Rider Waite Tarot Deck Guide
The Deck That Taught the World to Read Tarot
The rider waite tarot deck is the deck most people picture when they think of tarot, and that is not an accident. First published in London in December 1909 by William Rider and Son, it was designed by the scholar and mystic Arthur Edward Waite and illustrated by the artist Pamela Colman Smith, both members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Before this deck, most tarot decks showed full scenes only on the 22 Major Arcana cards, while the 56 Minor Arcana cards showed only the suit symbols, such as five cups or seven swords, with no scene to read from. Smith changed that. She painted a full narrative scene on every one of the 78 cards, so a beginner could look at the Three of Swords and see a heart pierced by three blades, rather than trying to remember what three swords are supposed to mean. That one change is the reason this deck became the standard that almost every modern deck follows, and the reason it is still a strong first deck for many readers more than a century later.
The History: Waite, Smith and December 1909
Arthur Edward Waite was born in 1857 and died in 1942, and he spent much of his life studying Western mysticism, Kabbalah, astrology and the history of secret societies. Pamela Colman Smith was born in 1878 and died in 1951, and she was an artist, illustrator and stage designer who had worked in theater and book illustration before Waite commissioned her. The two of them were both members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a society devoted to the study of the occult, and the deck they made together carries that society's symbolism in its details: the colors, the numbers, the astrological signs and the Kabbalistic references woven into the images. Smith completed the artwork in about six months, between April and October 1909, producing some 80 pictures, which is a remarkable pace for work of this detail. The deck was first published in December 1909, simply called Tarot Cards, and it came with Waite's guide, The Key to the Tarot. The following year Waite added Smith's black and white drawings to the book and published it as The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. In 1971, U.S. Games Systems bought the right to publish the deck in the United States and released it under the title The Rider Tarot Deck. Because Smith's name was left off the original title, many readers now call the deck the Rider Waite Smith deck, or RWS, to give her the credit she was denied at the time.
The 78 Card Structure, Explained Card by Card
The rider waite tarot deck has 78 cards, divided into two parts that work together. The Major Arcana has 22 cards, numbered 0 to 21, from The Fool at 0 through The Magician at I, The High Priestess at II, The Empress at III, The Emperor at IV, and on through The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength at VIII, The Hermit, The Wheel of Fortune, Justice at XI, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement and The World at XXI. These are the big life themes: beginnings, choices, endings, transformation and completion. The Minor Arcana has 56 cards in four suits of 14 cards each: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. Each suit has the numbered cards Ace through Ten, plus four court cards, Page, Knight, Queen and King. Wands are about energy, work and passion. Cups are about feelings, relationships and intuition. Swords are about thoughts, words, conflict and truth. Pentacles are about money, work, the body and the physical world. A full deck therefore gives a reader two levels of language at once: the Major Arcana for the big theme of a question, and the Minor Arcana for the daily detail of how that theme is playing out. The tarot suits page explains each suit in depth, and tarot for beginners explains how the two Arcana work together in a reading.
What Makes the Artwork Different
The artwork is the reason this deck still matters, and it is worth looking at closely rather than taking it on trust. In the Rider Waite deck, the Minor Arcana cards tell stories. The Five of Pentacles shows two figures in the snow outside a lighted church window, which tells you about hardship and about help that is close but not yet reached. The Ten of Cups shows a family under a rainbow of ten cups, which tells you about emotional completion without a single word of text. The Eight of Swords shows a woman blindfolded and bound in a circle of swords, which tells you about a feeling of being trapped that is partly built from your own thoughts. Smith's style is simple and direct: flat colors, clear figures, strong symbols, and very little decoration for its own sake. That simplicity is a strength, because it leaves room for the reader's intuition to work. It is also the reason the deck translates well into other languages and cultures, and the reason so many later decks copy its compositions, sometimes card for card. When you buy a modern deck and recognize the scene on the Three of Cups or the Tower, you are recognizing Smith's work, even if the deck in your hands was painted a hundred years later by someone else entirely.
Choosing an Edition: Original, Radiant, Centennial and More
If you walk into a shop or search online for this deck, you will find several editions, and the differences are worth knowing before you spend money. The Original Rider Waite, published by U.S. Games Systems, uses Smith's original coloring, which is muted, with soft yellows, blues and greens, and the card backs show a simple blue pattern. The Radiant Rider Waite, illustrated by Virginijus Poshkus, recolors the same images in brighter, more saturated tones, which some readers find easier to read in low light and others find too loud. The Centennial Edition, released for the deck's hundredth anniversary, reproduces the coloring of the first 1909 printing, which is paler and more delicate than the standard edition, and it comes in a sturdy box with a small guidebook. There are also pocket sized editions, which use the same images at about two thirds the size and are easier to shuffle with small hands, and large print editions for readers who want bigger images. Prices vary by country and by shop, so check the current price in your own currency before you buy, and buy from a seller you trust, because cheap copies sold online are sometimes printed on thin card that bends after a few weeks. The important thing is not which edition you choose. It is that the images are Smith's, the deck has all 78 cards, and the card stock feels good in your hands. For more on choosing between decks in general, read how to choose a tarot deck.
