Fortune Telling – meaning of the playing cards

Cartomancy using standard playing cards was the most popular form of fortune-telling since the 18th. In English-speaking countries, the standard English (Anglo-American) deck of bridge/poker playing cards of four suits and 52-card – the jokers not included – are the most frequently used deck. The 52 card deck include the Ace’s (as 1) with all of the 2s through 10s and the court cards: the Jack, Queen and King. Other card readers (fortune tellers) prefer reduced decks of 36, respectively 32 cards. If you want to use 32 cards, you will have to remove all of the 2s through the 6s and keep the Aces and the court cards. For the 36 card option you have to put back the 2’s as well. In France, the 32-card piquet playing-card deck were and still are the most used deck for cartomancy readings. If you have a set (deck) of French or Swiss cards you will notice that they have full-length images which allow to distinguish the normal position (straight, upright), respectively the reverse (downside) of the card, but if you have an English pack, you will have to mark with a pen the cards to be able to read the reverse meaning of the cards as well. I have draw a star on the upper part of the cards from a set of playing cards witch indicate the straight – normal – position. Continue reading