I’ve been a devoted fan of the tarot deck since the very first moment I saw one.

While it’s only a collection of 78 cards, you would be amazed at the amount of combinations that could come forth out of just drawing three of them at a time.

If you love the way your card deck feels when playing bridge, consider acquiring a tarot deck and learning how to use it. Tarot is a lot of fun as a trick-taking alternative to bridge, and the cards can even be useful when it comes to randomized decisionmaking; flip a coin, or draw a card.

Did you know that tarot is a fellow trick-taker?

Here are 3 great personal tarot reading tips if you’d like to get to know your tarot deck better.

1. Remember a reader’s responsibility

If you’re reading the cards for yourself or someone else, remember that this is going to be more than “just a reading.” Depending on the question, the reading’s recipient (even if it’s you!) relies on the reader to be calm and reassuring – and simply, to not give them horrible advice blamed on the cards.

Drastic decisions are never best-made when based on the random order of anything. Yes, even cards. Always be a responsible tarot reader.

Never urge anyone into any specific business or personal decision on the base of a reading. It can be immensely dangerous, and I’d call it very irresponsible for anyone.

2. Just keep a notebook

My first deck had the basic tarot meanings printed on the front, much like trading cards. It’s true that most decks don’t have this addition – and the best advice for any tarot reader there is the above headline. Just keep a notebook!

Write down the individual meanings (and their reversed ones, if you intend on using them) and keep this closeby for your first few hundred readings. The more readings you’ve done, the less you’ll rely on the sheet – or not, even some experienced readers lean on their summary-sheets for years.

In a separate notebook, record the questions and cards that have shown up for past readings. As you become more experienced at card meanings, you’ll want to check back.

3. Learn to shuffle well

If you’ve done three or four readings and the cards have the exact same answer as before, don’t call it fate. It might just be bad shuffling.

As a tarot reader, one of the first things you should pay attention to is the art of shuffling well. You’ll notice when the cards don’t come up quite the way you expect: that always needs a reshuffle, even if it’s the answer that you were hoping for.

There are tons of videos on YouTube that can show you the good bits of a proper shuffle. Under- and over-handed shuffling works well for tarot, while blackjack shuffling tends to bend the cards when it gets done over time.

Are you a fellow bridge player with a fine love for tarot decks?