How does it make you feel when you look at, or handle it? You want a deck that feels good to you, one you think you might enjoy working with. A lot of Tarot reading is interpreting your visceral reactions to the cards. If you don't like the deck when you aren't even asking a question, it's probably not the deck for you.

Do the symbols and pictures on it correlate to your own symbol set? If numerology is very important to you, you may want a deck that has more of the numerological symbols. If you are a student of Kabbala, then you may find that you are more comfortable with a deck that was drawn from that viewpoint, and so on. My deck reflects my own symbols, which in turn reflect my Wiccan beliefs. That may be exactly what you are looking for, if you are also Wiccan. But if you aren't, it may not be.

Do you like the style of the artwork? I joke that esthetics are everything; but in this case, if you can't stand to look at the pictures, then the deck isn't likely to work for you. You will be fighting it every step of the way, because you simply don't like it.

Do the Minor Arcana cards have pictures, or only the Majors? Some decks do, and some don't. Mine does, because I set the deck up so that I would never have to memorize anything. But some people find that they prefer decks that only have so many coins, or so many swords, on the Minors. For them, it leaves more room for interpretation. Make sure that the deck you choose follows your preference in this, too.

Is the deck physically comfortable to deal with? If your hands are small, you may not be able to shuffle a deck of large cards comfortably, no matter how much you like them otherwise. If you only intend to read once in a while, that may not be much of a consideration. But if you will have to be handling them for several hours a day, it might be! I'm too clumsy to handle a round deck, for instance. If I pick one up, the cards shoot everywhere!

Can you afford this deck? It would be nice if this wasn't a consideration, but it is. If a deck really speaks to you, you may want to save up for it over time. Or you may want to grab several of your closest friends, and suggest that if they all get together, this would be a really great Yule present!

You may have other considerations, too. If so, pay attention to them. And remember, there are lots of different decks out there; more than there have ever been before. Take your time, look around, and choose one that will really work for you!