1
general::
Phrase(s): *in the cards
Fig. in the future. (*Typically: be ~; see something ~.) • Well, what do you think is in the cards for tomorrow? • I asked the boss if there was a raise in the cards for me.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Likely or certain to happen, as in I don't think Jim will win? it's just not in the cards. This term, originally put as on the cards, alludes to the cards used in fortune-telling. [Early 1800s]
American Heritage Idioms