The easiest way to shuffle tarot cards is the overhand shuffle: hold the deck in one hand and drop small packets into the other, over and over, until the order is thoroughly mixed. Tarot cards are larger and often stiffer than playing cards, so gentle methods such as the overhand shuffle, the table wash and pile shuffling are kinder to them than a casino-style riffle. There's no single correct way. The aim is simply a deck you couldn't have arranged on purpose.
The overhand shuffle, step by step
This is the method most readers use, and the one to learn first.
- Hold the deck lengthwise in your dominant hand, cards standing on their long edge, faces toward your palm.
- With your thumb, slide a small packet of cards off the back of the deck into your other hand.
- Keep sliding packets in front of the first one until the whole deck has moved across.
- Repeat for as long as you like, varying the packet size.
If tarot cards feel too tall for your hand, turn the deck so the short edge points down; it's a little less tidy but much easier to grip. Small hands and big decks are a common mismatch, and there's no rule against adapting.
The overhand shuffle is gentle, quiet and easy to do while you think about your question. Its one weakness is that it mixes slowly, because cards tend to travel in clumps. Combining it with one of the methods below fixes that.
The table wash for a thorough mix
Spread the deck face down on a table or a clean cloth and move the cards around with both palms, in loose circles, like washing a window. Then gather them back into a stack.
Readers sometimes call this "smooshing." It's the most thorough mix of any method here, because every card moves independently. It's also the easiest way to get reversed cards into a deck, if you read them: as the cards swirl, some naturally turn upside down. Our guide to reversed tarot cards meaning explains what readers do with them.
The wash takes more space and makes more noise than other methods, and it does scuff card backs over time. A cloth underneath helps. Avoid rough tables and anything sticky.
Pile shuffling and cutting the deck
Deal the cards one at a time into several piles, five or seven say, going along the row and back again. Then stack the piles in a different order.
On its own, pile shuffling doesn't randomize a deck: it rearranges cards in a predictable pattern. What it does well is break up clumps, and it's a good way to count your cards and check none are missing. Use it between overhand shuffles rather than instead of them.
Cutting is the traditional last step before a reading. Many readers split the shuffled deck into three stacks with their non-dominant hand, then restack them in any order. Some draw from the top of the deck after cutting; others fan the whole deck face down and pick cards by feel. Both are fine. The pick a card reading on this site borrows the second idea, asking you to choose one of three face-down piles.
Riffle shuffling without bending your cards
The riffle is the casino shuffle: split the deck in half, bend the corners up with your thumbs and let the cards fall together. It's very effective at mixing, which is why card dealers use it, but bending is exactly what tarot cards dislike. Repeated riffles crease cardstock and can leave a deck permanently bowed.
If you like the riffle, a gentler version helps:
- Riffle on the table, keeping the halves flat and lifting only the inner corners slightly, rather than arching the cards in the air.
- Skip the bridge, the arched finish where cards cascade back together. Push the halves together by hand instead.
- Riffle a few times, then overhand. You get most of the mixing with far less wear.
Many readers keep riffling for older, softer decks and use overhand and wash methods on anything new, glossy or precious.
How long to shuffle, and when to stop
There's no required number. Some readers shuffle until a particular moment feels right; some count to a set number; some stop when they've finished saying their question in their head. All of these are just ways of choosing a stopping point.
If you're curious about the mathematics: the mathematicians Dave Bayer and Persi Diaconis showed in 1992 that about seven riffle shuffles mix an ordinary 52-card deck well. A 78-card tarot deck needs a few more, and overhand shuffling needs many more, since it moves cards in clumps. In practice, mixing two methods, a wash and then a minute of overhand shuffling, gives you a deck no one could have arranged.
That matters less than people sometimes think. A reading needs a draw you didn't choose, not a perfect statistical shuffle. Online, the same idea applies: our daily tarot card is drawn with a secure random generator on our server, and no one picks it.
Jumping cards and other small dilemmas
A card flies out mid-shuffle. Readers disagree on this one. Some treat a jumping card as an extra message and read it; others put it straight back and keep shuffling. Decide your rule in advance, then stick to it, so you're not choosing after you've seen which card it was.
Someone else wants to shuffle. Plenty of readers invite the person they're reading for to shuffle or cut. Others prefer to handle their own cards. Neither changes the draw in any meaningful way; it's a matter of what feels comfortable to you.
The new deck is stiff and slippery. Fresh cards often stick together. Shuffle the whole deck gently for a few minutes a day during the first week, or flex small packets lightly in both directions, and it will loosen up. If you want a short reset ritual before a first reading, our guide on how to cleanse tarot cards has a few simple options.
Questions readers ask
Does the way you shuffle tarot cards matter?
Not for the reading itself. Any method that mixes the deck so you can't control the order works. What does matter is the deck's condition: gentle methods keep cards flat and smooth for years, which is why most readers favor the overhand shuffle and the table wash.
Should I think about my question while I shuffle?
Many readers do, because it gives the shuffle a focus and slows you down before you draw. Some say the question aloud; others write it down first and then shuffle quietly. Either is fine. It's a way of paying attention, not a requirement.
How do you shuffle a tarot deck with small hands?
Turn the deck so the short side points down, shuffle in two halves, or use the table wash, which doesn't need any grip at all. Smaller pocket editions of popular decks also exist and are much easier to hold; our guide on how to choose your first tarot deck covers card size along with the other things worth checking.
Is it bad if I drop the cards?
No. Just pick them up and shuffle again. Some readers like to glance at any card that lands face up, the same way they'd treat a jumping card, but that's a personal habit rather than a rule.
