Every Tarot Card Yes or No: The Complete Cheat Sheet (All 78 Cards)

Of the 78 cards in a Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, 55 answer Yes upright, 15 answer No and 8 answer Maybe. Reversed, 45 read No, 14 read Yes, 13 read Not yet and 6 read Maybe. The Sun is the clearest yes in the deck and stays Yes even upside down. The Tower and the Ten of Wands are the only cards that read No in both positions.

The five tables below give every card’s upright and reversed verdict. After them come the cards readers argue about, and how the answer shifts when you ask about a crush, a partner, an ex, someone new or a decision.

The quick answer: strongest yes, no and maybe cards

If you only need the headline cards, this is the short list. The full 78-card tables follow.

Strength of answer	Cards (upright unless noted)
Clearest yes	The Sun (Yes in both positions), The World, The Star, Ace of Cups, Nine of Cups, Ten of Cups, Six of Wands, Ten of Pentacles
Clearest no	The Tower and Ten of Wands (No in both positions), The Devil, Three of Swords, Nine of Swords, Ten of Swords, Five of Pentacles
Genuine maybe	The High Priestess, The Hermit, The Hanged Man, Death, The Moon, Five of Wands, Seven of Cups (Maybe in both positions), Seven of Pentacles
Reversals that turn to Yes	The Devil, The Moon, The Sun, Four of Cups, Five of Cups, Five of Pentacles, and eight Swords: the Two, Three, Four, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten
Reversals that read Not yet	The Empress, The Lovers, Strength, Judgement, The World, the Ace, Three, Four, Eight, Page and King of Wands, Nine of Cups, Page of Pentacles

How this cheat sheet works

The verdicts follow the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the design most modern decks copy. William Rider & Son of London first published it in December 1909. The scholar and occultist Arthur Edward Waite devised it, and Pamela Colman Smith drew all 78 cards.

Waite explained his meanings in The Key to the Tarot, the guide sold with the deck. He then expanded the text into The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, dated 1911, with black-and-white plates of every one of Smith’s drawings.

Each card was judged on four things, in this order:

1. What Smith drew. In a yes/no pull, the scene on the card is the first thing you see and the most reliable guide.
2. Waite’s divinatory meaning in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot.
3. The Golden Dawn background. Waite and Smith both belonged to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and its titles and astrological attributions shaped the deck.
4. Whether the card helps or hurts the outcome you’re asking about. When the first three disagree, this one breaks the tie.

Each card gets one of four verdicts:

• Yes: the card favours the outcome or action in your question.
• No: the card works against it.
• Not yet: a yes that needs more time, more work or one thing settled first. On this sheet it only appears in reversed positions.
• Maybe: the card won’t give a binary answer. The outcome depends on something you haven’t settled or information you don’t have yet.

The difference between Maybe and Not yet matters. A Maybe leaves the direction open. A Not yet points toward Yes but tells you the timing or groundwork isn’t there today.

Two rules that make any yes/no list work

First, decide before the reading whether you’ll use reversals. A yes/no list is a convention, and it only works if you set it before the cards appear. Don’t switch systems after the draw.

Second, commit to your list before you shuffle. Brigit Esselmont of Biddy Tarot gives the same advice: settle your personal Yes and No cards before you read, or you’ll be tempted to reinterpret whatever turns up in favour of the answer you wanted. If you disagree with a verdict here, change it on your own copy, permanently, and then stick to it.

If your deck numbers or names cards differently

Match cards by name, not number. Waite followed the Golden Dawn by putting Strength at VIII and Justice at XI. The older Tarot de Marseille order reverses them. If your deck renames a card (The Crone for The Hermit, for example), use the card in the same position.

The deck leans yes (until you flip it)

Count the upright verdicts and one thing stands out: about seven in ten cards tell you what you want to hear.

Group	Upright Yes	Upright No	Upright Maybe
Major Arcana (22)	15	2	5
Wands (14)	12	1	1
Cups (14)	10	3	1
Swords (14)	6	8	0
Pentacles (14)	12	1	1
All 78	55	15	8

Swords is the only suit that leans No, which fits a suit about conflict, anxiety and hard truths. It’s also the only group with no upright Maybe. The Major Arcana holds most of the deck’s Maybes: 5 of the 8.

