The Ashes

Full Tilt Poker’s MiniFTOPS is back, and this December you have your shot at a share of the $4 million in guaranteed prize money. MiniFTOPS, which starts next Wednesday (December 9), will kickoff their 25 event promotion with a NL Hold’em 6 max tournament. MiniFTOPS is design for the players that don’t exactly have the bankroll for the original FTOPS (i.e. me). Tournaments will run daily all the way up until the main event which is set to take place Sunday, December 20th. Start playing the satellites today and I’ll see you at the Full Tilt tables.

Before the WSOP Main Event champion was decided Full Tilt Poker wanted to make some news of their own. Full Tilt Poker made that news by signing free agent Tom “durrrr” Dwan as the newest member to team Full Tilt (contract and signing bonus is unknown). Full Tilt held a press conference to make the announcement and joining Dwan were Full Tilt members Chris Ferguson, Patrik Antonius, and Howard Lederer. Now that Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius are a part of the same Full Tilt team maybe they can get through this “durrrr challenge” just a wee bit faster.

I have been talking a lot about the Million Dollar Challenge as of late.  I spoke of the priest and the war veteran who have had the chance to play for some serious money but now it’s your turn.  The Million Dollar Challenge is offering daily freerolls for your shot to go and play in this special promotion.  Simply finish in the top ten of these freerolls, make a short video of yourself telling them why you should be the one selected to be on the show, and hope you are selected for your shot at $1,000,000.  Good luck to all who enter.

By now I’m sure we have all heard Lady Gaga’s song entitled ‘Poker Face’ (the song that is well overplayed by radio stations).  Ireland’s Poker Festival sent an invite to Lady Gaga to play in their upcoming tournament in which the guaranteed prize pool for first place is over $350,000.  The tournament is set to take place from October 2^nd through the 4^th in Killarney, County Kerry.  There is no word on whether not Lady Gag will accept the invitation to Ireland’s Poker Festival (it’s not like her song needs the publicity).  I think she should show up and show the poker players what her ‘poker face’ is really all about.

PKR.com just released information featuring an online series of tournaments (much like a FTOPS or a WCOOP) to begin on October 15^th in celebration of Oktoberfest.  They will be the host of ten tournaments to last over the course of ten days.  They will feature tournaments such as Double Chance, Deep Stack, and the Terminator Bounty.  PKR.com claims the buy-ins are ‘extremely affordable’ for the players that play in it and with the ‘primetime’ events already in gear PKR.com is shaping up for an incredible ten days.  PKR.com is unlike most poker sites and it looks like it could be the up and coming site for online poker.

The world’s largest poker site is only getting bigger according to recent numbers.  On Sunday, September 6^th a record 307,016 were playing on the site on a combined 42,814 tables.  This quite an accomplishment for any poker website and it gained worldwide recognition by being certified by the Guinness Book of World Records.  In my eyes this is quite a feat for an online poker website and a huge step for the game of poker in general.  With PokerStars getting this much recognition there is no telling where this site can go and the potential is endless for the amount of players that this site can hold.

With WCOOP coming to a close Jovial Gent captures the 1^st place prize of a ridiculous $1.7 million from PokerStars $5,200 No Limit Hold’em 2 day Main Event.  One may get the feel with the 1^st place prize being what it is that this would have been a live event but in fact this just shows how far online poker has come.  With 306 people entering this tournament it increased the total prize pool to a staggering $10,720,000.00 (that’s a lot of zeros) which is unheard of for a single online poker tournament.   I can’t wait to see the turn out the next time WCOOP comes our way.

The world renowned alternative rock band Muse have announced that they want to record the soundtrack song for the next James Bond film. The band, whose new album The Resistance has just been released, clearly want to get into the world of Agent 007 and his high-flying pursuits with beautiful women and high-stakes casinos! If you want to immerse yourself in the universe of James Bond, go and play at the best casino online, Casino770, with the chance to win massive prizes, take advantage of huge bonuses and keep up to date with all the latest blog promotions and new games.

