Poker Of The Beast vs Mysterious Readings

vs.

So, you all realize tomorrow is 06-6-6, right? Hence, my normal Tuesday night poker game shall be transformed into the Poker Of The Beast. I’ll have to come up with a new game for the “crazy games” time at the end of the nightWe normally enforce a strict “no goofy games” rule for the first several hours: we normally play only 7-stud, a bit of draw, hold ’em, and omaha during the bulk of the night, no wild cards, no non-poker. However, we do occasionally have “crazy game” time at the end of the night (never before midnight, often much later) during which the dealer can call any crazy shit that comes into his head. We have developed quite a tradition of making up games that have a strong narrative in their variations from real poker.–something I can call “The Omen” or “7-card Antichrist” or something.

If I were still in Ontario, though, I would be doing this tomorrow:

Look Who’s Reading Canadian Mysteries!
A Crime Writers of Canada fundraiser in support of the Toronto Public Library’s Literacy Program

Date: Tuesday, June 6
Time: 7:30 p.m.

Location:
Toronto Reference Library Atrium
789 Yonge Street (just north of Bloor)
Toronto, ON

Join some prominent Canadians in the arts and legal communities as they read from the works of favourite Canadian mystery authors:

• Royal Canadian Air Farce’s Roger Abbott
• CBC Radio’s Jim Curran
• Justice Ted Matlow
• Toronto Symphony Orchestra Music Director Peter Oundjian
• Lawyer Clayton Ruby
• Actor Polly Shannon

Host: Carolyn Weaver of Fine Print

They will be reading from books by ROSEMARY AUBERT, RICK BLECHTA, WILLIAM DEVERELL, LYN HAMILTON, MARY JANE MAFFINI, and others.

SLEUTH OF BAKER STREET bookstore (donor of the cash prize for the CWC’s Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel) will supply the books and is graciously donating their share of the proceeds to the Toronto Public Library Foundation to support TPL literacy programs.

Contact: Lyn Hamilton, lyn@lynhamilton.com

Why would I be doing that? Well, first off, it’s for a really good cause. Secondly, I’m a pretty big fan of Rosemary Aubert‘s Ellis Portal booksEven though she’s Canadian, there were no Canadian hardcovers of these, and I had to have them imported from BridgeWorks, the American publisher who did them in hardcover. Secondly, I’ve always been pretty amused by Clayton Ruby–I mean he’s a respected lawyer and jurisprudential theorist, but he’s also kind of a cartoon character, and I’d love to see him read. I also like the idea of judge who’s enough of a mystery fan to come out and do something like this. And having the Sleuth of Baker Street involved also doesn’t hurt–I love that store.

Oh, yeah, and Polly Shannon is a little bit on the hot side as well.