▶ Watch: Rider-Waite Tarot Deck walkthrough
Our take: If this is your first tarot deck, stop shopping. The Rider Tarot Deck —better known as Rider-Waite, or Rider-Waite-Smith —is the reference standard almost every other deck is built on, which means the entire internet of free tutorials speaks its language. It is not the prettiest or the sturdiest deck you can buy, and that is exactly beside the point.
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Published by U.S. Games Systems and drawn by Pamela Colman Smith under the direction of A. E. Waite, this is the 78-card deck that introduced illustrated "scene" cards to the minor arcana. Before it, the numbered cards of wands, cups, swords, and pentacles were mostly plain symbols. Smith gave all 78 cards a picture, which is the single reason beginners can actually read a story from a spread instead of memorizing a lookup table.
The set ships as a tuck box containing the 78 cards and a thin, 56-page instruction booklet with upright and reversed keywords. Cards are the classic poker-ish tarot size, and the deck weighs in under nine ounces, so it travels and shuffles easily.
| Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Cards | 78 (22 major arcana, 56 minor arcana) |
| Artist / author | Pamela Colman Smith; A. E. Waite |
| Publisher | U.S. Games Systems |
| Guidebook | 56-page keyword booklet included |
| Package dimensions | 4.9 脳 2.9 脳 1.2 in |
| Weight | 8.8 oz |
| Typical price | Around $20 (list $21.95) |
| Amazon rating | 4.8 / 5, 25,000+ ratings |
Tarot decks are a dialect. Most modern decks —the ones with diverse casts, pastel palettes, and minimalist line art —keep the Rider-Waite structure and symbolism but change the costume. Learn the Rider-Waite images once and you can pick up roughly 80% of the decks on the market and immediately know what is going on. Learn on a niche art deck first and you may struggle to transfer that knowledge anywhere else.
Because it is the default teaching deck, the supporting material is bottomless: YouTube walkthroughs, free printable cheat sheets, apps, books, and entire courses reference these exact card names and images. When you Google "Six of Swords meaning," the results describe this picture. No other deck can say that.
| Deck | Style | Guidebook | Typical price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rider-Waite (this one) | Traditional, fully illustrated | Keyword booklet | ~$20 | Learning the system |
| Radiant Rider-Waite | Same art, brighter recoloring | Keyword booklet | ~$18 | Those who find the original too muted |
| Modern Witch Tarot | RWS structure, modern diverse art | Full guidebook | ~$23 | Representation + stiffer cardstock |
| The Wild Unknown | Black-and-white animal art | Full guidebook, keepsake box | ~$25 | Intuitive readers; harder for beginners |
The Radiant Rider-Waite is the same line art with fresher colors —a reasonable swap if you find the original washed out. Modern Witch keeps the RWS compositions but redraws the cast in contemporary settings on nicer stock, which is why it tops our best beginner decks roundup as the "best modern" pick. The Rider deck still wins purely on the volume of free teaching material built around it.
Yes —it is the most beginner-friendly deck that exists, not because the cards are simple, but because every tutorial, app, and meaning database uses its imagery. You will never be stuck without a resource.
They are the same deck. "Rider" was the original publisher, A. E. Waite commissioned it, and Pamela Colman Smith drew the art. Adding "Smith" credits the artist, whose illustrations do most of the teaching work.
No. The included booklet lists keywords, but the cards themselves are unlabeled beyond traditional names and numbers. If you want meanings on the cards, look at a dedicated beginner deck in our beginner roundup.
It is optional but recommended if you read daily. The stock is on the thin side and standard tarot-sized sleeves add grip and years of life. For occasional use, the tuck box is fine.
For about $20 you get the deck the entire hobby is taught in. Buy it, learn the system, and treat yourself to an art deck later.
Buy The Rider Tarot Deck on AmazonThe Rider Tarot Deck is not trying to be the most beautiful deck on your altar, and it does not need to be. It is the textbook, the Rosetta Stone, and the default language of modern tarot rolled into one $20 box. Its cardstock is thin and its booklet is minimal, both of which are cheap to fix, while the advantage it gives a beginner —an unlimited library of free teaching —cannot be bought for any other deck. For a first deck, it is an easy recommendation and our standing default.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. We test products independently and do not accept sponsored positive reviews. Star ratings, review counts, and prices reflect Amazon listings we checked in October 2026 and can change over time. Tarot and oracle decks are reflection and entertainment tools, not medical, financial, or legal advice.