Tarot Card Spread Odds Calculator

Work out tarot card spread odds instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Tarot Card Spread Odds Calculator

Cards are dealt without replacement, so the hypergeometric form applies: the chance of none is C(deck - targets, spread) / C(deck, spread). This is straightforward combinatorics, and it shows why a three card spread from a 78 card deck turns up a major arcana card about two thirds of the time.

Formulas

Chance of none

P(none) = C(deck - targets, spread) / C(deck, spread)

Expected count

expected = spread x targets / deck size

Worked example

With the default values below, Tarot Card Spread Odds Calculator returns Chance of at least one card of interest of 63.563%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Cards in the deckminimum 2: 78
Cards in the spreadminimum 1: 3
Cards of interest in the deckminimum 1: 22

Results

Chance of at least one card of interest: 63.563%
Cards of interest expected: 0.8462
Chance of none appearing: 36.437%
Distinct spreads possible: 76,076

Step by step

1Values used
2Chance of none
3Expected count
4Chance of at least one card of interest= 63.563
5Cards of interest expected= 0.8462
6Chance of none appearing= 36.437
7Distinct spreads possible= 76,076

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Tarot Card Spread Odds figure worked out?

P(none) = C(deck - targets, spread) / C(deck, spread). Cards are dealt without replacement, so the hypergeometric form applies: the chance of none is C(deck - targets, spread) / C(deck, spread).

Why does this matter?

This is straightforward combinatorics, and it shows why a three card spread from a 78 card deck turns up a major arcana card about two thirds of the time.

What do I need to enter?

Enter cards in the deck, cards in the spread, cards of interest in the deck. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.