Reversals tip the balance the other way, and they add the Not yet answer.

Group	Reversed Yes	Reversed No	Reversed Maybe	Reversed Not yet
Major Arcana (22)	3	14	0	5
Wands (14)	0	4	4	6
Cups (14)	2	9	2	1
Swords (14)	8	6	0	0
Pentacles (14)	1	12	0	1
All 78	14	45	6	13

Two suits behave very differently upside down. Swords is the mirror suit: every one of its 14 cards flips its answer when reversed, so its eight upright No cards become eight reversed Yes cards. Wands never gives a straight Yes reversed, but only 4 of its 14 reversals are a flat No. The rest are Not yet or Maybe, because fire cards reversed tend to mean delay rather than refusal.

What that means for your odds

The odds of a single-card pull depend on whether you read reversals:

Method	Chance of Yes	Chance of No	Chance of Maybe	Chance of Not yet
Upright only (78 outcomes)	55 in 78 (71%)	15 in 78 (19%)	8 in 78 (10%)	0
Reversals in, evenly shuffled (156 outcomes)	69 in 156 (44%)	60 in 156 (38%)	14 in 156 (9%)	13 in 156 (8%)

That’s the practical case for reading reversals in yes/no work. A deck kept all upright says Yes more than three times as often as No. Reversals cut the Yes share from 71% to 44%, bring No close to level and add a timing answer the upright deck can’t give.

Many beginners still prefer upright-only reading, and that’s fine. Just remember a Yes from an upright deck is by far the most common result you can get.

Major Arcana yes or no

The 22 trumps cover life’s big turning points. In a yes/no pull, a Major Arcana card speaks louder than any suit card, and in a three-card pull it breaks ties.

#	Card	Upright	Reversed	The short version
0	The Fool	Yes	No	A leap worth taking; reversed, you’re leaping blind
I	The Magician	Yes	No	You have the tools; reversed, talent wasted or misused
II	The High Priestess	Maybe	No	The answer is hidden for now; reversed, you’re ignoring your gut
III	The Empress	Yes	Not yet	Growth and abundance; reversed, not yet, the soil needs tending before anything grows
IV	The Emperor	Yes	No	Structure wins; reversed, control slips or turns rigid
V	The Hierophant	Yes	No	Yes, by the book; reversed, the conventional route fails
VI	The Lovers	Yes	Not yet	Alignment and real choice; reversed, not yet, your values need to line up first
VII	The Chariot	Yes	No	Victory through will; reversed, you’ve lost the reins
VIII	Strength	Yes	Not yet	Quiet confidence prevails; reversed, not yet, rebuild your self-belief first
IX	The Hermit	Maybe	No	The answer comes after time alone to think; reversed, isolation without insight
X	Wheel of Fortune	Yes	No	Luck turns your way; reversed, the turn goes against you
XI	Justice	Yes	No	Yes, if your side is the fair one; reversed, an unfair outcome
XII	The Hanged Man	Maybe	No	Suspended: wait and see differently; reversed, stalling past the point of use
XIII	Death	Maybe	No	One chapter has to end before the next can begin; reversed, refusing to let go
XIV	Temperance	Yes	No	Steady, balanced yes; reversed, excess tips the scale
XV	The Devil	No	Yes	Bound by something unhealthy; reversed, the chains come off
XVI	The Tower	No	No	Upheaval; reversed, disaster dodged but the ground is still shaky
XVII	The Star	Yes	No	Hope and renewal; reversed, faith needs rebuilding first
XVIII	The Moon	Maybe	Yes	Too much is hidden to know yet; reversed, the fog lifts and the truth comes out
XIX	The Sun	Yes	Yes	The clearest yes in the deck; reversed, still yes, just dimmer or later
XX	Judgement	Yes	Not yet	A clear call to act; reversed, not yet, self-doubt has to quiet before you answer the call
XXI	The World	Yes	Not yet	Completion; reversed, not yet, loose ends remain

Five Major Arcana Yes cards and what Smith’s drawings add

All five read Yes upright. Reversed they split three ways: The Chariot, Wheel of Fortune and The Star turn No, Strength turns Not yet, and The Sun stays Yes. The pictures tell you what kind of Yes you’re getting.