The Power of the Unicorn

Why hunt the Unicorn, you might ask? Such an unlikely creature: a symbol of purity and beauty across the ages. For this, and because the unicorn’s spiraling horn cures ailments, negates poison, and purifies water, we desire him.

When the unicorn appears, it is because the Reign has been good and has brought Peace; and for that peace to prosper it must be fecund and pass on that Peace. So lords now gather in their finest, best and latest to hunt him down: variously colorful hosiery; superbly crafted doublets with golden buttons; cocky feathers on cocky hats; and everywhere a festive air as they don practical shoes for the forest—the Hunt begins.

The Start of the Hunt

The Start of the Hunt

Baying and excited hounds are tightly held on leash, as they catch ahead a whiff of the exotic East—cloves, cumin and coriander—that signals the presence of the beast. But Unicornus is the swiftest of all creatures on legs so they fail to glean him, until one who has gone ahead signals—they stumble onto a strange scene—beside an unlikely fountain that feeds a stream; various other creatures: pheasants, deer and lions; have gathered there in peace, waiting, for it must be made pure before any may safely drink from it.

The Unicorn at the Fountain

The Unicorn at the Fountain

The hunters also wait, then finally, a rustling from the foliage reveals a coat the color of purest and freshest snow, and dainty cloven hooves enter the clearing. The long white horn, poised atop a slight and gentle head, twists towards Heaven. A milk-white mane flows down an ivory neck as the beast lowers his head, until that horn touches the water, which turns suddenly as innocent as a soul at Baptism.

The Unicorn Leaps the Stream

The Unicorn Leaps the Stream

The Hunters feel the moment ripe, hounds bark and are let loose, and all rush-in with spears and nets to capture him. Not for nothing is the Unicorn famously elusive, nimbly and swiftly leaping over the stream; each stabbing spear evaded, each net capturing only empty air. The Unicorn smiles knowingly at their clumsy efforts, until finally, and with a ferocity that belies his gentle appearance, his horn pierces and kills a hound in his path, as he escapes bounding into the safety of the forest.

The Unicorn Defends Itself

The Unicorn Defends Itself

Disappointed, the lords gather together to concoct a plan, for the only way to capture the Unicorn is by guile—Innocence may only be captured by Innocence. Three maidens, all ladies of the court, are told they may be touched by something as rare and beautiful as themselves within the corruption of that court. Clapping their hands with delight at the thought of touching such a noble creature, the maidens don their finest gowns, and make their hair elaborate. And so they sit together laughing within the Rose garden, full of the red blossoms of charity and compassion mingled with the white blossoms of purity.

The Unicorn in the Garden

The Unicorn is Captured by the Maiden

Magically, the unicorn has felt their presence there. They beam in delight at his approach, and the one in a dress the color of Love reaches out her hand—the beast comes forward and licks the sweat from it—and that horn, still stained with the blood of the hound, strokes her breast She gently strokes his mane and neck as he shivers in pleasure, and collapses onto her lap.

The Death of the Unicorn

The Unicorn is Killed and Brought to the Castle

The rough lords and the rough hounds may have him now that he is docile. Spears now meet their mark as hounds hold fast his neck. The blood of innocence flows swiftly and the ground stained dark with it. The Unicorn dies quickly without knowing what has killed him—but knowing that purity had held him fast too long.

The Captive Unicorn

The Captive Unicorn

For three days and nights the unicorn lay dead. On the third day, he rose again, no longer a free denizen of the forest, his magical powers now captive in a garden within a fence, tethered to a pomegranate tree. The wound on his flank refuses to heal, (some say it is but juice dripping from the fruit, but we know better). And yet, this is for the best, because now the Reign may prosper and be fecund.

Zoove is a mobile marketing company that is planning to raise a $13 million Series C round of funding. Out of that $13 million planned round, the company has raised $5.2 million thus far according to an SEC filing. Zoove did not disclose who the investors involved are for the Series C, but the company previously raised $21.4 million over two rounds of funding from Worldview Technology Partners, Cardinal Venture Capital, and Highland Capital.

Zoove brokers ads for SMS, MMS, and WAP. Zoove also has a technology called StarStar where users press the “star” sign on the phone to respond to the ads on digital billboards and on TV.