Docc Hilford's Cards of Cairo is a piece of apparent fortunetelling that's very easy to do and completely baffles any audience. Here's the effect:

The faces of three over-sized cards are shown to the audience. You explain that everyone will now take a mystical journey from the past, through the present and into the future.

You go on to explain that the journey began in the past when you wrote three predictions about a spectator and sealed them under plastic to the backs of each card. A spectator chooses a face-up card and when the card is turned over it reads, "You Will Choose This Card First" and it even goes on to say something about the spectator's future. Of course, everyone thinks it's just a joke and that all the cards say the same thing. But, when the second card chosen is turned over it reads, "This Card Will Be Picked Second!" The final card's prediction prognosticates that it will be the last of the spectator's selections, three for three!

• Completely self-contained
• Nothing is switched
• Predictions really are sealed to the cards
• Predictions were written before the show
• No forcing-every choice is completely free!
• Easy to do