T U E S D A Y November 9, 2010 Julian Lim

Theme: I'm All In — Theme answers all end with words used to describe the cards dealt in the poker game Texas Hold 'Em.


Theme answers:

• 17A: High jump technique created by 1968 Olympic gold medalist Dick (FOSBURY FLOP).
• 27A: K-shaped reversal on the road (THREE-POINT TURN).
• 45A: Longest Canadian waterway (MACKENZIE RIVER).
• 60A: World Series of Poker Main Event no-limit game whose 2010 winner will be revealed tonight—the last words of 17-, 27- and 45-Across refer to the cards dealt between rounds of betting (TEXAS HOLD 'EM).

Slight issue. The 2010 WSOP winner was revealed last night. He is Quebec's Jonathan Duhamel.

So, yeah. Not really sure what to make of that. But anyway, I flew through this puzzle pretty quickly and didn't see the theme until I got to the reveal, which is a shame because I like it! If you're not familiar with TEXAS HOLD 'EM, this theme meant nothing to you. If you're interested in learning a little about the game (and what this theme means), here's a quick overview of how the game works. (Full Tilt Poker? Why that's just a random site I found. I swear I've never spent hours and hours (and hours and hours) (… and hours and hours) on Full Tilt Poker!)

Bullets:

• 1A: One who's all skin and bones (SCRAG). There's that word again. Didn't we just see it recently?
• 6A: Talmudic scholar (RABBI). I do some freelance work for a synagoguge, and I really have to concentrate hard to avoid adding a T every time I type the word RABBI.

• 36A: "My Dinner With Andre" director Louis (MALLE). I know the movie, but didn't know the director.
• 41A: Dahl's "Fantastic" title character (MR. FOX). Ha! If you were around yesterday, you probably got this one no problem!
• 27D: Pageant crown (TIARA). Have you ever watched "Toddlers and Tiaras"? Each episode follows two or three young (very young!) pageant contestants. It's … horrifying.
• 28D: Somewhat unhinged (HALF-CRAZED). Most interesting entry in the grid.
• 33D: "That tastes great!" ("MMMM!"). This is something you really hate to see.
• 37D: Norse trickster (LOKI). We'll cover LOKI in Crosswordese 301.

Crosswordese 101: If a clue refers to a type of music as Caribbean, Jamaican, and/or related to reggae or calypso, odds are you're looking for SKA (51A: Caribbean music). I learned about SKA from crossword puzzles. I've also found it to be a really useful word in Scrabble. I don't know much about SKA, but that's not surprising considering I had never heard of reggae until I went to college. People are like, "Do you like reggae?" and I'm all, "Um … yeah, of course. Love it! … Has anyone seen my dictionary? ..."

Other crosswordese in the puzzle that we've already covered:

• 34A: Leftover scraps (ORTS).
• 53A: Eye layer (UVEA).
• 65A: Popeye's creator (SEGAR).
• 67A: Ppd. enclosures (SASES).
• 32D: Maui goose (NENE).
• 55D: River in the Bernese Alps (AARE).

[Follow PuzzleGirl on Twitter.]

Everything Else — 11A: Attire in which to retire, briefly (PJS); 14A: __ donna (PRIMA); 15A: Startle (ALARM); 16A: Jay-Z's music genre (RAP); 19A: December 24th, e.g. (EVE); 20A: String ensemble instrument (CELLO); 21A: French greeting (ALLO); 22A: Lumberjack's tool (SAW); 23A: Street shaders (ELMS); 25A: Some nest eggs, for short (IRAS); 33A: Filmdom's Farrow (MIA); 35A: Chilling (EERIE); 39A: "__ a done deal" (IT'S); 40A: Victoria's lasted longer than that of any other British monarch (REIGN); 42A: Speak highly of (TOUT); 44A: Saldana of "Avatar" (ZOE); 49A: Puerto __ (RICO); 50A: Matching (SAME); 56A: Sales pitch (SPIEL); 59A: Candy in a dispenser (PEZ); 63A: Milne's "Now We __ Six" (ARE); 64A: Año beginning (ENERO); 66A: Get __ of: discard (RID); 68A: Utopias (EDENS); 1D: Sunscreen letters (SPF); 2D: Swamp beast (CROC); 3D: It may be meteoric (RISE); 4D: Slow walker (AMBLER); 5D: Charles de __ (GAULLE); 6D: Blu-__ Disc (RAY); 7D: With 18-Down, sporty Italian wheels (ALFA); 8D: Really good time (BALL); 9D: "W." star Josh (BROLIN); 10D: Tariff payer (IMPORTER); 11D: Prepare, as a bottle launcher (PRESSURIZE); 12D: Jakarta's island (JAVA); 13D: Expel with force (SPEW); 18D: See 7-Down (ROMEO); 24D: Perfume squirt (SPRITZ); 26D: Suit to __ (A TEE); 29D: 10th-century emperor (OTTO I); 30D: Comic books, e.g. (ISSUES); 31D: Hardship (RIGOR); 38D: Does, as a task (EXECUTES); 43D: Speak ill of (TRASH); 46D: Nine-day devotion (NOVENA); 47D: Levy, as a tariff (IMPOSE); 48D: Like many Muslim women (VEILED); 51D: Trade easy punches (SPAR); 52D: Skin lotion brand (KERI); 54D: Spouses no more (EXES); 57D: On __: nervous (EDGE); 58D: Far from fatty (LEAN); 61D: Urgent call at sea (SOS); 62D: __ Fields: cookie brand (MRS.).