Reading Tarot With Playing Cards (& Get Good Responses)

[Tarot_Trina]

I thought it was time for a quick guide on how to read the Tarot with playing cards.

You don’t need a fancy deck to start reading. I (personally) think one of the best-kept secrets in cartomancy is that a standard deck of playing cards works beautifully for divination.

Plus, you probably already have one in a drawer somewhere, so you can get started right away.

Before we get started: A lot of readers have mixed opinions on using playing cards. I’m a huge fan of getting started with playing cards if you’re just keen to get going, but I also think you will learn faster and get better results with a good beginner tarot deck.

If you don’t really want to learn and you’re just looking for a Tarot reading but you don’t have a deck, you can get a free reading here instead.

Playing card divination predates modern tarot decks by centuries. The history of Tarot goes back, but it’s not necessary to know it; it’s an interesting read. Card divination appears in 1450s Spain, while modern Tarot decks didn’t appear until the 1750’s.

So, whether you’re just curious about the Tarot or you’re working on a budget here (there are some good, cheap tarot decks out there, too), you’re still getting started with one of the oldest traditions.

Basic Correspondences

A standard 52-card deck (which is what you probably have) maps onto tarot’s Minor Arcana. Here’s how the suits translate:

• Hearts: Cups (emotions, relationships & intuition)
• Diamonds: Pentacles (money, material matters & practical concerns)
• Clubs: Wands (creativity, ambition & energy)
• Spades: Swords (intellect, conflict & truth)

I know I’ve been cluttering the forum this week with my threads on different Cartomancy card meanings (sorry for that!), but that way you can look up the meaning for each individual card meaning (also working on a quick tool that will do your reading for you - I’ll link it here tomorrow).

Some experienced cartomancers actively reject these tarot parallels. Playing cards developed their own meaning systems independently, and some practitioners find that forcing tarot correspondences actually muddles their readings. It’s a good way to get started as a beginner but something to keep in mind as you develop your practice.

The numbered cards (Ace through 10) carry similar meanings to their tarot counterparts. Court cards shift slightly: Jacks become Pages, Queens stay Queens, and Kings stay Kings. You lose the Knights, but honestly? Many readers find the streamlined court easier to interpret.

What About the Major Arcana?

This is where personal preference really matters.

Some readers simply work without Majors, treating every reading as focused on day-to-day matters rather than major life themes. Others assign the Jokers to represent The Fool or use them as wild cards for meaningful spiritual messages.

As a beginner, don’t worry about these too much. I would focus on the basic beginner Tarot tips instead.

I’ve seen readers pull specific cards to represent key Majors-the Ace of Spades for Death (transformation), the Queen of Hearts for The Empress. There’s no single correct system here. You can absolutely develop correspondences that feel right for your practice.

Some Meanings That Differ From Tarot

If you’re coming from tarot, a few cards carry surprisingly different traditional meanings in cartomancy:

• Seven of Diamonds: traditionally means lies and deceit, which differs dramatically from the patient assessment of the Seven of Pentacles
• Two of Hearts: often indicates physical intimacy explicitly, more direct than the Two of Cups partnership symbolism
• Five of Hearts: signifies fertility or marriage, completely unlike the grief-focused Five of Cups

These are just some examples and only matter if you’re using your playing cards to stand in for a Tarot deck. You can look up individual card meanings here for the original playing card meanings.

The sevens in particular are worth paying attention to.

Traditional cartomancy treats them as “epitome cards”, the most concentrated, often problematic form of each suit. Seven of Clubs brings gnawing doubts, Seven of Hearts warns of love turned toxic. This intensity differs markedly from tarot’s approach to sevens.

The Red/Black System

This is something I do really like compared to the traditional Tarot readings. Cartomancy with playing cards has a built-in positive/negative polarity through color.

In simple yes/no readings, red cards (Hearts, Diamonds) generally indicate yes or positive developments. Black cards (Spades, Clubs) suggest no or challenges ahead.

Some readers use this for quick pattern recognition-all red cards in a spread signal a very favorable outcome, while black surrounding a red card shows a problem demanding attention.

That said, don’t get too hung up on this. The only truly “negative” cards in an extended reading are usually the Spades. Context matters with the playing cards, just like it would with Tarot.

Getting Started (And Getting Real Answers)

If you’re new to this, I’d suggest starting simple.

You can see a great guide on a beginner Tarot spread here. It includes an image with the layout meaning for reference, and finds a good mix of keeping it simple while still getting into some details.

Or go with a simple three-card spread: past, present, future. Shuffle your deck while focusing on your question, then pull three cards. Let the suit tell you which area of life is speaking, and let the number guide the specific message.

Low numbers (Ace through 3) often indicate beginnings or potential. Middle numbers (4 through 6) suggest development or choices. Higher numbers (7 through 10) point toward intensity and culmination.

Here is where you can use the search bar to look up each card meaning but the real learning curve is learning to read Tarot card combinations. This is the biggest thing you can do to really get messages from the Tarot cards.

Why Some Readers Prefer Playing Cards

There’s something wonderfully accessible about reading with playing cards. No intimidating imagery to memorize, no esoteric symbolism to decode.

