How to Use Playing Cards as Tarot Cards: Step-by-Step Instructions

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Understand the meanings of playing cards in any tarot spread

Co-authored by Stina Garbis and Aimee Payne, MFA

Last Updated: December 20, 2024 Fact Checked

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Assigning Tarot Meanings to Playing Cards

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Performing a Tarot Reading with Playing Cards

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FAQs

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Using playing cards to tell your fortune might seem like a slumber party trick, but it’s actually part of the art of cartomancy, which dates back to the 1700s! ^{[1]
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Research source} It only takes a few minutes to do a simple card reading, and it’s really fun to interpret the cards and what they say about your future. We spoke with tarot and cartomancy experts for professional guidance on how to use playing cards as tarot cards. With their help, we’ll walk you through the essential steps for reading tarot (without tarot cards) to get you doing your own readings in no time.

Tarot Readings Using Playing Cards: An Overview

Match card suits to tarot suits: hearts/cups, spades/swords, diamonds/pentacles, clubs/wands.
For aces through 10s, follow the same number meanings as numerical tarot cards.
Interpret face cards as real-life people, depending on the suit and specific card.
Interpret the joker card as you would the “Fool” card in tarot.
Shuffle your cards and cut the deck.
For a yes or no question, draw one card and interpret its meaning.
For open-ended questions, lay out a 1- or 3- card tarot spread.

Section 1 of 3:

Assigning Tarot Meanings to Playing Cards

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1
Match each playing card suit with one of the suits in a tarot deck. The four suits in a tarot deck are cups, swords, wands, and pentacles, and the four suits in a playing deck are hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds. Here’s how each suit connects to the tarot, according to psychic astrologer Stina Garbis:
- Hearts equal the cups suit in the tarot, which relate “messages to the emotions,” representing your feelings, relationships, and home, says Garbis. ^{[2]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Stina Garbis
  Psychic Astrologer
  
  Expert Interview. 14 February 2022.}
- Spades , like the swords in the tarot, relate to “intellect or challenges,” as well as obstacles, loss, and planning, continues Garbis. ^{[3]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Stina Garbis
  Psychic Astrologer
  
  Expert Interview. 14 February 2022.}
- Diamonds , according to Garbis, would “equal pentacles and relate to finances and work.” ^{[4]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Stina Garbis
  Psychic Astrologer
  
  Expert Interview. 14 February 2022.}
- Clubs “are wands and refer to future actions,” travel, and creative thinking, concludes Garbis. ^{[5]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Stina Garbis
  Psychic Astrologer
  
  Expert Interview. 14 February 2022.}
2
Study the tarot meanings for each card number. In tarot, number cards are called “pip” cards. Like in the traditional tarot, each card number means something different. When you interpret the card number, Garbis advises interpreting that meaning in the context of the suit’s meaning. ^{[6]
X
Expert Source

Stina Garbis
Psychic Astrologer

Expert Interview. 14 February 2022.} Here are the general meanings of each number in a tarot or playing card deck:
- Ace: Beginning, attributes of the card suit
- 2: Relationship, balance
- 3: Connections, growth
- 4: Foundation, stability
- 5: Change, challenge, imbalance
- 6: Harmony, success
- 7: Wisdom, spirituality, choices
- 8: Organization, movement, stagnation
- 9: Realization, understanding
- 10: Completion, transition to something new ^{[7]
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  Research source}
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3
Interpret face cards as representatives of specific people and situations. In general, the face cards (or “court” cards in tarot) reflect real people and the impact they’ll have on someone’s life. Kings and queens tend to mean an adult person, while knaves (or jacks) will represent younger people. These cards may mean that someone with the associated characteristics is coming into your life. Here’s how to interpret each face card as a tarot card: ^{[8]
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Research source}
- Knave (jack) of hearts: Romantic partner; confidante
- Knave (jack) of spades: Focused, clever
- Knave (jack) of clubs: Adventurer, risk-taker
- Knave (jack) of diamonds: Grounded, serious
- Queen of hearts: Kind, nurturing woman
- Queen of spades: Honest woman
- Queen of clubs: Passionate, ambitious woman
- Queen of diamonds: Practical, helpful woman
- King of hearts: Wise, calm man
- King of spades: Calculating man
- King of clubs: Inspirational man
- King of diamonds: Hard-working, rich man
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Interpret the joker as the “fool” tarot card—which represents a surprise. The joker playing card represents the person who’s receiving the tarot spread, similar to the “fool” in tarot . When the joker card appears in a reading, it may mean that a situation you’re facing will suddenly change. It’s not positive or negative on its own, but connect it back to the other cards in your spread and use your intuition to figure out what it means to you. ^{[9]
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Research source}
- For example, let’s say you’re doing a reading to find out if you’re going to meet someone special soon. In that case, the joker could mean that you’re about to have a sudden change in your love life.

Quiz

wikiHow Quiz: What Tarot Card Am I?

Tarot cards unpack what it means to be human. They paint a picture of our likely future. They touch on beautiful, complex themes, and every card is different. In your heart of hearts, one tarot card resonates most with your soul and essence. To find out yours, take this quiz.

