How to Read Tarot With Playing Cards
Playing Card Tarot
You don't need a deck of tarot cards to read the tarot. A deck of ordinary playing cards will suffice. Before you begin, it is important to remember that some people can be upset by a disturbing reading so always keep your readings upbeat and emphasize that it's just for fun. Should you want an in-depth reading, it is best to consult a professional tarot reader with a good reputation.
A regular tarot deck has an extra set of cards called the Major Arcana that give extra depth and power to the meaning of the spread (layout) of the cards. These qualities will obviously be missing when reading with playing cards.
Numbers and suits
Apart from the Court (Royal figures) cards, there are no images to guide you on your deck of cards, therefore the two most important elements of the cards are the numbers and the suits. We will get to the number properties in the next section.
The suits in a deck of playing cards correspond with the suits in tarot as shown in the following table:
Playing Cards
| Tarot
| Correspondence
|
|---|---|---|
Hearts
| Cups
| Emotions, feelings, relationships
|
Spades
| Swords
| Thinking, communication
|
Diamonds
| Pentacles
| Practicalities, material world
|
Clubs
| Wands
| Creativity, action
|
Hearts represent the realms of emotions and feelings. The cards in this suit cover the whole range of human emotion from despair and powerlessness to contentment and joy. Hearts are very often also connected to relationships because relationships engender so much emotion in human beings.
Spades are connected to all aspects of thinking and communication. 'Head-stuff', if you like. So lying would come under the rule of Spades, as would writing, studying and decision making.
Diamonds can give information about the practicalities of life including home, work, projects, money – all the things we can touch, and yes, again, relationships from a practical viewpoint. Diamonds may also indicate health issues.
Clubs are very active cards and represent creativity, business, action, adventure, risk and competition.
The Properties of Numbers in Tarot
Knowing the properties of numbers will give you a solid framework on which to base all card readings, whether they be playing cards or tarot. Remember that each attribute has a positive and negative aspect. For example, fours mean stability but they can also mean feeling stuck.
- Ace - Beginnings
- Two - Balance
- Three - Connection
- Four - Stability
- Five - Disturbance
- Six - Harmony
- Seven - Mystery
- Eight - Movement
- Nine - Growth
- Ten - Completion
Applying the Suits to the Numbers
We now have two points of reference for each number card: the suit and the number. The following table will help you interpret each card. However, the effectiveness of a reader depends upon the skills of seeing a story in the cards, linking them together and judging how one might influence another. Those skills will only come with practice.
Also keep in mind that these meanings are necessarily brief and you can extend them to encompass related concepts, for example, the Three of Hearts can indicate a party, the Four of Clubs might mean a wedding or a change of residence (each event is the culmination of a period of hard work). Be creative.
Hearts
| Spades
| Diamonds
| Clubs
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ace
| New friendship, romance
| New insights, realizations
| New project, job, home, win
| New idea, business, action
|
Two
| Deepening attraction
| Failure to communicate
| Juggling resources, waiting on results
| Planning and preparation
|
Three
| Joy in company, friendship, celebration
| Miscommunication, misunderstanding
| Teamwork, improving skills
| Leadership, exploration
|
Four
| Turning inwards, apathy
| Recuperation, recovery, contemplation
| Miserliness, possessiveness
| A goal achieved, rest from action
|
Five
| Loss, despair
| Discord, dishonor, hollow victory
| Loss of possessions or job or money
| Competition, disagreement, irritation
|
Six
| Childhood, nostalgia, good memories, an old friendship resumes
| Moving on, travel, mentally getting to a better place
| Giving or receiving money, a pay-rise, obtaining resources
| Victory, achievement, passing exams
|
Seven
| Daydreaming, wishful thinking, choices
| Lying, deceitfulness, theft, irresponsibility
| Reassessment, turning point, mild dissatisfaction
| Defence, conviction, strong belief
|
Eight
| Emotional detachment, leaving love behind, making a hard choice
| Illusion of being trapped, powerlessness
| Paying attention to detail, focus, practice
| Organization, moving quickly, pregnancy
|
Nine
| Satisfaction, sensual pleasure, spiritual growth
| Nightmares, problems, worry, guilt
| Independence, self-reliance, increasing wealth
| Continuing a battle, endurance, physical strength
|
Ten
| Contentment, fulfilment, joy, family
| Giving up, victim, martyrdom
| Great wealth, family property, inheritance
| Carrying burdens, responsibility, debt
|
The Court Cards
The Court cards, Jacks/Knaves, Queens and Kings can be read in two ways – they can either represent personality traits or they can point towards real people. You have to work out which in the context of the reading.
