on to larger spreads.
The Celtic Cross is the best-known ten-card spread, although there's no need to rush into it.
If you enjoy decision-making spreads, the Wanderer's Crossroads is another useful one to try.
You can also make your reading space feel a little more special. Tribal Soul Frankincense Incense (£1.50) gives you the resinous, church-like smell most people associate with ritual, and a Rock Quartz Sphere Pendulum (£10.99) can be used if you'd like to explore pendulum work alongside your cards.
Tarot starter bundles
If you're buying everything at once, these make straightforward starting points.
The first deck (£22.75)
- Traditional Arcana (£9.95)
- Tree of Life Tarot Reading Cloth (£5)
- Small Tarot Box with Card Holder (£7.80)
A simple first setup: deck, reading surface and somewhere to keep the cards.
The reader's corner (£46.74)
- Kesulu Mythology Foil Tarot Set (£28.59)
- Three Section Tarot Box (£11.65)
- Zodiac Tarot Reading Cloth (£5)
- Tribal Soul Frankincense Incense (£1.50)
A more decorative setup for someone who already knows they're going to enjoy reading. It's over £40, so delivery is free.
The special gift (£83.58)
- Let the Magic Begin Gift Set (£49.99)
- Sun and Moon Carved Tarot Box with Drawer (£33.59)
This is the option we'd choose for a significant gift: a complete deck and a proper box to keep it in.
If you're buying for someone else, our spiritual gifts for her, spiritual gifts for him and witch gift guide have more ideas.
First tarot deck FAQs
What is the best tarot deck for beginners?
A full 78-card deck with illustrated minor arcana and a useful guidebook is usually the easiest place to start.
A deck based on the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition is particularly useful because so many other decks use similar symbolism. Beyond that, choose artwork you actually like.
How many cards are in a tarot deck?
A standard tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana.
The minor arcana are divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles.
Can you buy your own tarot deck?
Yes. There is no tarot rule saying your first deck has to be a gift. The idea is a piece of folklore, so choose your own deck if you want to.
What's the difference between tarot and oracle cards?
Tarot has a fixed 78-card structure with major and minor arcana. Oracle decks have no fixed number of cards or structure, so their themes and meanings vary from deck to deck.
Do I need a guidebook?
You don't technically need one, but it's very useful when you're learning. You'll probably refer to it often at first, particularly when a card appears in a reading where its usual meaning doesn't seem obvious.
Should I cleanse a new tarot deck?
Only if you want to. Some readers use incense, moonlight or other personal rituals when they get a new deck. None of these is required. Handling and using the cards is the most practical way to get familiar with them.
How do I start learning tarot?
Start with one card a day, then move on to simple three-card spreads. Keep a journal and look at your readings again later. You don't need to memorise all 78 cards before you begin.
