The 100% Plastic Rider Tarot Deck - classic tarot in indestructible material
Paper cards wear out. Corners bend, edges fray, stains stay. This deck solves that problem. The 100% Plastic Rider Tarot Deck is the same RWS tarot you know, but made from solid plastic that lasts for years.
The images by Pamela Colman Smith from 1909 are preserved exactly. No new interpretation, no adjusted colours. Only the material is different. The plastic is flexible enough to shuffle smoothly, strong enough not to tear, and fully waterproof.
What this material changes
Plastic cards feel different from cardboard. They are smoother, slightly heavier, and stay tighter during shuffling. The colours are brighter because the surface is glossy. Details in the illustrations come through sharper.
The biggest difference is in durability. Where cardboard cards show wear over time, these cards keep looking the same for years. You can wipe them with a damp cloth, take them outdoors, use them in a practice space without them getting damaged.
Who this deck works for
This deck is designed for intensive use. It suits people who read cards daily, lead workshops, or want a deck that can handle changing conditions. Also suitable as a first tarot deck, precisely because the symbolism matches what is described in virtually every tarot book.
The smooth surface does ask for a textured base. On a smooth table, plastic cards slide easily. A tarot cloth or a textile placemat helps.
Lay plastic cards on a mat or cloth, not on a smooth table. That prevents them from shifting during a reading.
About Pamela Colman Smith and Arthur Edward Waite
Pamela Colman Smith drew all 78 cards in 1909, commissioned by Arthur Edward Waite. She was the first to illustrate the Minor Arcana with full scenes instead of just symbols. That made this deck accessible to a wide audience.
Waite wrote the symbolic framework. His influences came from the Hermetic tradition, the Kabbalah and the Order of the Golden Dawn. Smith's images translated those ideas into clear, readable illustrations.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78 (22 Major Arcana, 56 Minor Arcana)
- Material: 100% plastic, moisture-resistant
- Card size: 70 x 120 mm
- Guidebook language: English
- Publisher: U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
- Illustrator: Pamela Colman Smith
- Symbolism author: Arthur Edward Waite
- Guidebook foreword: Stuart R. Kaplan
Questions we often get
Are plastic cards harder to shuffle than cardboard cards?
They feel smoother at first, but their flexibility actually makes them shuffle more smoothly than stiff cardboard. You get used to them quickly. Important: lay them on a textured surface, or they will slide.
Does the imagery differ from the original Rider-Waite-Smith deck?
No. The illustrations are identical to the classic 1909 edition. Only the material and the brightness of the colours due to the glossy surface differ.
