However, Peter's point is that the Tarot should not be degraded by doing flourishes, etc. They should be kept in the realm of the mysterious. I don't think Eliphas Levi, McGregor Mathers or Aleister Crowley would agree that fortune tellers gave the Tarot its supernatural connotation. It is much deeper than that.

I think I found the motherlode (motherload ?) of tarot cards in my very own hometown - a used bookstore.
I spent over an hour in there trying to decide which deck(s) to buy, but most of the older looking decks that looked appealing at first tended to be not quite that old, and had a kind of new-age '60s hippy flavor to them, so I settled on the deck Baba showed me, which was recommended to him (I forgot who .. you know who you are tho !)
-The Golden Tarot. Very nice deck. I also bought a tiny deck of Rider-Waites, or RW-based I should say. I don't mean minature, I mean tiny !! They were 5 bucks, so I figured what the hey.
I also saw the spanish deck that Kay mentioned above, that thing is huge, but my guess is it's only the 22 Major Arcana cards .. ?
And of course, I have the ol venerable Rider-Waite Swiss back deck, same one I've had for 25 years....and never really learned to use. lol

As to the debate, while technically, I'd agree with those who say the Tarot is just another tool, an alternate pasteboards, etc.. I disagree with the intent of how to use that tool. Yes, they are similar to normal playing cards, as they share an origin. However, no one thinks of tarot cards as something you'd flourish, and I don't really see what would be gained by it. Would it really add to their mystique, or make them seem more powerful ?
People tend to look at tarot cards much the way they do an ouija board, with a bit of mystery, respect, and even possibly fear or hatred. They are definitely special in that regard, and, for lack of a better way to put it, to bring them "down" to the level of ordinary playing cards seems pointless. Tarot cards are powerful things that are treated with reverence.

It's not always about "thinking outside of the box", when there's nothing outside of the box that's relevant or desirable.
I don't doubt that we may find some common ground previously unexplored, some new ways to work with the tarot that carry over from normal card work, but more likely it'll be the subtle things, or certain ways to gaff them.
But performing an S fan with Rider Waites is like wearing a tux to a rodeo.

Mystician said:

"But performing an S fan with Rider Waites is like wearing a tux to a rodeo."

Good way to put it! Or wearing a cowboy suit to the opera.