You don't need ten cards to get a good reading. Most relationship questions can be answered with three or five. The trick isn't more cards—it's knowing which positions to use so you don't end up with a pile of cards and no clear way to connect them.
Here are four spreads I come back to constantly. Each one solves a different kind of question. The first two are quick check-ins you can do daily. The last two go deeper when something specific is eating at you.
This spread is stupidly simple but it works because all three positions are about you. No asking what your partner is thinking. No asking if they'll text. Just you, your own patterns, and one small thing you can actually do today.
Position two is where the discomfort lives. Almost every time I've used this spread for myself or someone else, the second card is the one that stings. It's also the one you should sit with the longest. Don't pull another card to "clarify." Sit with the sting. That's the whole point.
Five cards because dynamics between two people are complicated. Position two matters here—it forces you to consider that half the tension you're feeling might not be about you at all. Not everything is a reflection of how much someone cares. Sometimes people are just going through their own thing, and you're standing too close to tell the difference.
Don't use this spread lightly. It'll show you things you might not be ready to see. Pay attention to cards three and four: put them side by side and compare the two futures. One of them will feel heavier. One might look peaceful but boring. One might look exciting but unstable. You're not looking for which one is "better"—you're looking for which one you can actually live with.
Write down your spreads. Date them. Come back to the same spread two weeks later with the same question and see what's shifted. Sometimes the most useful information isn't any one card—it's the difference between two readings done a month apart.
When a card doesn't make sense in a position, don't force it. Ask yourself: what does make sense about this card showing up here? What if this isn't the wrong card, but the right card pointing at something I've been avoiding?