A genial performer with big dad energy, Pearson walks us through some historical hustles.

By Paul Blinov

Ron Pearson’s a con man with a deck of cards. The professional magician shuffles stories and tricks together in a charming show about how, as the title says, the house always wins.

A genial performer with big dad energy, Pearson walks us through some historical hustles—like how a game of three-card monte starts to part a mark from their money long before the game begins—as well as personal stories of his history with magic, gambling, and Edmonton, backed by a few simple visual projections. And, of course, he intersperses it with some feats of card-deck magic that delight as much as they perplex.

The Lorne Cardinal Theatre in the Roxy has perfect sightlines for this sort of show, too—you’re never too far to see the cards, though it won’t help you figure out how Pearson does what he does. If you’re looking for some ‘how’d he do that?’ magic with a bit of history mixed in, you can bet on this.

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