Hearts
| Spades
| Diamonds
| Clubs
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jack/Knave
| Falls in love easily, romantic, chatterbox
| Rebel, fights for a cause, intellectual, political
| Reliable, hard-working, quiet, hidden depths
| Unreliable, hotheaded, risk taker, athletic
|
Queen
| Emotional, dependent, empathic
| Sharp, intelligent, ruthless, insightful, organized
| Practical, warm, dependable, motherhood
| Energetic, career-minded, untidy, disorganized
|
King
| Wise, tolerant, diplomatic, feeling, patient
| Introspective, ethical, communicator, stern
| Self-made, business owner encouraging, enjoys the fruits of his labors, jolly
| Creative, forceful, entrepreneurial charismatic, hot-tempered
|
The Joker
The Joker is the equivalent to the Fool in the tarot and, as such, it means unlimited potential, taking a big risk but having trust that all will be well. It would be a good idea to mark this card to indicate a 'right way up' or a 'wrong way up', so that it can show the reverse meanings of folly and foolishness.
Learning to Read Cards
Begin with one, two and three card readings. Draw cards for situations you read about in the press or on TV. Pick a random card each day and see how you can connect it to your daily trials and tribulations; triumphs and joys. Read for friends by all means but emphasize that it is for fun and practice. Don't try serious readings until you feel competent. Learn how to lay out a spread – the position of a card in the spread will modify its meaning. Above all, enjoy the learning experience and do go and buy yourself a real tarot deck!
© 2012 Bev
It's on the cards, I predict you will leave a comment!
Clever you!
What a great thing to do. Almost more fun than the I Ching (which is my way of finding out what's going on when I need to read the bottom of my tea cup)
Great hub. I'm printing this (when my printer stops messing me about...what's that to do with 7 of hearts?)
- Author
LOL! Thank you. I've never studied the I Ching - it's something I should look at.
I love I Ching sticks. It's sad I can't find a way to have a faster way to track down your hubs, instead of searching for you and read them. Intreresting hub once again :)
- Author
I just wish I had the time to spend studying the I Ching! There's probably a lesson in there for me :D Now we are following each other, you should be able to see all my hubs on my profile page.
My cousin and I tried doing some readings the other day for the first time. I don't have any tarot cards, but this is something I think I can definitely do! And without buying anything. Sweet! =]
- Author
Thanks. Glad to help, kaybear012. Have fun!
I love your hub! I've always wondered how readers decode regular playing cards. You have broken it down nicely and made it easy to follow. Thanks for the info!
- Author
Many thanks Z-M-Shepherd. It would help a lot to take this, necessarily brief, overview and expand on it by using the meanings of corresponding tarot cards. Happy reading!
3:24pm Thursday 25 July 2013
So wonderful is your article.
Yours are delightful.
Vivian
- Author
Many thanks, Vivian.
I wonder if you could do the same with Psychic Test Cards. I've been wanting to invest in a set. I use the term "set" lightly considering there are only five (I believe) in a set.
- Author
I don't know anything about Psychic Test Cards, I'm afraid. I don't think that five cards would be very useful for readings. Playing cards work because they correspond with the minor arcana of the tarot, less 4 cards (56/52).
I found this hub extremely helpful, and I was wondering if you could make one for when they come up upside down.
- Author
Hi Christina, do you mean tarot reversals in general, or how they might apply to playing cards? I certainly could do one or both.
