Small versus Big Cards

jackdaw* said:

I absolutely do not see any point whatsoever in those big cards, like the untrimmed Druidcraft, Maat *spits on ground* or the LE Tarot of Dreams, to name three at random. If you want cards, get cards. And cards are CARD SIZED. If you want pretty pictures, then buy pretty pictures and hang them on the wall. Me, I prefer LS sized to pocket size (the size of playing cards). Because cards are to be used, and I prefer to use them.

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Hear, hear! (Applauding and would whistle but never learned how. )

However, I have the Oracle of Visions and Gilded Reverie that I use. I just can't shuffle them.

jackdaw* said:

I absolutely do not see any point whatsoever in those big cards, like the untrimmed Druidcraft, Maat *spits on ground* or the LE Tarot of Dreams, to name three at random. If you want cards, get cards. And cards are CARD SIZED. If you want pretty pictures, then buy pretty pictures and hang them on the wall. Me, I prefer LS sized to pocket size (the size of playing cards). Because cards are to be used, and I prefer to use them.

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Possibly it could be because big cards feel special, and handling them feels awkward and makes us focus our attention and our physical selves in new and unaccustomed ways. It's a possibility. I know when I use oversize cards, it slows me down, makes the proceedings feel different, gives the experience a special air. Maybe that's one reason those of who like big cards like them.

I have a love/hate relationship with big cards. I can see them (without my readers), and my sitter can also see them clearly. BUT I cannot handle them or shuffle them, cards end up all over the place .... and they don't fit easily in my hand bag. To each their own, I own large and regular sized (card sized) decks, I love them all.

I really prefer that my cards be fairly easy to shuffle- the Llewellyn, for me, is a perfect size. The exception for me would be the Shadowscapes- I own it but haven't read with it much because I can hardly tell what is going on in the cards- such a shame. I wouldn't mind that deck in particular being the size of the DruidCraft.

I don't read cards so much by images on the cards. Actually, I do use the images on the cards but it's not necessary for me to see every minute little detail. The only deck I've ever really felt was lacking in that respect is the Shadowscapes but it's one of my very favorite decks and I do read with it. The names on the cards are very hard to see, though, and that's my main observation of difficulty seeing things on the cards.

Each reader reads in a different way, so if you're a reader who has to see minute details, then you're going to need big cards. I presume that means you're going to adapt yourself to that need by putting a desire to handle and shuffle the cards like a smaller deck out of your mind and you'll get used to handling the bigger sized cards.

I find myself being a little frustrated by the really small number of cards in a Lenormand deck when it comes to trying to shuffle. I like the Gilded Reverie because the cards are bigger. The deck is thicker because the cards stock is very thick, so they're hard to shuffle but I use a fan with those and the Oracle of Visions. Those are oracles, though, so I think maybe that also helps me to not need to shuffle them a lot. Oracles are used differently so my shuffling obsession isn't awakened so much by them. Tarot, though, is another thing----I do feel I need to riffle those to get into the "zone".

I have very small hands, so I find larger decks to be difficult to shuffle. That said, if I like the artwork on a large deck well enough, I will find a way to shuffle it. I do tend to use my larger decks less often, though.

I hear you, Cocobird!

I love the Bohemian Gothic and thankfully it's borderless so the big size isn't because something is obscurely the images. I have a different way of shuffling this one because it's not an easy size for me, but it's worth it. The US Games decks are usually a really good size and some of the larger pocket decks are great and I can still see the images just fine.

TBH large cards are preferred, only because I am getting a little long sighted these days, and it means I can still see the imagery okay. (I do have reading glasses but am being stubborn and resisting them as much as possible - yeah, yeah I know.... I need to grow up).

Large cards I can shuffle okay - I just turn them round and shuffle them in portrait mode instead of landscape. Feels a little strange to start with, but easy to get the hang of once your brain accepts the pack has been rotated 90 degrees.

I prefer smaller decks. In love the size of standard Lenormand cards, regular playing cards, and pocket decks. Mini decks are fun as a novelty, but are too small to handle as comfortably (although the mini Hanson Roberts is great, as it's kind of between pocket and mini.) I enjoy handling"standard" decks much more when I trim off the borders. Although I CAN shuffle them as they are, I have to stretch my hands, so I'm more clumsy about it. (And my hands aren't particularly small! )

Aside from the discomfort of handling bigger/standard decks, I just really hate when a spread of cards takes up a lot of room. I like a small tidy spread so I can take it all in at once. (I'm like that on the computer too - I hate out when a PDF for example is zoomed in too far! I feel like I can't see where I am and need to zoom out to get perspective on the page, or like I can't see the forest for the trees. Obviously, I have issues, haha! ) And I just feel so conspicuous with large cards, even by myself in my living room!

I don't have any issues with seeing details on the cards at a smaller size. If I want to see one more closely, I just pick it up. The portability of smaller decks is another advantage.

Big is better, especially for cards with intricate designs, such as Thoth. Shuffling is a minor nuisance.