How to shuffle tarot cards

To shuffle tarot cards, hold your question loosely in mind and mix the deck by whichever method suits your hands: the overhand shuffle, the riffle, the wash across a table, cutting into piles, or the Hindu shuffle. No method is more correct than another. Shuffle until the deck is well mixed and your attention has settled on the question, then draw.

Five ways to shuffle a tarot deck

Tarot cards are larger than playing cards, and 78 of them make a thick stack. Most readers try several methods before one settles into their hands.

The overhand shuffle

The overhand shuffle is the gentlest way to mix a tarot deck and the one most readers begin with.

• Hold the deck upright on its long edge in one hand.
• With the other hand, lift a block of cards from the back.
• Let small groups slide off the front of that block, one after another, back onto the deck.
• Repeat until the lifted block is gone, then begin again.

In its favour: it is quiet, easy on the cards and easy to learn with a large deck. Against it: each pass moves cards only a short distance, so it needs many passes to mix the deck well.

The riffle or bridge shuffle

The riffle shuffle mixes a deck faster than any other method, at a cost to the cards.

• Split the deck into two halves and hold one in each hand, short edges facing each other.
• Bend each half slightly with your thumbs and let the corners fall so the cards interleave.
• Push the halves together. For the bridge, arch the joined deck upward and let it spring back flat.

In its favour: it is quick and thorough. Against it: the bending wears tarot cards hard. Over months, riffling can crease corners, curl the deck so it no longer lies flat, and fray the edges. Many readers keep the riffle for playing cards and spare a deck they want to last.

The wash

The wash spreads the whole deck face down on a table and mixes it by hand.

• Clear a surface large enough for all 78 cards.
• Spread the deck face down and move your hands through it in slow circles, sliding cards over and under one another.
• When the cards feel thoroughly mixed, gather them into a single stack.

In its favour: it is very easy on the cards, mixes them well, and turns some of them upside down without any effort, which suits readers who work with reversals. Against it: it needs space and a clean surface, and it is impractical on a lap or a train.

Cutting into piles and restacking

Cutting into piles divides the deck into several stacks that are then gathered in a new order.

• Set the deck down and cut it into three piles, or any number you prefer, dealing to the left or right.
• Gather the piles back together in a different order from the one in which they were cut.

In its favour: it is gentle and deliberate, and easy to combine with any other method. Many readers end every shuffle with a cut. Against it: cutting alone mixes very little, because the cards inside each pile keep their order. Treat it as a finish, or deal the cards into the piles one at a time.

The Hindu shuffle

The Hindu shuffle draws small packets from the top of the deck into the other hand.

• Hold the deck face down by its long edges between the thumb and fingers of one hand.
• With the other hand, pinch a small packet from the top and pull it away, letting it drop into your palm.
• Keep drawing packets from the top and dropping them onto the growing pile until the deck is used up.

In its favour: it is easy on the cards, tidy, and works well standing up or with little space. Against it: it takes practice with a deck of tarot size, and like the overhand it needs several rounds to mix the cards well.

How do reversals arise when you shuffle?

Reversed cards arise when part of the deck is turned around before it is mixed back in. The usual ways are simple:

• Turn half the deck. Split it, rotate one half end to end, and shuffle the halves together.
• Turn one pile. When cutting into piles, rotate one or two of them before you restack.
• Wash the cards. A wash turns cards in every direction as a matter of course.

If you do not read reversals, keep every card facing the same way as you shuffle, or simply turn any reversed card upright as you lay it down. The guide Reading reversed cards, in this Library, sets out both ways of working. In the app, reversals can be switched on or off in Settings.

The Wheel of Fortune, a great wheel always turning, is a fair image of the shuffle itself: the order of things changes, and what was at the bottom comes round to the top. If the Wheel lands reversed after you turned half the deck, read it as it fell.

Wheel of FortuneThe turning of karma and chance: what goes up comes down, and what hits bottom rises.

How long should you shuffle tarot cards?

There is no rule for how long to shuffle tarot cards. A new deck arrives in order and needs a longer first shuffle, and the overhand needs more passes than a riffle or a wash. Beyond that, the right moment to stop is a matter of attention rather than counting. The piece Why we recommend reading with your own cards, in this Library, describes what that moment tends to feel like.

Clearing the deck between readings

Clearing the deck between readings means mixing away the last spread before you begin the next. Two methods serve most readers:

• A few full shuffles. Give the deck several thorough passes after a reading, so the cards of that spread are scattered back through it.
• Sorting back to order. Put the cards back in sequence: the Major Arcana from the Fool to the World, then each suit from Ace to King. It takes a few minutes and gives you a quiet review of every card.

Some readers also have a practice of cleansing a deck from time to time. The guide How to cleanse a tarot deck, in this Library, covers the common ways.

Shuffling for someone else

When you read for someone else, decide beforehand who handles the cards. Readers work in several sound ways:

• You shuffle while the other person holds their question in mind, perhaps saying it aloud first.
• They shuffle, then hand the deck back to you.
• You shuffle and they cut, which lets them take part without handling the whole deck.

Some readers prefer that nobody else touch their cards. That is a personal choice, not a rule. The guide Reading tarot for yourself, in this Library, has a short section on reading for others.

Ways of drawing the cards

Drawing the cards follows the shuffle, and there are two common ways to do it.

From the top

Square the deck, face down, and take cards from the top one at a time, laying each in its position in the spread. This is the simplest method and the most traditional. Some readers cut once more just before drawing.

Fanning and choosing

Spread the deck face down in a fan or a long line, then choose each card by hand, one for each position. Many readers move a hand slowly along the fan and stop where they feel a pull. It takes more room, and makes each choice feel deliberate.

Whichever you use, turn each card over side to side, like the page of a book. Turning a card end over end flips its orientation and quietly undoes a reversal, or creates one.

Shuffling with the app

TarotSeeker works with either kind of shuffle. You can shuffle your own physical deck by any of the methods above, lay out the spread, and enter the cards in the app as they fell, reversed cards included. Or, when no deck is to hand, let the app’s virtual shuffle draw for you. The same choice applies to the daily card. Either way, the companion’s reading begins once the cards are down: it looks at how they relate, and shows its grounds so you can test them against what you see on the table.

Questions readers ask

Is there a right way to shuffle tarot cards?

There is no single right way to shuffle tarot cards. The overhand, the riffle, the wash, cutting into piles and the Hindu shuffle all mix the deck, and readers choose by feel and by how much wear they want their cards to take. What matters more than the method is that the deck is well mixed and that your attention is on your question while you shuffle.

Does riffle shuffling damage tarot cards?

Riffle shuffling does wear tarot cards faster than other methods. The bending it needs can crease corners, curl the deck so it no longer lies flat, and fray the edges over time, especially with thick or matte card stock. If you want a deck to last, the overhand shuffle, the Hindu shuffle and the wash are all gentler and mix the cards well.

How do you get reversed cards when shuffling?

To get reversed tarot cards, turn part of the deck around before mixing it back in. Split the deck and rotate one half end to end, or rotate one or two piles when you cut. A wash on the table also turns cards naturally. If you do not read reversals, keep the cards facing one way, or turn any reversed card upright as you draw.

Should you let someone else shuffle your tarot cards?

Letting someone else shuffle your tarot cards is a matter of preference, not a rule. Some readers like the person they read for to shuffle or cut the deck, so they take part in the reading. Others prefer that no one else handles their cards and shuffle on the other person’s behalf. Decide beforehand, and say so plainly before you begin.