Tarot Fellow
Rider-Waite Pocket Tarot Deck — 78 Cards by Pamela Colman Smith
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$18.95 - Regular price
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$18.95
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The Rider-Waite Pocket Tarot Deck — the definitive 78-card tarot by Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith in a compact, travel-friendly pocket format published by US Games Systems. All the iconic imagery of the standard Rider-Waite deck is preserved in a smaller card size ideal for carrying in a purse or bag, reading on the go, or travel altar work. The foundational deck of the modern English-language tarot tradition, in the most portable form available.
Description:Quick Specs
- Brand: US Games Systems
- Type: Pocket Tarot Deck, 78 cards
- Card Size: 2.25 inches x 3.5 inches
- Best for: Readers who want the canonical RWS deck in a portable, travel-friendly format
The Canonical Rider-Waite-Smith Deck in Pocket Size
The Rider-Waite Pocket Tarot is the standard Rider-Waite-Smith deck in a compact 2.25 x 3.5 inch format, published by US Games Systems. The artwork is identical to the full-size edition: Pamela Colman Smith's original hand-drawn illustrations, created in 1909 under the direction of Arthur Edward Waite for the Rider Company of London. Smith, known in occult circles as Pixie, produced 78 fully illustrated cards that became the template for virtually every tarot deck published in the century since. Nothing has been simplified, cropped, or redesigned for the smaller format.
What makes the Rider-Waite-Smith system foundational is Smith's decision to illustrate all 56 Minor Arcana cards with full pictorial scenes, not just arrangements of suit symbols as in earlier decks like the Tarot de Marseille. A reader looking at the Five of Cups sees a cloaked figure mourning over spilled cups while two full cups stand behind them; the emotional and narrative content of the card is immediately available without external knowledge. This is why the RWS remains the primary reference system for tarot education more than a century after its creation.
Pocket Tarot for Travel, Practice, and On-the-Go Readings
The compact format makes this deck practical in situations where a full-size deck is inconvenient. It fits in a coat pocket, a small bag, or a travel kit, and the card stock of the US Games pocket edition holds up well to frequent handling. Readers who maintain a daily practice while commuting or traveling often keep this version alongside a full-size deck at home. The size does not affect readability for anyone comfortable with standard playing cards.
The pocket edition includes a small instruction booklet with a foreword by tarot historian Stuart R. Kaplan and instructions for the Celtic Cross spread. This is not a stripped-down novelty item; it is the authentic deck in a smaller physical form. Practitioners who want the original RWS symbolism available at all times without the bulk of a standard tarot box will find this format genuinely useful for sustained practice.
How to Use the Rider-Waite Pocket Tarot
Practical ways to use the compact Rider-Waite pocket tarot in daily practice and on the go.
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Carry It and Use It Daily
Keep the deck in a bag or pocket and draw one card each morning as a daily focal point. The compact size removes the friction of setting up a full reading space, making consistent daily practice genuinely sustainable rather than aspirational.
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Use It as a Portable Study Reference
Because the artwork is identical to the standard RWS, this pocket version serves as a portable study copy. Carry it when reading tarot books and compare the imagery to written descriptions without transporting a full-size deck and box everywhere.
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Read On Location Without Ceremony
The pocket Rider-Waite suits readings outside a home setting: at a cafe, during a lunch break, or while traveling. The authentic RWS imagery means interpretive accuracy is not sacrificed for convenience, and the small size is unobtrusive in public.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I carry the Rider-Waite Pocket edition because every serious tarot reader needs access to the source deck, and the pocket format makes that access genuinely frictionless. It is the same authentic Pamela Colman Smith artwork that the entire modern tarot tradition is built on, in a form you can actually carry. This is not a novelty or a sample; it is the real deck in a practical size. If you are building a reading practice around the RWS system, browse my full tarot deck selection to see the range of decks that speak the same visual language, and visit my tarot books section to find study companions that reference this exact artwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The artwork is identical to the full-size edition: Pamela Colman Smith's original 1909 illustrations, unchanged. The only difference is the physical card size. Nothing has been simplified, cropped, or redesigned for the smaller format.
The cards measure 2.25 inches by 3.5 inches, making the deck genuinely pocket-sized. That is roughly the size of a standard playing card, small enough to fit in a jacket pocket or small bag without a dedicated carrying case.
Yes, because most tarot books, courses, and teachers use the RWS as their reference system. Learning on the original illustrated deck means all study materials align directly with the cards in hand, which makes genuine comprehension faster to build.
A small instruction booklet with card meanings and Celtic Cross spread instructions is included, with a foreword by tarot historian Stuart R. Kaplan. Readers who want deeper study material will benefit from adding a dedicated tarot reference book.