1 of 12

Pick a place:

A gorgeous campsite. I have friends, a backpack of necessities, and the world to explore.

A cozy cottage. There’s a warm fire, fuzzy blankets, a table of food, and a lush forest outside.

A treehouse in the clouds, filled with my favorite books, a diary, and a telescope.

A penthouse apartment in the city, filled with everything on my Amazon wishlist.

Section 2 of 3:

Performing a Tarot Reading with Playing Cards

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1
Clear your mind and set your intention before you start your reading. Center yourself just as you would before a tarot reading by meditating or taking a few deep breaths. Jumbled thoughts make it hard to interpret your cards. Close your eyes and breathe deeply to release any thoughts circling your head. When you feel ready, dive into your reading. ^{[10]
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- For instance, you might close your eyes and take a deep breath. As you let out your breath, imagine your thoughts going with it.
2
Ask the cards a question to guide your reading. Be specific about your topic to get clear direction from the cards. Professional tarot card reader Susan Levitt suggests asking about your relationship, work issues, life choices, or spiritual path. ^{[11]
X
Expert Source

Susan Levitt
Tarot Card Reader

Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.}
- If you’re wondering about a particular person or event, ask, “Where is my relationship with Alex going?” “Will I be happy if I move away for college?” or “What will happen if I take this promotion at work?”
- Try more general questions like, “What’s in store for my love life?” “How will the new year unfold?” or “Will I be successful in my career?”
- It’s okay to ask more than one question, but do a separate card layout for each.
3
Shuffle your cards and cut the deck. Knock or blow on the deck to clear lingering energies. Ask for guidance as you prepare the deck. Shuffle the deck a few times to make sure the cards are really mixed up. Set the deck on a flat surface, then cut it once—which means separating the shuffled deck into two smaller decks. Finally, restack the deck so it’s ready for the reading. ^{[12]
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- Keep your question in the front of your mind as you shuffle.
- If you plan on using your cards for yes/no questions, you might not want to think about a specific question while shuffling. Instead, you might think, "Give me the answers I seek."
4
Draw one card for answers to yes-or-no questions. Ask your question and pick up the top card. Your question can be very general or very specific—either way, the cards will give you a clear “yes” or “no” answer. Continue to ask questions for as long as you like, drawing a new card each time. ^{[13]
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Research source} Red cards mean “yes,” and black cards mean “no.” Here are some good questions to ask :
- “Will I find love soon?”
- “Is Taylor the right person for me?”
- “Is this career path right for me?”
- “Should I switch majors?”
- “Can I trust Mario?”
- “Am I on the right track at school?”
- “Should I enroll in a photography class?”
- “Should I move to Portland?”
- “Will this project be a success?”
5
Lay out a simple spread to answer your open-ended questions. A spread is a series of cards that you read all at once. Try a 1- or 3-card spread with your playing cards to get started. Draw the cards from the top of the deck one by one and lay them in a row. However, you don’t need a special layout to read your cards. Just follow your intuition. Spiritual advisor Emily Christensen mentions how she “encourage[s] students to listen to their intuition and how they…feel as they lay their cards out.” ^{[14]
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Expert Source

Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja

Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.}
- For a 1-card spread, draw the top card on the deck and interpret its meaning.
- In a 3-card spread, draw three cards from the top of the deck. The first card represents the past, the second card represents the present, and the 3rd card represents the future.
- As you get more into tarot, you might learn how to do traditional tarot spreads . However, this step isn’t necessary for reading playing cards.
6
Combine all of your card interpretations to get a full picture. First, pair each card’s suit meaning and the number or face card interpretation. Garbis says, “In cartomancy, you use the number to mean something, and the suit to mean something, and you combine the messages to get the meaning.” ^{[15]
X
Expert Source

Stina Garbis
Psychic Astrologer

Expert Interview. 14 February 2022.} Then, look at all the cards together and see how they play off each other. Finally, use your intuition to decide what the cards mean to you. Here are some example readings for the question, “Should I switch jobs?”
- 1-Card Reading with the Ace of Spades: Spades can represent obstacles, loss, planning, and intellect, while the ace represents beginnings. This card might mean that changing jobs will require a lot of planning, but it could be a good idea because you see new beginnings in the cards. The loss could represent your old job.
- 3-Card Reading with the 3 of Clubs + 4 of Diamonds + 5 of Spades: In this spread, the 3 of clubs represents the past and could mean that you had creativity and connection in your job before. The 4 of diamonds represents the present and could mean you have money and stability now. The 5 of spades represents the future and could mean you’d have change, obstacles, and loss. This spread might mean it’s best to stay at your current job, depending on what your intuition tells you.
7
Use your own intuition and feelings to interpret each card. Tarot reading isn’t about rules—it’s based on intuition. Traditional card interpretations can provide a lot of guidance for your readings, but they’re not necessary, Christensen affirms. ^{[16]
X
Expert Source

Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja

Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.} If interpreting your cards feels difficult or constricting, just go with your gut.
- For example, let’s say the number “8” has always felt lucky for you. When an “8” comes up in your reading, you might interpret it to mean something positive in your future.
- Similarly, clubs look like clovers, which might remind you of your childhood playing outdoors. You might decide that clovers represent your inner child and spending time in nature.
- The key is being consistent. If you assign special meanings to your cards, always interpret them that way.