• The Chariot (VII). An armoured driver stands in a chariot pulled by two sphinxes, one black and one white, and he holds no reins. The Golden Dawn assigns it to Cancer. It’s a Yes earned by will and focus. Reversed, the sphinxes pull apart and the plan stalls.
• Strength (VIII). A woman closes a lion’s jaws with bare hands, the infinity sign over her head. The Golden Dawn gives it Leo. It’s a patient Yes that comes through calm persistence, not force. Reversed it’s Not yet: the strength is still there, but self-doubt has to be tamed before it pays off.
• Wheel of Fortune (X). A wheel lettered with TARO turns with a sphinx on top, a serpent going down and a jackal-headed figure rising. Four winged creatures read books in the corners. Its planet is Jupiter, the Golden Dawn’s planet of expansion. It’s a Yes driven by timing and luck rather than effort. Reversed, the same turn goes against you.
• The Star (XVII). A kneeling nude figure pours water from two jugs, one onto land and one into a pool, under a large eight-pointed star and seven smaller ones. It’s assigned to Aquarius. This is a Yes for recovery and renewed hope, and it’s especially strong right after a hard card. Reversed, the hope is there but has to be rebuilt first.
• The Sun (XIX). A naked child rides a white horse in front of a wall of sunflowers, holding a red banner. Its attribution is the Sun itself, and Waite linked the card to happiness, contentment and attained knowledge. Nothing in the image reverses badly, which is why the Sun stays Yes either way.

Suit of Wands yes or no

Wands is the suit of fire, action and ambition. Its answers come fast and mostly favourable. Its one upright No is the Ten, a picture of burnout: one man carries all ten staves toward a distant town, a card the Golden Dawn titled “Oppression.” The Five is the suit’s only Maybe. Men brandish staves at each other in a contest whose winner isn’t decided yet.

Card	Upright	Reversed	The short version
Ace of Wands	Yes	Not yet	A spark catches; reversed, not yet, the spark needs more fuel
Two of Wands	Yes	No	Yes, once you commit to a plan; reversed, fear of the unknown stalls you
Three of Wands	Yes	Not yet	Expansion, ships coming in; reversed, not yet, the ships are late
Four of Wands	Yes	Not yet	Celebration; reversed, not yet, postponed rather than cancelled
Five of Wands	Maybe	No	Competition with the result still open; reversed, infighting stalls everything
Six of Wands	Yes	Maybe	A public win; reversed, recognition is uncertain
Seven of Wands	Yes	Maybe	Yes, if you hold your ground; reversed, it depends on whether you still want the fight
Eight of Wands	Yes	Not yet	A fast yes; reversed, not yet, expect delays
Nine of Wands	Yes	No	A hard-won yes; reversed, you’re out of fight
Ten of Wands	No	No	Overloaded; reversed, the load finally collapses
Page of Wands	Yes	Not yet	Good news and enthusiasm; reversed, not yet, the idea needs more shape
Knight of Wands	Yes	Maybe	Bold and quick; reversed, it depends on whether the energy is aimed or scattered
Queen of Wands	Yes	Maybe	Confidence draws it in; reversed, uncertain while insecurity lingers
King of Wands	Yes	Not yet	Leadership pays off; reversed, not yet, the vision needs a plan behind it

The Eight of Wands is the deck’s speed card. Smith drew eight staves flying through open sky. If you asked “will this happen soon?”, it’s the most direct Yes the suit gives. Reversed it’s Not yet: the staves are still in the air, so expect delays rather than a refusal.

Suit of Cups yes or no

Cups is the suit of water, feeling and relationships. It’s the go-to suit for love questions, and it gives plenty of Yes answers.

Its No cards are the Four, Five and Eight. They show apathy (a young man ignoring a cup offered from a cloud), grief (a cloaked figure mourning three spilled cups while two stand behind him) and walking away (a figure leaving eight stacked cups behind under the moon).