Just numbers, suits, and your intuition. There’s something beautiful in the simplicity.

Playing cards also travel well. You can read at a coffee shop without drawing attention. Some readers appreciate the anonymity… it looks like you’re just shuffling cards. Historically, this discretion mattered: enslaved people in the antebellum American South used playing cards for divination because enslavers often permitted cards for entertainment.

The ordinariness of the deck has always provided cover that elaborate tarot imagery cannot.

A Note on Energy & Cleansing Your Cards

I (personally) cleanse my playing card deck just like I would any tarot deck (and I just wrote a full guide for that here). The techniques transfer directly: moonlight, crystals, breath work, whatever makes sense with you. The cards may look ordinary, but they’re still holding your readings.

Italian folk tradition holds that a small spirit inhabits each deck, often residing in the Ace of Hearts. Some traditions recommend knocking on the deck three times before dealing and asking the cards to speak truth. Whether you take that literally or treat it as a meaningful ritual is entirely up to you.

Finding Your Own System

The beautiful thing about cartomancy is its flexibility. In fact, one of the most wonderful things about the Tarot in general is that your practice is your own.

You might find correspondences online that don’t click for you, and that’s completely fine. The real magic comes from building a relationship with your deck over time. Get started with a guide like this, but then let your intuition guide you forward.

Start reading. Take notes. Notice which cards consistently appear and what they seem to mean for you. Your personal system will develop naturally.

And my last piece of advice is practice often! Just start doing readings. As many readings as you can.

[DreamySarah]

Oh, this is a solid guide!

One thing I wanted to add about the Nine of Hearts, specifically, since you mentioned the sevens - that card is traditionally called ‘The Wish Card’ in cartomancy.

When it shows up near certain cards like the Seven of Clubs, it’s supposed to signal a promise being fulfilled soon. A lot of readers treat it as the most positive card in the deck next to the Ten of Hearts. The combination of meanings is huge in this system.

[ItsJustNas]

Lots of cartomancers get kind of territorial about forcing tarot meanings onto the cards, but the systems developed independently from the RWS meanings.

The red/black polarity thing you mentioned is useful for quick reads. Face cards representing actual people are way more straightforward in cartomancy than court cards in tarot. Like if I pull a King of Hearts, that’s literally pointing at a compassionate man in the querent’s life, not some abstract energy or inner aspect.

Nine of Hearts with any face card means someone’s wish is coming true. Ace of Spades with Ten of Spades = serious ending, possible bad luck. Two of Spades near Seven of Spades = betrayal or hidden enemy. You can get pretty specific once you start learning how the cards talk to each other, but the card combinations are really where you want to be focused.

[WheelTurns]

The seasonal correspondences are what really make playing cards click for me. 13 cards matching the 13 weeks of each season adds this whole extra layer of timing insight that you don’t get with traditional tarot.

There are no major arcana options (though you can always combine it with an RWS deck) but I do like it for time based or seasonal spreads.

[TrueBlu]

There are some really cool playing card decks for brands that don’t do Tarot cards. Is it wrong that I would want to learn cartomancy now just so I can use some of the more interesting decks? I think, unless the querant knows what it is, though, I would stick with normal Tarot cards. They might not understand why I’m taking out playing cards and some people (who don’t know the history of the cards) wouldn’t take you seriously.

Heck the original RWS Tarot (which is what everyone thinks of when you say Tarot) was originally for playing a card game. Literally no difference.

[MinorMysteries]

The modern 52-card deck actually evolved from Tarot decks, which were originally created for playing games. They’re still used that way across much of Europe.

Using cards for divination came later. Tarot relies heavily on symbolism and interpretation, but playing card systems tend to cut straight to the point. I really love that we have a Cartomancy section now. I’ve seen new readers start with playing cards just because that’s all they have, but you can go really deep with some of these readings.

[EmperorEnergy]

I keep a small clear quartz point on top of the Aces when I’m working on new beginnings, especially Ace of Diamonds for fresh financial starts or study goals - it amplifies and clarifies the intention. For the more intense Spades (like 7 or 9 of Spades), I’ll lay a piece of smoky quartz right on the pile between readings to ground the heavier energy and help with release work.

Rose quartz sits with my Hearts courts (especially something like the Queen of Hearts) when I’m doing relationship spreads - it softens the messages and keeps things compassionate.

If you want sharper focus for strategy or career reads, pairing the King of Clubs with a small piece of fluorite on your table keeps the whole suit feeling more clear-headed rather than scattered.

[cards-calling]

When I read with playing cards, I’ll often treat the Ace of Hearts as a kind of ‘altar card’ and put it at the top of the spread as a reminder that I’m reading in partnership with the Divine. That little ritual has made the whole practice feel more like discernment or spiritual direction, and it calms the part of me that used to worry I was overstepping.

[SpreadSoul]

My mentor always said that playing cards are like ‘tarot in plain clothes,’ so I’m curious how the tone of a playing card reading feels different for you compared to a full tarot spread. She gave me an exercise when I started learning: do the same three-card spread twice on the same question, once using pure cartomancy meanings and once using tarot-style minors, then compare which felt more grounded versus more psychological.

