Farm to cup: A closer look at Maverick and Farmer Coffee

Casino

Released: November 22nd, 1995Production Cost: $40-$50 MillionBox Office: $116 MillionRotten Tomatoes Score: 80%IMDB Score: 8.2/10Long considered to be the gold standard for casino movies, Casino doesn’t show a lot of actual gambling action but paints a very vivid picture of what happens behind the scenes of a mob-era gaming establishment. Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro as casino boss Sam “Ace” Rothstein, the movie has a ton of violence but if you can look past it, there are a lot of fun inside looks at the casino business. The Good: Casino really went to great lengths to show the audience a lot about what it takes to run a giant multi-million dollar business and talks about everything from sports books, slot machines, betting percentages, odds, entertainment and more. It also covers a lot of controversial gambling topics such as cheating and the high level of punishment that was dealt out back in those days to those trying to break the rules.The Bad: Thankfully, this classic doesn’t really cross any unbelievable lines in regards to how gambling is portrayed, making it possibly the most realistic gaming movie ever made. Everything from how money was skimmed off the top to how brutally people were removed from the face of the earth to avoid prosecution has been backed up and confirmed by historians as what really would have gone down back then. Though, we’ll go ahead and deduct one point for the lead character having the nickname of “Ace”. Did You Know: The casino in the movie, The Tangiers, is a fictional creation made specifically for the film. However, many of the story elements come from the real life history of the Stardust Casino, one of the most famous early casinos to exist in Las Vegas. Interior shots were filmed inside the Riviera casino during the hours of 1am-4am as to not interrupt actual gamblers. A real life mob hitman who had finished his jail sentence was on set as a consultant, providing the director with information on how professional hits would have properly been handled. Final Verdict: We’re all-in when it comes to Casino. It’s a mob classic and did an amazing job of showing the casino business as both highly exciting and highly dangerous.

A collie with maverick sheep, and a falling flat souffle… all in a week’s telly

Billy Weir

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Matt Baker from Countryfile

BBC Studios/Pete Dadds

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Matt Baker from Countryfile

September 30 2021 04:30 PM

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A stunning location, a field full of sheep, eight shepherds and their dogs chomping at the bit, it can mean only one thing. Yes, you’ve got it, it’s seven o’clock on Sunday evening and the Ryder Cup is all but over.

I had enough whistling, hollering, baying and ignorant farmyard noises to do me a lifetime, so what a relief it was for Countryfile to give us an alternative to American golf fans with an old favourite — One Man and His Dog.

The first big surprise was, that being on the BBC, it was still allowed to be called that, although even the most woke amongst would find it hard to have ‘one insert applicable word here and their b***h’ on just before the Antiques Roadshow.

And even more surprisingly that unlike the golf, the sheep and their two and four-legged cohorts were a breath of fresh air, although presenter Helen Skelton’s choice of tan suede boots may have been a step too far.

Matt Baker was there as co-presenter, although someone had made off with the arms of his bodywarmer, but, as always, he was hugely excited as the tension was ratcheted up.

“If you’ve never seen a sheepdog trial before, this is how it’s going to work,” we were told and awaited the arrival of Judge Rinder but no, just an Englishman, a Scotsman, a Welshman and an Irishman were standing in a field.

This is no laughing matter, they take it very seriously, and first up we had four juniors from the home nations in action, England and Ireland getting on not too bad before the poor Welsh girl’s hopes were ruined – by the RAF.

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From Farm to Feast

BBC Northern Ireland

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From Farm to Feast

Snooker’s Greatest Maverick: Alex Higgins or Ronnie O’Sullivan?

Posted on: 12 January 2018

Last edited on: 20 May 2019

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Snooker

Like all sports, Snooker has attracted its fair share of characters down the years, but few have been as remarkable as Alex Higgins. ‘The Hurricane’ was a two-time world champion known for his shenanigans away from the table almost as much as his endeavours on it. Very few players in the WPBSA down the years have been able to match his skill, speed and quick-thinking which helped earn him his nickname. Many players who are still competing on the World Seniors Tour have since had their exploits largely forgotten but Higgins’ legacy lives on and he is widely considered to be snooker’s greatest ever maverick – but how does he compare to Ronnie O’Sullivan? The Rocket is still entertaining audiences around the world and his reputation for producing controversial moments shows no signs of slowing down as he approaches his mid-40s. Would he be a match for the Hurricane in his prime?

Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories

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Mario isn't a one trick pony. He can also iron, dance and read - all at the same time. Click here to watch.