Card	Upright	Reversed	The short version
Ace of Cups	Yes	No	New feeling flows; reversed, emotions blocked
Two of Cups	Yes	No	Mutual connection; reversed, a mismatch between you blocks it
Three of Cups	Yes	No	Shared joy; reversed, gossip or a third party
Four of Cups	No	Yes	Apathy, the offer ignored; reversed, you re-engage
Five of Cups	No	Yes	Grief; reversed, acceptance opens a door
Six of Cups	Yes	No	A gentle, familiar yes; reversed, stuck in the past
Seven of Cups	Maybe	Maybe	Too many options, some illusory; reversed, still unsettled while you sort the real from the imagined
Eight of Cups	No	Maybe	Walking away; reversed, one more try
Nine of Cups	Yes	Not yet	The wish card; reversed, not yet, the wish is delayed
Ten of Cups	Yes	No	Lasting harmony; reversed, disconnection at home
Page of Cups	Yes	No	A sweet surprise; reversed, emotional immaturity
Knight of Cups	Yes	No	A romantic offer; reversed, moody and unrealistic
Queen of Cups	Yes	No	Compassion and intuition; reversed, insecurity
King of Cups	Yes	No	Emotional maturity; reversed, manipulation

The Nine of Cups is the traditional wish card. Smith drew a satisfied man sitting with folded arms in front of nine cups lined up on a curved counter. The Golden Dawn called it “Material Happiness.”

Waite’s divinatory meaning is concord, contentment and physical well-being, along with victory, success and satisfaction for the person asking. If you asked for your heart’s desire, there’s no better card to draw.

Suit of Swords yes or no

Swords is the suit of air, intellect and conflict, and the one that says no. Eight of its fourteen cards read No upright. Reversed, every card flips: those eight become Yes, and they account for 8 of the deck’s 14 reversed Yes answers.

Card	Upright	Reversed	The short version
Ace of Swords	Yes	No	A breakthrough; reversed, clouded judgment
Two of Swords	No	Yes	Stalemate, no decision made; reversed, the stalemate breaks and a decision comes
Three of Swords	No	Yes	Heartbreak; reversed, healing begins and the way opens again
Four of Swords	No	Yes	Rest first, not now; reversed, rested and ready to return
Five of Swords	No	Yes	A hollow victory; reversed, reconciliation
Six of Swords	Yes	No	A slow, quiet yes; reversed, you’re stuck
Seven of Swords	No	Yes	Deception; reversed, coming clean
Eight of Swords	No	Yes	Trapped by fear; reversed, you walk free
Nine of Swords	No	Yes	Anxiety; reversed, hope returns
Ten of Swords	No	Yes	Rock bottom; reversed, recovery
Page of Swords	Yes	No	Curiosity, but verify what you hear; reversed, careless talk
Knight of Swords	Yes	No	Swift and decisive; reversed, reckless
Queen of Swords	Yes	No	Yes, if you’re honest with yourself; reversed, bitterness
King of Swords	Yes	No	Clear authority; reversed, misuse of power

Look closely at the Eight of Swords before you take its No as final. A bound, blindfolded woman stands among eight swords, but there are gaps between them and her feet are free. The Golden Dawn title is “Shortened Force.” The trap is real, but it’s temporary, which is why the card reads Yes reversed.

Suit of Pentacles yes or no

Pentacles is the suit of earth, money, work and the body. Its Yes answers come slowly, but they hold: 12 of its 14 cards say Yes upright, more than any other suit.

The Five, a picture of hardship, is the only upright No. The Seven is the only Maybe, and it’s about timing, not doubt. Smith’s Seven shows a young man leaning on his tool and studying a bush of pentacles that isn’t ready to harvest.