How to Start Reading With This Deck
Starting with this deck is simpler than most beginners expect, and the best way is to begin with one card a day. Shuffle the deck in the morning, draw one card, look at the image for a full minute before you read any book meaning, and write down three things you notice: a color, a figure, a feeling. Then read the book meaning and write down one sentence about how the card might apply to your day. In the evening, write one more sentence about whether the card showed up, and how. Do that for a month, and you will know the deck better than someone who has memorized a list of keywords but never watched a card play out in a real day. After a month, move to a three card spread: past, present and future, or situation, action and outcome. The how to read tarot cards page explains the method step by step, and how to shuffle tarot cards covers the practical side, including how to shuffle a large deck without bending the cards. Keep a notebook, because the notes are where the learning happens. A card that means one thing in a book can mean something very specific in your life, and your notebook is where that personal meaning gets recorded.
Caring for Your Deck and Reading Ethically
A deck that is used daily lasts longer when it is cared for simply. Keep it in its box or in a cloth bag, away from direct sunlight and damp, and do not leave it in a hot car or on a windowsill. Shuffle gently, with the cards flat on a table if your hands are small or the cards are new and stiff. Clean the cards with a dry cloth if they get dusty, and never use water or cleaning products on them. Some readers like to cleanse a new deck by leaving it in moonlight overnight, by passing it through incense smoke, or by knocking on it three times before a reading. Those practices are personal, and the how to cleanse tarot cards page explains them in full. What matters more than any cleansing ritual is how you use the deck with other people. Read honestly, say when you are unsure, never predict a death or a medical outcome, and never use a reading to pressure someone into a decision. A deck that is used kindly earns trust, and trust is what brings people back to a reader, not dramatic predictions. If you are reading for someone else for the first time, keep the reading short, keep the language plain, and leave room for the other person to say the reading does not fit. That room is what makes a reading honest.
Why This Deck Still Leads After More Than a Century
More than a century after December 1909, this deck is still a first deck many teachers recommend, and the reasons have not changed. It is complete, with all 78 cards illustrated. It is readable, because the images tell stories that a beginner can follow. It is well documented, because Waite's Pictorial Key and a century of books about it mean that help is always available. And it is honest, because Smith painted real human situations, joy, grief, work, love, fear and hope, rather than pretty pictures with no meaning behind them. New decks will keep appearing, and some of them are beautiful, but most of them are still having a conversation with this one, whether they admit it or not. If you are choosing your first deck, choose this one, learn it properly, and let it teach you how tarot works. Later, if you want a deck with different art, you will know what to look for, because you will already know what a good tarot image does. And if you never buy another deck, that is fine too. Many readers use this deck for their whole lives, and the deck keeps showing them new things in the same 78 pictures, year after year.
If you are ready to hold the deck in your hands and see Smith's images for yourself, start with one card a day and let the pictures teach you before the books do. First 3 minutes FREE — every time, for every reading, with all advisors.
For a simple next step, try a One-Card Tarot reading and reflect on what the card you draw shows you in its picture before you read any meaning for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards are in the rider waite tarot deck?
The deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana cards numbered 0 to 21, and 56 Minor Arcana cards in four suits of 14 cards each. Each suit has the Ace through Ten plus a Page, Knight, Queen and King.
Who illustrated the rider waite tarot deck?
The artist was Pamela Colman Smith, who painted all 78 cards in about six months in 1909. The deck was designed by Arthur Edward Waite, and both were members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Many readers now call it the Rider Waite Smith deck to credit her work.
When was the rider waite tarot deck first published?
It was first published in December 1909 in London by William Rider and Son, under the simple title Tarot Cards, with Waite's guide The Key to the Tarot. In 1971, U.S. Games Systems bought the United States publishing rights and released it as The Rider Tarot Deck.
Is the rider waite tarot deck good for beginners?
Yes, it is a deck many teachers recommend for beginners, because every card has a full illustrated scene, including the Minor Arcana, so a new reader can follow the story in the picture. It is also a well documented deck, with a century of books and guides written about it.
What is the difference between the original and the radiant edition?
The original edition uses Pamela Colman Smith's muted coloring, while the Radiant edition recolors the same images in brighter, more saturated tones. The pictures and the meanings are the same in both. Choose the one whose colors you find easier to read, and check that the deck has all 78 cards.
Last updated: November 11, 2026