Very interesting and well written article. I've been a critic of Tarot most of my life. Reticently I had an online Tarot reading and was pretty much freaked out by how accurate it was in so many area's of my life. After letting it all sink in, I decided to visit a different reader and try it again. After the reading I was a mixture of scared and amazed. I'm not quite a full believer yet but I am starting to lean that way pretty hard. It's definitely worth looking into. I believe I'm going to grab a deck and practice. Thanks for the great read.
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Oh, you will soon be hooked on this fascinating subject, TheOneCloned. Once tarot grabs you, it doesn't let go. I am constantly amazed at how much there is still to learn. Thank you for visiting.
This was pretty interesting. I can't do tarot readings, because they are against my religion, but I enjoyed this hub.
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Thank you, Lybrah.
Hi there. Please give me some advice. The seven of hearts has literally appeard in my path while walking, two days in a row. Yesterday while leaving a grocery store there was one card (no others in sight) face up in the parking lot right in my path. It was the 7 of hearts. Today at work I walked into a classroom to speak to a student and in the doorway there was only one card face down in my path. When I turned it over it also was the 7 of hearts. I get the feeling someone is trying to tell me something. But what? My grandmother had a deck of handmade tarot cards from the late 1800's and I know many of her predictions came true. Please help shed some light on my situation.
- Author
Hi Kathryn, that's really interesting. The Seven of Hearts (or Cups) in tarot means that you have more options than you think you do. You could be so immersed in feelings that you can't see the bigger picture. While following your feelings is not a bad thing at all, right now, you need to put your logical head on and make your choice. It might be difficult and you might 'feel' that it's not the right path, but you can make it work.
Does that help at all?
Good luck!
This was real interesting to know. I wish I kept my deck of playing cards. Do you do tarot card readings?
I've never heard of reading tarot with playing cards. Interesting.
- Author
Thanks, Niko. Hope you give it a go.
- Author
Thank you, Kristen. Yes, I do readings, mostly for a client base that I built up over a few years. I can do you a free one-card reading at http://tarot-study.info
Sure. I'll be happy to do one someday, since I never had one done before. Shall I be nervous?
- Author
:-D No.
Excellent and thorough treatment of the subject! Voted up, useful and interesting! :)
- Author
Thank you, Suzanne!
Hi, I have 3 Tarot decks that I am learning to read..Yesterday, a work mate of mine just had her cards read and said the reader also used an ordinary playing deck as well for the reading. This prompted me to learn about the interperations for a playing deck, which brought me to your web-page. This is awesome! Thank you! I am now going to love working with an ordinary deck along with my tarot decks..:)
- Author
Hi Sue,
Glad to hear it inspired you! Yes, just having a basic working knowledge of reading playing cards adds another string to your tarot bow, so to speak. I have many more tarot articles at tarot-study.info
Good luck on your tarot journey - it'll be a lot of fun and very exciting!
Hi, I have started doeing this recently. Today I asked about pregnancy, and suddenly 8 of clubs jumped out. What does that mean?! am pregnant?!
- Author
Maybe. Get a pregnancy test. It could be pointing to a future event though.
Thank you for this, I've been wanting to try my hand at reading playing cards for so long but always got overwhelmed at how many different systems there seem to be (how many??? I counted 7?¿!), it never occurred to me that I could use my knowledge of the Tarot with playing cards (duh).
Great article, again I thank you.
- Author
Hi Spike, troi here :) Yes, I reckon tarot skills are very transferable. Glad you liked it and thanks so much. xx
I am going to try this, it is very interesting, but how many cards do you lay out or does the person pick them? Just curious if there is a set number to do. I have had my tarot reading, but never paid attention at how many I needed, I was more nervous about the outcome.
- Author
Hi Mylene, as many as you need. If it's a quick answer you need, then one card is fine. If a question about a relationship, then two to represent each partners pov. I have a page about tarot spreads, it's the same for playing cards. Either you or the person being read for can pick... you simply have to focus on the question.
Does it matter which joker is used, only one, both? Do they both mean the same thing?
- Author
No it doesn't matter which one, Brigette. They both represent the same thing, so just put the unused one aside.
is there any meaning with the colors of the playing card? black and red? like black 10 space. or red king heart.
