Rider-Waite Tarot deck review

The standard reference deck, illustrated by an artist who went uncredited for most of a century.

Specifications

Specifications above come from U.S. Games Systems' published listing. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• Every one of the 56 minor arcana is a fully illustrated scene, which is the single reason this deck is the one beginners learn on. You can read a card by describing what is happening in it.
• It is the reference deck. Books, courses and card meanings you find anywhere are almost certainly describing these images, so everything you read applies directly.
• The symbolism is dense and consistent, so a card rewards looking at it for the tenth time.
• It is inexpensive and universally available, and replacing a worn deck costs very little.
• Learning this deck makes every other deck legible, because most modern decks are in conversation with it.

Where it falls short

• The artwork is Pamela Colman Smith's, and she was paid a flat fee and left largely uncredited for decades while the deck carried Waite's name and the publisher's. Anyone buying this should know whose work they are looking at.
• The imagery is early twentieth century and some of it reads that way, including cards whose depiction of race, class and gender belongs firmly to its period.
• The included booklet is minimal. Learning from this deck realistically means buying a book as well.
• Tarot is a reflective and imaginative practice, not a source of information about the future, and no card should be steering a decision about health, money or a relationship.
• The card stock on the standard edition is functional rather than luxurious, and heavy daily use shows.

What owners report

Reader reports treat this deck the way musicians treat a standard tuning: nobody argues about whether to own it. The illustrated minor arcana are named again and again as the reason beginners get anywhere, and even readers who use other decks daily tend to keep one of these.

The recurring criticisms are card stock on the cheapest editions and the dated imagery, both of which are fair and neither of which stops people recommending it as the first deck to buy.

Who it suits

• Anyone learning tarot from books or courses.
• Readers who want a reference deck alongside an art-led one.
• People who like dense symbolism they can keep unpacking.

Who should skip it

• Readers who find the period imagery alienating, who may prefer the Wild Unknown.
• Anyone wanting a substantial guidebook in the box.
• People looking for predictions rather than prompts.

Alternatives worth considering

Common questions

Who actually drew the Rider-Waite deck?

Pamela Colman Smith illustrated all 78 cards, working from A.E. Waite's direction, and she was paid a flat fee and went largely uncredited for decades while the deck was known by Waite's name and the publisher Rider. Many people now call it the Rider-Waite-Smith deck for that reason, and it is a correction worth making.

Why do beginners start with Rider-Waite?

Because every minor arcana card shows an illustrated scene rather than an arrangement of suit symbols, so you can read a card by describing what is happening in the picture. Older decks and many modern art decks show pips instead, which means memorisation. Almost every tarot book also describes these exact images.

Is the imagery dated?

In places, yes. It is early twentieth century European symbolism, and some cards carry assumptions about race, class and gender that belong to that period. That does not make the deck unusable and it is worth reading with your eyes open rather than treating every image as timeless wisdom.

Can tarot predict the future?

No, and a review that implied otherwise would not be worth reading. What a deck does well is interrupt your own narrative and give you an image to think against, which is why it works as a reflection tool. Decisions about health, money and relationships need the relevant professional, not a card.

Do I need a book as well as the deck?

For learning, effectively yes. The included booklet is minimal, and the strength of this deck is that essentially every tarot book ever written describes its images. Pick one well-regarded introductory book and use it alongside daily single-card draws.

Keep reading

• Rider-Waite vs Wild Unknown
• Tarot vs oracle cards
• Using cards for shadow work
• Wild Unknown Tarot review
• Caroline Myss Archetype Cards review

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.