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.