- Author
Hi there random,
If you are drawn to the colours in a tarot reading, then they can add an extra layer of meaning. However, with playing cards, because you are limited to two colours, it's best to ignore them. For example, red is an active, outgoing colour, but hearts/cups is an inactive, passive suit. So there is a contradiction.
Hi, does the meaning change depending on where/whom the head of the court card is facing when laid out?
- Author
Hi Karon, if you want to use orientation to add extra depth, then yes. It's not so much that the interpretation would change, but that you could make an extra observation... such as "The Queen of Clubs is facing the Knave of Hearts which shows she is willing to listen to a younger person express their feelings on the situation." If you feel it, then say it :)
Thank you,I have just started reading cards and you simplified it so well for me. I would like to know about some of the other spreads.
- Author
Thank you for your kind words, Candace. I'll definitely give some thought to creating some playing card tarot spreads.
Great, easy to read information...thank you!
My Mum was fantastic at reading cards, and tea leaves! :o)
I just tried a 'bed' as Mum used to call it, and I turned up three 6's and two 7's - do multiple cards of the same number have any significance?
- Author
Hi Maggie, thank you for stopping by and for your kind words. Yes, multiple cards do have significance - there is more 'weight' to them, if you like. Three sixes are excellent and would show that some challenge, or challenges have been dealt with (remember that fives are challenges, so six hints that they are in the past). The two sevens would suggest that choices or a decision about a certain direction may face you either now, or very soon. Of course it depends on whether you had a question in mind, so my explanation would have to be adapted to fit the actual question/situation. xox
For years I've looked into reading to hear one different thing after another,
Maybe I can learn and help
Hi Bev,
Your interpretation and analysis on Tarot cards are absolutely marvelous!
I was wondering, during your 17 years experience in Tarot reading, what's the most unforgettable tarot reading moment for you?
- Author
Thank you :) I have several - one is when I was giving a short reading to a girl who was having difficulty choosing between two guys... and was seeing both of them. Her cards were all about pregnancy. Couldn't be more obvious, so I gave her a bit of a telling off (in the nicest possible way) and saying she had to get her life sorted out, blah blah... A week later, I found out it was me who was pregnant. My daughter is almost 16 now :D
A friend taught me to read them differently removing 8-10 cards.
I would like to know the different spreads.
- Author
Hi Shayla, you can use any tarot spread with playing cards. Try the simple Past, Present Future, or just draw one or two cards for a quick answer.
When ever I play Solitaire most times it shows 3 of the same number. I see matching number alot.
- Author
That's quite common but still interesting. Often it means something - sometimes it's confirmation you are doing things right, or it could be a sign to start noticing other signs. I wrote an article about repeating numbers here: https://psychicelements.com/blog/repeating-numbers...
I've did a few readings and feel that the cards were right on for the situation at hand.
- Author
Excellent, Steve.
On the "fool" section you said to mark the right way up and wrong way up to know if it as the reverse meaning. I was wondering if you should mark every card this way. For example should I mark the ace cards with a right side up and wrong side up to know if the meaning us reversed?
- Author
Hi Gabriel, it's personal choice. I don't often read reversals in tarot, so I wouldn't do it with playing cards. I happen to think that all we need to know can be conveyed by the 'upright' meaning. However, if you regularly read with reversals, then try it :)
I want to know that...... how I learn my future by playing cards?????.....And....are tarot card and playing cards same.....?????
- Author
Arif, you need to read the article :)
Okay so I'm still confused on the meaning of the cards and how to connect it to my life.
i am so into this stuff i went to a medium and it was the best experience of my life. i would love to have a card reading session but dont have alot of money so im hoping i can teach myself but i doubt it. thanks for this hopefully i can figure it out.
- Author
Hi Arianna, you can get a free one/two card reading on my site, tarot-study.info.
- Author
Practice with one card at a time, Leah. Start simple :)
Do you split in three then lay them out in rows of 8?
- Author
I'm not sure which part of the article you are referring to, Chance. You can use whatever spreads you like, in the same way as when reading with tarot cards. You can find some suggestions here: https://exemplore.com/fortune-divination/Playing-C...
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