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A Positive Move

Representatives from Maverick say that they are extremely pleased with the agreement:

“As Maverick continues to grow and expand our portfolio of regional gaming properties and assets, we are extremely pleased to add CC Gaming’s casinos to our company. I admire the work that John Zimpel, Owner and Managing Member of CC Gaming, has done to grow his casino business and we look forward to building upon the foundation he established,” Eric Persson, the majority owner said.

Persson further believes that this purchase puts them in position to become a significant player in the Colorado gaming market with an emphasis on Denver. Given the city’s growing population of nearly three million people, limited gaming distribution and a thriving economy, they believe that they can add value to its gaming market, which they intend to invest in as owner-operators.

“It is with great pride and hard work that my team and I have built CC Gaming into the largest locally-owned casino operation in Colorado. CC Gaming’s success can be attributed to our customer focused product offering and the best team members in Colorado. I believe that Maverick will be a great owner and operator and look forward to a smooth transition,” John Zimpel, Owner and Managing Member of CC Gaming said.

“HG Vora is an important financing partner for Maverick Gaming with deep experience in the gaming sector. We look forward to growing our portfolio over the near term with their partnership,” Persson added.

Source:

“Maverick Gaming Signs Purchase Agreement with CC Gaming”, Niji Narayan, europeangaming.eu, October 2, 2019.

The recent change in political leadership in the German state of Schleswig Holstein rang alarm bells in the industry when prominent members of the new regime voiced an intention to bring the maverick province back into line by signing the anti-online gambling State Treaty with other German states, implying the repeal of the progressive licensing and regulation regime that the previous government had introduced.

However, this week an apparently conflicting policy emerged when regulatory authorities in SH revealed that sports betting licenses are still being reviewed, with as many as six new licenses likely to be issued within the next few weeks.

And that’s not all – also in the pipeline are a further four to six licenses, apparently.

One would assume that if the new coalition government in SH is so committed to reversing the state’s progress in online gambling regulation, they would feel obliged to call a moratorium on the issue of any further licenses, but that does not appear to be the case.

The Ministry of the Interior has confirmed the new licenses situation, saying merely that until the law is amended or repealed, the current legislation applies.

Earlier this month the Public Gaming Research Institute reported that Schleswig-Holstein has been “relentless when it comes to giving licenses to sport betting operators.”  The Institute was remarking on the Ministry of the Interior’s issue of another four 6-year licenses, this time to bet-at-home, bwin, Bet365 and Sportingbet

“According to the Ministry, there are a total of twenty four operators that have applied for a licence, and these operators are being examined and are actually under consideration,” the Institute reported.  “As for online casinos, there are seventeen operators who have applied for a casino gaming licence.”

Seven-Two (7-2)

• Beer Hand – If you win with this hand, you should buy everyone a beer. Or it will take several beers to play this hand. It has the worst chance of winning a pot of all hands dealt. Send it to the muck and order a cold one.

• W.H.I.P. – A fitting acronym for the Worst Hand In Poker.

Introduction

Today it`s a rare thing to see a western at all, but western comedies were almost a genre, once upon a time. Films like Support Your Local Gunfighter, Something Big, and Skin Game took a light hearted look at America in the 19th Century, many of them starring James Garner (television`s Maverick), so when this 1994 movie remake of Maverick was made, I was naturally interested. The collaboration between Mel Gibson and director Richard Donner (The Lethal Weapons, Conspiracy Theory) continues and an all-star cast laden with cameos bring to life the script penned by William Goldman (Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride).Bret Maverick is on his way to a high stakes Poker tournament and he is only $3000 short of the $25000 entry fee. It`s time to call in some old debts so he goes to visit his old bank manager friend. Naturally the bank is closed, so to pass the time, he gets into a friendly little game at the local saloon. There he encounters the charming Annabelle Bransford and the somewhat less friendly Angel. The game is eventful, but afterwards Maverick finds that Annabelle is a far more challenging proposition as she skilfully lifts his wallet. The next day, after failing to get his money, he joins Miss Bransford on a stagecoach where they also meet upright lawman, Zane Cooper who selflessly allows Maverick to be the hero and risk his life to save the runaway stage, much to Bret`s fury. Maverick must get to the riverboat tournament, accompanied by the scheming Miss Bransford and the infuriating Cooper, while attempting to get the 3000 dollars he needs. It`s a wild and manic ride and that`s just to get to the high stakes game.