Card	Upright	Reversed	The short version
Ace of Pentacles	Yes	No	A solid opportunity; reversed, a missed one
Two of Pentacles	Yes	No	Yes if you can keep juggling; reversed, overcommitted
Three of Pentacles	Yes	No	Teamwork and skill; reversed, poor collaboration
Four of Pentacles	Yes	No	Security, a guarded yes; reversed, money or control slipping away
Five of Pentacles	No	Yes	Hardship; reversed, recovery
Six of Pentacles	Yes	No	Generosity flows; reversed, strings attached
Seven of Pentacles	Maybe	No	It depends on whether the harvest is worth the wait; reversed, wasted effort
Eight of Pentacles	Yes	No	Yes, through work; reversed, sloppy or unfocused
Nine of Pentacles	Yes	No	Independence and reward; reversed, a setback
Ten of Pentacles	Yes	No	Lasting security; reversed, disputes and loss
Page of Pentacles	Yes	Not yet	A promising start; reversed, not yet, the plan needs follow-through
Knight of Pentacles	Yes	No	Slow, sure yes; reversed, stagnation
Queen of Pentacles	Yes	No	A nurturing yes; reversed, imbalance
King of Pentacles	Yes	No	Abundance; reversed, greed

Yes or no by situation: crush, partner, ex, someone new, a decision

The verdicts don’t change with the topic, but some cards matter far more for certain questions. The way you phrase the question also decides what a Yes actually confirms. This table shows the cards to watch for each situation.

Situation	Ask it like this	Strongest Yes cards	Strongest No cards	Watch for
A crush	“Should I tell them how I feel this month?”	Page of Cups, Knight of Cups, Two of Cups, The Fool	Four of Cups, Three of Swords, Seven of Swords	Seven of Cups (Maybe): you may be attracted to an idea of them
A partner	“Will we move in together this year?”	Ten of Cups, Four of Wands, The Hierophant, The Lovers	Three of Cups reversed, The Devil, The Tower	The Lovers reversed (Not yet): your values need to line up first
An ex	“Will getting back together make me happier?”	Six of Cups, Judgement, Five of Swords reversed	Eight of Cups, Three of Swords, The Tower	Eight of Cups reversed (Maybe): one more try, not a fresh start
Someone new	“Is this worth a second date?”	Ace of Cups, Page of Wands, Eight of Wands, The Star	Seven of Swords, Four of Cups, Nine of Swords	The High Priestess and The Moon (both Maybe): you don’t know them yet
A decision	“Should I accept this job offer?”	Ace of Pentacles, Three of Wands, The Chariot, Six of Swords	The Tower, Five of Pentacles, Ten of Wands	Seven of Pentacles and The Hanged Man (both Maybe): timing, not refusal

Asking about a crush

The short answer: ask about your own next move, not their hidden feelings. “Does he like me?” asks the cards to read someone else’s mind, and a single card can’t do that cleanly. “Should I ask her out before the end of the month?” gives the card an action and a deadline.

The Cups court cards do most of the work here. A Page of Cups (Smith’s page looks surprised at a fish peeking out of his cup) or a Knight of Cups (a rider holding out a cup like an offer) is a warm Yes for making a move. The Fool says go ahead even without a guarantee.

Two cards slow things down. The Four of Cups is a No: someone isn’t noticing what’s being offered, and that might be them or you. Reversed, it turns Yes, which often signals renewed interest.

The Seven of Cups is a Maybe in both positions. Smith filled its cups with visions, from jewels to a dragon, and the card asks whether you know this person or a fantasy of them.

Asking about a partner

For a relationship you’re already in, the question should name a step: moving in, meeting family, getting engaged, booking the trip. Broad questions like “Is this relationship good?” get vague answers.

The Ten of Cups (a couple under a rainbow of cups while their children dance) and the Four of Wands (a garland canopy and a celebration) are the strongest Yes cards for commitment milestones. If the Four of Wands lands reversed, it’s Not yet: the milestone is postponed, not cancelled.

The No cards are specific. The Three of Cups reversed points to gossip or a third party. The Devil upright describes a bond held together by habit or something unhealthy.

The Lovers reversed is Not yet rather than No. Your values clash for now, and they need talking through before the next step makes sense. If The Devil comes up reversed it’s a Yes, but read it carefully: the chains come off, and that means freedom, which isn’t always freedom inside the relationship.

Asking about an ex

“Will my ex come back?” and “Should I go back?” are different questions, and the cards answer them differently. Ask the second one if you can, because it’s about your choice.

The Six of Cups is the reunion card: two children in an old garden, one handing the other a cup of flowers. Upright it’s a gentle Yes built on familiarity. Reversed it’s a No, a warning that you’re in love with the past rather than the person. Judgement upright is the other Yes, a genuine second call.

The Eight of Cups is a firm No for any “will it come back” question, because it shows someone who has already walked away. Death is a Maybe on this sheet, and for an ex that Maybe has a precise meaning: something new can only begin once the old version of the relationship has fully ended.

The Three of Swords (a heart pierced by three blades in the rain) is No upright and Yes reversed. In this context the reversed Yes belongs to your healing. It doesn’t promise reconciliation.

Asking about someone new

Early dating questions do best with short horizons: “Will this go well on Friday?” rather than “Is this the one?” A card can describe the next few weeks far more clearly than the next few years.

The Ace of Cups, Page of Wands and Eight of Wands all say Yes, and the Eight of Wands adds speed. The Star is a Yes that fits new connections after a rough stretch especially well.

The Moon is the Maybe to take most seriously here. A dog and a wolf howl along a path between two towers and a crayfish crawls out of the water, all under unreliable light. Something isn’t visible yet, so treat the card as a reason to wait, not a green light. The High Priestess, also a Maybe, says almost the same thing more gently: you don’t have enough information, so give it time.

Asking about a decision

Decisions are where yes/no tarot works best, because the outcome is genuinely yours. Phrase the question as a single option (“Should I take the Denver offer?”), not a choice between two, since one card can’t pick between A and B.

The Ace of Pentacles (a hand from a cloud offering a coin over a garden) and the Three of Wands (a merchant watching his ships come in) are the clearest Yes cards for career and money. The Six of Swords is a quieter Yes for moves and transitions: a ferryman poles a boat with a woman and child toward a calmer shore.

The two Twos are the decision cards. The Two of Swords shows a blindfolded woman holding two crossed swords with her back to the sea. Upright it’s a No, a refusal to decide. Reversed it turns Yes, because the stalemate breaks.

The Two of Pentacles is a Yes, as long as you can keep everything else balanced. Reversed it’s a No: you’re already overcommitted.

How neighbouring cards change the answer

In a three-card pull, each card’s verdict is a vote, but the cards also change each other’s meaning. Use these four rules, in order:

1. Count the votes. Yes is +1, No is -1, Maybe and Not yet are 0.
2. A positive total means Yes, a negative total means No.
3. If the total is zero, the Major Arcana card decides. If there are two Majors or none, or the Major is itself a Maybe, draw one clarifier and stop.
4. Read the timing from the neighbours. The Eight of Wands speeds a Yes up. Any Not yet card, along with the Four of Swords, The Hanged Man and the Seven of Pentacles, slows a Yes down without cancelling it.

Here’s how common combinations play out.

Three cards	Votes	What it says
The Tower, The Star, Ace of Cups	No, Yes, Yes	Yes, but only after a shake-up; The Star after The Tower is the deck’s classic rebuilding pair
Nine of Cups, Seven of Cups, Ace of Swords	Yes, Maybe, Yes	Yes, once you’re clear which of several wishes you actually want
Four of Cups (reversed), Two of Cups, Knight of Cups	Yes, Yes, Yes	A strong Yes for a renewed connection, with an offer on the way
Wheel of Fortune, The Hanged Man, Seven of Pentacles	Yes, Maybe, Maybe	Yes, but slowly; two waiting cards stretch the timeline
Judgement reversed, Ace of Pentacles, Eight of Pentacles	Not yet, Yes, Yes	Yes, but later; the opportunity is real, and the Not yet says you aren’t ready to answer it today
The Chariot reversed, Eight of Wands, Seven of Cups	No, Yes, Maybe	A tie, so the Major decides: No for now, because the plan has no driver
Strength, Five of Wands, Seven of Wands	Yes, Maybe, Yes	Yes, if you’re willing to stand your ground against competition
Six of Cups, Three of Swords, Eight of Cups	Yes, No, No	No for a reunion; nostalgia is outvoted by heartbreak and a departure

A single Major Arcana card in a spread of Minors works like a headline. When The Sun turns up among two weak No cards, the vote says No. The honest reading is “No as things stand, but the overall outlook is good.” Note it, and don’t overrule the count.

