Start with the Rider-Waite-Smith (and why it matters)
The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS), first published in 1909, is the most widely used tarot deck in the English-speaking world and the foundation that most modern decks build on. Its illustrations are rich, clear and fully illustrated for every card — including the Minor Arcana, which many earlier decks rendered as simple pips.
Why start here? Because nearly every tarot book, online course and tutorial uses RWS imagery as its reference point. When a guide says 'look at the figure climbing out of the tomb' or 'notice the cat looking away from the mouse,' those details come from the RWS. Learning on this deck means every resource is open to you. Even if you eventually move on to a different deck, the RWS vocabulary stays with you.
What to look for: artwork, theme and readability
The most important thing about a tarot deck is that its artwork speaks to you. You will be staring at these 78 cards for a long time — they should feel like a world you want to step into, not a museum you are politely enduring. Look at several cards from a deck before buying: the Fool, Death, the Ten of Swords, the Two of Cups. Do the images stir something in you?
Themed decks can be a great bridge: nature decks, cat decks, mythology decks, literary decks. If a theme you love draws you into regular practice, that is a win. Just make sure the Minor Arcana are fully illustrated — 'pip decks' that only show the number of suit symbols are harder to read for most beginners.
Diversity matters too. More and more decks feature a range of body types, skin tones, ages and gender expressions. If seeing yourself reflected in the cards matters to you, there is almost certainly a deck that does it.
Size, cardstock and the feel of a deck in your hands
A deck you love to look at but hate to shuffle will gather dust. Card size and stock are practical factors that affect your daily experience more than any aesthetic choice. Standard tarot cards run around 70×120 mm, but many indie and mass-market decks come larger (some uncomfortably so for smaller hands).
Cardstock ranges from thin and flexible (easy to shuffle, less durable) to thick and stiff (durable but harder to riffle). The finish — matte, glossy, or somewhere between — affects both shuffle feel and how the artwork reads under different light. If possible, watch a flip-through video or read reviews that mention how the deck handles. A deck is a tool, not just an art object; it needs to work in your hands.
Mass-market classics and modern indie gems
Mass-market decks — published by companies like US Games, Lo Scarabeo and Hay House — are affordable (usually $15–$30), widely available and printed to professional standards. The Rider-Waite-Smith is the anchor here, but also consider the Morgan-Greer (close-up, borderless RWS-inspired images), the Modern Witch Tarot (contemporary, inclusive RWS homage), or the Light Seer's Tarot (vibrant, modern and deeply popular).
Indie decks — funded on Kickstarter, sold on Etsy or directly from artists — tend to cost more ($40–$80+) but offer unique artistic visions, high-end production and a personal connection to the creator. They often come with beautiful guidebooks and custom boxes. The trade-off is availability: indie decks sell out and may not reprint.
There is no law that says you can only own one deck. Many readers collect; some have a 'work deck' for clients and a 'personal deck' for themselves. Start with one you can learn comfortably, and let your collection grow naturally.
How to connect with your new deck
Once the deck is in your hands, spend time with it before your first formal reading. Go through every card, one by one, and notice your first impressions without consulting the guidebook. Which cards make you pause? Which unsettle or delight you? That initial, untaught reaction is the beginning of your personal relationship with the deck.
Sleep with the deck near your bed for a few nights — an old tradition that may simply be about proximity and familiarity, but many readers swear by it. Shuffle often, handle the cards casually, pull a card each morning and reflect on it in the evening. The goal is to make the deck feel like yours, not like a borrowed textbook.
Then start reading. Pull a daily card, try a three-card spread, ask the deck a question you genuinely care about. Your first deck is not a final choice — it is a doorway.