Beginning tarot can feel exciting but also overwhelming when you first discover how many decks are available.
At The Tarot Shop UK, we regularly help beginners choose their very first tarot deck, and while modern decks come in many styles, most readers still learn most easily through the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot system.
First published in 1909, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck transformed tarot because the Minor Arcana cards were fully illustrated with symbolic scenes rather than simple suit symbols alone. This made tarot far easier to learn visually and remains the foundation of most modern tarot teaching today.
For this reason, many beginner-friendly decks continue to follow the Rider-Waite-Smith structure in some way, helping new readers understand card meanings, symbolism and spreads more naturally.
Below you’ll find our carefully selected collection of beginner-friendly tarot decks, tarot starter kits and easy-to-read Rider-Waite style designs chosen to help you build confidence from the very beginning.