The cards readers argue about

No two published lists agree on every card, and the disagreements cluster around the same dozen. Here’s where this sheet comes down on each one, and why.

The High Priestess, The Hanged Man, The Hermit and Justice

These four show up as contested cards on almost every list. Some readers mark The High Priestess and The Hanged Man as Yes, and some mark The Hermit as a flat No. This sheet makes all three Maybe, because each one’s core message is that the answer isn’t available yet: it’s hidden, suspended or waiting on your own reflection.

Justice comes down on the other side as a Yes. Waite reads it as fairness and the deserving side winning, so the Yes carries a condition: it favours you when your case is the fair one. Waite’s High Priestess, by contrast, is secrets and a future still unrevealed, which is why it stays a Maybe.

All four turn No reversed. A hidden answer you ignore, a suspension that drags on, withdrawal without insight and an unfair verdict all work against the outcome.

The Moon

Lists split between Maybe and No. This sheet says Maybe upright: the card warns that you’re missing information, so the honest answer is that you can’t know yet. Don’t let the Maybe drift into a Yes in your head. Reversed, the illusion lifts and the truth comes out, so the verdict turns Yes.

Death and the Eight of Cups

These two get different verdicts, and both shift depending on what you ask. Death reads Maybe upright: an ending is certain, but whether that ending helps or hurts depends on what has to end. The Eight of Cups is a firm No for outcome questions, because it shows someone leaving what they built.

The verdicts in the tables assume you’re asking whether something you want will happen or whether a plan will succeed. If you’re asking about ending something (“Should I leave this job?”), both cards confirm the exit, so read them as backing the ending.

The Devil reversed, the Eight of Swords reversed and the Four of Cups reversed

All three get a Yes, which surprises people who assume reversals only make things worse. A reversal modifies the upright theme, and when the upright card shows bondage or entrapment, the reversal means release. Here the sheet follows modern practice over Waite, whose reversed meanings for these cards are harsher.

The Four of Cups reversed works the same way. Upright, the card shows withdrawal and a refusal to see what’s on offer. Reversed, it shows re-engagement after a flat period. That’s a reminder that reversed doesn’t automatically mean worse.

The Sun reversed and the Nine of Cups reversed

These are the deck’s two happiest cards, and they behave differently upside down. Tarot Elements calls both undeniable Yes cards and suggests reading either one reversed as “it will happen, but not yet.”

This sheet splits them. The Sun reversed stays Yes, because its reversed image is the same sunlight dimmed. The Nine of Cups reversed reads Not yet: the wish is still on its way, but it’s delayed, so it gets the timing answer rather than a full Yes.

Waite’s own reversal for the Nine of Cups (truth, loyalty, liberty, with a note that readings vary and include mistakes and imperfections) shows how unsettled this position has always been.

Court cards

Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings often describe a person or an approach rather than an outcome, which makes their verdicts the softest on the sheet. Every court card reads Yes upright, but their reversals spread across No, Maybe and Not yet. Some readers take all 16 out of the deck for binary questions.

If you keep them in, read the Yes as “yes, if you act like this figure” and the No as “not while this figure’s worst habits are in charge.” A reversed court card’s Maybe or Not yet usually means the person or approach needs to steady itself before the answer firms up.

The Two of Cups has a quirk: it’s the only card Waite gave no reversed meaning in the Key or the Pictorial Key. The reversed No on this sheet comes from modern practice.

How to run a yes/no reading with this sheet

A clean reading takes under five minutes. The order matters more than any single step.