Section 3 of 3:

FAQs about Reading Playing Cards as Tarot

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Why would you use a deck of playing cards instead of tarot cards? Playing cards are readily accessible. The tarot is a specialized deck that is less common than playing cards. You probably already have a deck somewhere in your home. So, it may be more convenient to use playing cards to do a quick reading rather than having to purchase a tarot deck . Plus, playing cards have been used for divination for hundreds of years! ^{[17]
X
Research source} Even the tarot started out as playing cards.
- Additionally, some people may not want others to know they are doing a reading. Using playing cards can make it seem like you’re playing a game of solitaire.
- Playing cards can also seem less intimidating to people who aren’t used to tarot readings.
2
What are the pros and cons of using playing cards for tarot? The main benefit of using playing cards instead of tarot cards is that playing card decks are easier to find and less complicated to read. Tarot cards feature images rich with symbolism that many tarot readers use to add nuance to their readings. They can also be read reversed, which adds even more options for interpretation. ^{[18]
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Research source} Playing cards are simpler, using colors, suits, and numbers to symbolize their meanings.
- There are 78 cards in a standard tarot deck, with 22 making up the Major Arcana and 56 in the Minor Arcana .
- The Minor Arcana corresponds more closely to a deck of playing cards, with 4 suits, pip cards, and court cards. However, a playing card deck only has kings, queens, and knaves (jacks), while the Minor Arcana tarot has kings, queens, knights, and pages.
3
How do you read tarot cards (for beginners)? First, choose a deck that speaks to you. Once you have the deck, read through the accompanying booklet to familiarize yourself with the card meanings. Center yourself and shuffle the cards , focusing on your question . Lay out the cards in a tarot spread of your choice and interpret the meanings. ^{[19]
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Research source}
- You don’t have to memorize all of the tarot card meanings. Follow your intuition, or keep the booklet handy to look up meanings as you go.
- Cleansing your tarot deck is a good way to prevent negative energies from leaking into your reading.

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Question

Can you use normal playing cards as tarot cards?

Stina Garbis
Spiritual Advisor
Reverend Stina Garbis is a Spiritual Advisor and the Owner of Psychic Stina. With over 30 years of experience, she specializes in providing personal and professional advice through astrology and tarot card readings. Reverend Stina has experience working with high-profile celebrities, sports figures, politicians, and CEOs. She has been featured in many publications, including Bustle, Vice, The New York Post, and Readers’ Digest and she also has a 200k+ following on TikTok. Stina holds an Ordained Minister License from The International Metaphysical Ministry University Seminary.

Stina Garbis

Spiritual Advisor

Expert Answer

Yeah, definitely! It’s called cartomancy. Tarot has a major and minor arcana, and a regular deck of playing cards does not have that, but that is fine, since you can find you have all of the answers in the major arcana, or in a deck of regular playing cards.

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Question

How do you tell fortunes with playing cards?

Stina Garbis
Spiritual Advisor
Reverend Stina Garbis is a Spiritual Advisor and the Owner of Psychic Stina. With over 30 years of experience, she specializes in providing personal and professional advice through astrology and tarot card readings. Reverend Stina has experience working with high-profile celebrities, sports figures, politicians, and CEOs. She has been featured in many publications, including Bustle, Vice, The New York Post, and Readers’ Digest and she also has a 200k+ following on TikTok. Stina holds an Ordained Minister License from The International Metaphysical Ministry University Seminary.

Stina Garbis

Spiritual Advisor

Expert Answer

In cartomancy, you use the number to mean something, and the suit to mean something and you combine the messages together to get the meaning. When in doubt, you can look up the meaning of the card and refer to it as its tarot equal.

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Christensen recommends being creative and following your intuition when reading your tarot. So, be flexible! ^{[20]
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Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja

Expert Interview. 8 July 2020.}

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Set the scene to make your reading more fun. Light a candle or incense, set out some crystals, and turn down the lights.

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In the regular tarot, cards that are upside down mean the reverse of the card’s normal interpretation. Unlike tarot cards, playing cards typically don’t have reverse meanings because the cards look the same in both directions.

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Stina Garbis
Psychic Astrologer

[3]

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[5]

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[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

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Susan Levitt
Tarot Card Reader

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Emily Christensen
Spiritual Advisor & Founder of Rainbow Raaja

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How to Use Playing Cards as Tarot Cards: Step-by-Step Instructions

Tarot Readings Using Playing Cards: An Overview

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Assigning Tarot Meanings to Playing Cards

wikiHow Quiz: What Tarot Card Am I?

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Performing a Tarot Reading with Playing Cards

FAQs about Reading Playing Cards as Tarot

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