Have you experimented with designating your Jokers as specific archetypes yet? Like one as a wild, disruptive ‘tower moment’ and the other as more Fool-like fresh start? Or do you just leave them out entirely? I also wonder how you handle Major Arcana themes when you’re only using playing cards. Do you ever assign certain combinations (like a cluster of Spades with a single Heart) to stand in for big-life turning points, or do you keep those readings focused on everyday stuff? My mentor always pushes me to ask the deck what kind of questions it wants, so I’d be curious to hear if your playing-card deck seems to lean more toward practical matters, timing questions, or emotional stuff.

[morning_brew]

Thank you for taking the time to write this guide (and this section!) Cartomancy feels like a lost art these days. So many companies quick to make another reskin version of the RWS deck just to make a buck and we accept it because we think we’re supposed to but this is all you need.

[ThreeCardLife]

I was skeptical about using regular playing cards until I tried treating them as minor arcana with the jokers removed. There are hybrid decks out there that work for both if you want something purpose-built.

Some folks swear by the traditional cartomancy system that developed separately from tarot, though I haven’t gone deep into that myself.

[FoolsPath]

The face cards are basically just mastery levels - Jack is like an immature King/Queen who has all the 1-10 energy but hasn’t figured it out yet.

[moon-magic]

Honestly, I’ve gotten meaningful readings from dice, tea leaves, even flipping to random book pages. Anything becomes a divination tool if you approach it with genuine openness.

The minor arcana correspondence to playing cards (hearts for cups, spades for swords, clubs for wands, diamonds for pentacles) is just one path among many that’s worked for me. What matters most is trusting that whatever method you choose will speak to you.

[Wanderlust]

I really relate to what you said about the ordinariness of playing cards being a kind of cover. My first ‘serious’ readings were with a battered travel deck in hostel common rooms, and no one batted an eye because it just looked like I was killing time. One of my most accurate readings was a three-card spread for a friend debating a job move: 8 of Diamonds (work and steady effort), 7 of Spades (mental burnout), and 3 of Hearts (new emotional connections). It laid out the exact arc of leaving a draining role for a more cooperative team a few months later.

Over time, this deck started developing its own language with me.

The 4 of Clubs consistently shows up right before I take an unplanned trip or change my routine, so I treat it as a ‘shake up your schedule’ card. Your mention of sevens being ‘epitome cards’ lines up with my experience, too. My 7 of Hearts almost always flags relationship illusions I don’t want to see, which feels sharper than the tarot 7 of Cups. Using that same deck for years has really proved your point about the cards holding onto our readings - every crease on mine has a story behind it.

[InnerJourney]

Using the structure of a playing-card deck can design spreads. Because we’ve got 4 suits x 13 ranks, I like to build ‘ladder’ spreads where each position is literally one rank higher in the same suit (e. g., 4-5-6 of Hearts positions = emotional stability = growth = challenge).

You can also make a 4-corner spread using only cards from one suit: bottom-left = Ace (core desire), bottom-right = 4 (how to stabilize it), top-right = 7 (what tests it), top-left = 10 (what fulfillment looks like). It turns into a visual map of development in a single life-area, and you never even have to pull those exact cards-the positions themselves carry the story arc.

Isn’t like traditional Tarot where you have to pick a specific type of spread to for a particular question.

[ChakraFlow]

Been using the same Bicycle deck for six years. The worn edges hold every reading I’ve done and I love it.

[Separate_Cupcake]

I see what you mean about the flexibility! Something not mentioned yet - the suits work well for timing questions in my experience. Perhaps even more than a timing oracle deck.

Hearts point to summer or emotional readiness, Diamonds to autumn or when finances align, Clubs to spring or when energy peaks, and Spades to winter or delays.

So if someone asks, ‘when will X happen,’ and you pull the 3 of Hearts, that could mean 3 weeks/months during summer, or simply when emotional conditions are right. Building your own system takes a while, though - this timing method took me ages to develop, but it clicks for me now.

[sage_burning]

If you want to lean into playing cards as their own system, one helpful technique is to assign each card a keyword pair instead of a single meaning, so you have a built-in light/shadow spectrum. For example, 6 of Clubs could be ‘steady progress / stuck routine,’ 9 of Diamonds ‘financial gain / over-focus on status,’ and 2 of Hearts ‘bonding / emotional over-attachment.’ Then the surrounding cards and colors decide which side is active.

I’d also recommend keeping a dedicated playing-card journal separate from your tarot notes. Log the question, spread, draw, and what actually happened a week or a month later. You’ll quickly see which cards in your deck don’t quite match the traditional cartomancy or tarot associations. One resource that helped me was creating my own mini cheat sheet on an index card that fits inside the tuck box: suits, number progressions (like the 1-3, 4-6, 7-10 you described), and a symbol for how I treat each 7 as an ‘epitome’ stress point.

The one above is good too, I think by taking the time to create your own it can help you lean the meanings more hands-on.

Doing a quick daily two-card draw (situation + advice) just with playing cards for a month will give you a grounded sense of their voice. When you go back to tarot, you’ll probably notice your interpretations have sharpened up a bit.