1. Set your rules. Reversals in or out, one card or three, and whether court cards stay. Write them down.
2. Write the question with an actor and a time frame. “When will I get promoted?” has no yes/no form. “Will I be offered a promotion before June?” does.
3. Shuffle and draw. A card that jumps out of the deck, one picked from a spread-out deck, or a plain shuffle and cut all work. Choose one method and stick with it.
4. Read the verdict from the tables, then the short note. The note often says why, which matters more than the verdict.
5. For a Maybe, draw one clarifier. It sets the direction. Drawing a fourth and fifth card until you like the answer defeats the point.
6. For a Not yet, don’t redraw. The answer already leans Yes. Read the note to see what needs time or work, and if you want a date, ask a new question with a later deadline in a future reading.
7. Accept the first answer. Asking the same question again an hour later doesn’t change the situation. It just adds noise.

There’s also a faster method that ignores card meanings. Biddy Tarot describes reading orientation alone: upright is Yes, reversed is No. It needs a deck shuffled so reversals turn up about half the time. It’s crude, but it removes any temptation to reinterpret the card.

When yes/no is the wrong tool

Plenty of respected readers dislike the format. Esselmont says she prefers not to do yes/no readings at all, because the future isn’t fixed and you shape it yourself.

Whatever you believe about that, a binary answer is a poor fit for medical, legal or financial decisions, and for any question about what another person secretly feels. For those, bring the question to a professional, or use a fuller spread that explores the situation instead of ruling on it.

Your next step

Copy the five tables into your notebook or the back of your deck’s guidebook. Then go through and mark only the cards you disagree with, and decide your new verdict for each before your next reading.

A list you’ve argued with and then settled is more useful than one you accept or reject card by card in the middle of a reading. Then write one question with a person, an action and a deadline, and draw a single card.

FAQ

Which tarot cards mean yes most strongly?

The Sun, The World, The Star, the Ace of Cups, the Nine of Cups, the Ten of Cups, the Six of Wands and the Ten of Pentacles. The Sun is the only card on this sheet that reads Yes both upright and reversed. For speed as well as a yes, the Eight of Wands is the card to hope for.

Which tarot cards mean no most strongly?

The Tower, The Devil, the Ten of Wands, the Three of Swords, the Nine of Swords, the Ten of Swords and the Five of Pentacles. The Tower and the Ten of Wands are the only two cards that read No in both positions. The Swords suit as a whole leans No, with 8 of its 14 cards reading No upright.

Does a reversed card always mean no?

No. On this sheet, 45 of 78 reversed cards read No, 14 read Yes, 13 read Not yet and 6 read Maybe. The 14 reversed Yes cards are The Devil, The Moon, The Sun, the Four and Five of Cups, the Five of Pentacles and eight Swords: the Two, Three, Four, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten. Most of them are harsh cards whose reversal means the obstacle is lifting.

What does a Not yet answer mean?

It’s a yes that needs more time, more work or one thing settled first. On this sheet it only appears reversed, on 13 cards, including The Empress, Strength, The World, the Eight of Wands and the Nine of Cups. Treat it as a delayed Yes, read the card’s note to see what’s holding it back, and don’t keep drawing to force a cleaner answer.

What should I do when I pull a Maybe card?

Read the short note first. Most Maybes name the condition: a decision you haven’t made, information you don’t have, or a wait. If you still need a direction, draw one clarifier and let it decide, then stop. A Maybe is also a sign that the question may need a time frame or a clearer actor.

How many cards should I pull for a yes or no question?

One card is fastest and works well for simple decisions. Three cards give you a vote and show timing or conditions, with the Major Arcana breaking ties. Either works, as long as you choose before you shuffle and don’t add cards after an answer you dislike.

Can I do a yes/no reading with only the Major Arcana?

Yes, and it’s a good option for beginners. The 22 trumps give 15 Yes, 2 No and 5 Maybe upright, about 68% Yes, and none of the ambiguity court cards bring. Reversed, they give 14 No, 5 Not yet and 3 Yes. Each answer also carries more weight, because every card is one of the deck’s big themes.

Can tarot tell me yes or no about whether someone likes me?

It can describe the energy around the connection, but it reads that person’s private feelings poorly. You’ll get a clearer, more usable answer if you ask about your own action, such as “Should I tell them how I feel this week?” Then read the Cups cards in particular, and treat the Seven of Cups or The Moon as a cue to learn more before you act.