The best reason to tuck a deck of cards into an outside pocket of your carry-on might come before you play your first hand. If an airport security officer wants a closer look, you can pull out the deck without unpacking half your bag.

You can bring playing cards through U.S. airport security. TSA spokesperson Ian Cava recommends keeping them in your carry-on so you can keep track of them and protect them from damage. A bag check is sometimes prompted by how the cards look on the checkpoint scanner.

A single card is thin. Stack a whole deck together, though, and the X-ray can show a dense block. An officer may need a closer look to tell what’s in or around it. The same goes for a binder full of trading cards or several graded cards packed together in rigid cases.

At the checkpoint, follow the officer’s instructions. If you’re concerned about a delay, Cava suggests taking the cards out of your bag and placing them in a screening bin. That’s the habit professional tarot reader Alicia Brayboy has adopted with her own decks. Giving officers a separate view can help, although they may still need to inspect the cards by hand.

If you’re flying with a large or valuable collection, give yourself extra time to inspect it. For a single vacation deck, the simplest preparation happens at home. Put it somewhere you can reach as easily as you would when someone asks to play.