Shuffling Tarot Cards

What does shuffling do in a tarot reading?

Shuffling is mixing a tarot deck before a reading until the order of the cards is unknown to everyone, the reader included. It is what makes each draw open: whatever lands in a spread lands there because the deck was truly mixed, not because someone arranged it. For many readers it is also the moment the question is set, held in mind while the hands do the work.

Tarot cards are taller than playing cards and a full deck holds 78 of them, so methods borrowed from card games do not all suit them equally well:

Method	How it works	Good to know
Overhand	take small packets from the back of the deck and drop them in front, again and again	gentle on the cards and easy with large decks
Riffle	split the deck in two and let the halves fall into each other from the thumbs	mixes fast, but bending the cards wears them over time
Washing	spread the cards face down on a table and swirl them with both hands, then gather	the most thorough mix, also called smooshing
Cutting into piles	divide the deck into three piles and stack them in a new order	used to finish a shuffle; many let the questioner make the cut
Pile shuffle	deal cards into several piles one by one and gather them	slow and orderly, useful for a brand-new deck

Most readers combine two methods: a few overhand passes, then a cut. None of them is the “right” one; choose what keeps your cards in good condition and your attention on the question.

Shuffling through the history of cards

Tarot cards were shuffled long before they were read. The fifteenth-century Italian decks were game cards, mixed and dealt like any other pack, and the game of tarot is still played this way in parts of Europe. When cartomancers in the eighteenth century began to tell fortunes with cards, the shuffle took on a second role: the moment the question entered the deck.

From that shift come the customs many readers still keep. The person asking shuffles or cuts the cards; the deck is cut with the left hand, the one closest to the heart as the saying goes; the cards are cut into three piles before the spread is laid. These are customs, kept because they mark a beginning, not rules that make a reading work.

The modern view keeps both roles. A good shuffle makes the draw fair, and a calm shuffle gives your mind a minute to settle on a single question.

How to shuffle tarot cards

Pick a method your deck can survive. Tarot cards are expensive to replace and often printed on thin stock. An overhand shuffle or washing keeps them flat; save riffling for sturdy decks, and keep the bend low.

Decide about reversals before you start. Washing spins cards on the table and turns a share of them upside down almost every time. Overhand and riffle shuffles keep every card the way it was, unless you deliberately rotate part of the deck. If you read reversals, choose a method that produces them; if you do not, straighten the deck before the first shuffle and avoid washing.

Shuffle with the question, not with a worry. Say the question once in a clear sentence, then let your hands work. If your mind drifts to a different question halfway through, start the shuffle again.

Stop when it feels finished. There is no magic number. Most readers stop when the deck feels mixed and their attention has settled, then cut once and begin laying cards from the top.

A shuffle does not make a reading true. A long, careful shuffle does not make the cards more accurate, and a short one does not spoil them. What it gives you is a fair deck and a focused mind.

In the Larisa app the shuffling is done for you: the deck arrives mixed and face down, and you choose each card from it yourself.

Shuffling examples: four situations

A new deck. Fresh out of the box, the cards usually sit in order, the Majors first and then the four suits. A few rounds of washing on a table break that order completely, and a pile shuffle afterwards evens out any clumps.

A reader who keeps reversals out. You never read reversed cards, so you turn every card upright once, then use only overhand shuffles and a single cut. Your spreads come out upright, and the meaning of each card rests on its position and neighbours.

A shared reading. A friend asks you to read for her. You shuffle while she tells you the situation, then hand her the deck to cut into three piles with her left hand and stack them in any order. The cut lets her take part without handling the whole deck.

When a shuffle should stop early. Halfway through, the Knight of Swords falls out and you notice you have been shuffling for minutes while arguing with yourself. Pause, decide your rule about the fallen card, breathe and begin again with one question.