Monday, October 31, 2005

Graveyard Games NEW YORK CITY

On Saturday November 5, 2005, Graveyard Games will be in New York City so you can meet the living and play with the dead.

You're invited rain or shine to Brooklyn’s own Cypress Hills Cemetery to get to know your local dearly departed, pay your respects, and learn Tombstone Hold 'Em — the secret poker game you can only play in a cemetery.

(See photos from previous games in San Francisco, Washington D.C., Kansas City, and more.

Instructions

1. Arrive at the Main Gate of the Cypress Hills Cemetery (833 Jamaica Ave), near where Jamaica Ave meets Cypress Hills Street, between 2 PM and 2:30 PM local time.

2. Look for the tournament's host. She'll be holding a deck of cards and will have further instructions and supplies for you.

3. Bring a single flower to place on a grave to show some respect, and to signal that you're one of us.

4. Take a few minutes to explore your section of the cemetery. Look for any poker chips left on tombstones. You'll need these to play.

5. Be sure to look for the grave of someone you can prove died on your birthday. You can use that tombstone as a Joker during the game.

6. Tournament begins at 2:30 PM. Learn the rules before you come if you're serious about winning. We’ll have extra instructions on hands for any friends you bring along.

7. The winner is crowned at 3:30 PM. No fancy prizes, but lots of respect and maybe a special memento from Lucky's estate. And everyone can keep the chips they earn as a souvenir.

8. Afterwards, you’re invited to nearby Mike’s Pub (7919 Jamaica Ave) to raise a glass to the players you’re leaving underground at Cypress Hills.

The Cypress tree, they say, is a symbol of sorrow. I won’t argue that. But let’s meet here, even in the cold of fall, and push back a little on the winter coming in.

One time in New York, I was out strolling with this girl. It was cold enough our breath was smoking in the air, you know, and every time I made her laugh I would cup my hands around the little puff of steam and say, “I caught a laugh!” and breathe it in, and she would laugh some more, and maybe punch me in the arm.

Of all the breaths I ever took, those are some of the ones I remember best. The damp cold, grey concrete, traffic going by and the smell of her laughter in my lungs, like fog and old leaves…

For more information on cemetery gaming: http://www.lastcallpoker.com/allin/rules.aspx

No comments: