The cards are split into two categories, The Major Arcana and The Minor Arcana.
The Major Arcana consists of 21 cards:
The Fool
The Magician
The Empress
The Hierophant
The Emperor
The Lovers
The Chariot
Strength
The Hermit
Wheel of Fortune
Justice
The Hanged Man
Death
Temperance
The Devil
The Tower
The Star
The Moon
The Sun
Judgement
The World
The Minor Arcana consists of four sets of fourteen cards from Ace to King in Wands, Swords, Cups,Pentacles.
The cards can be read in a standardised manner, according to each literal meaning of each card. I find this a little restricting so I interpret the cards with instinct and linking each one to the following, this tells a story of what is going on in your life, the ups and downs, the good and not so great, it always gives a conclusion and often offers assistance.