BURLINGAME, Calif., Feb. 20, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Mobile entertainment pioneer Limbo 41414 and Encourage Marketing have teamed up with the Vegas Grand Prix to offer players an unprecedented shot at the ultimate Vegas experience. Race fans, poker enthusiasts and dreamers everywhere can bid for the chance to step in to the posh celebrity lifestyle of the Las Vegas big leagues and live the life of a poker pro for a weekend.
This once-in-a-lifetime Vegas Grand Prix Limbo Auction will provide a huge payout to one lucky low bidder, highlighted by a $10,000 buy-in to the first VGP Celebrity Poker Event. The winner will sit at the tables with celebrities and top poker pros on April 6, the first night of the Vegas Grand Prix Festival.
Moreover, to prepare for the tournament, the winning bidder will receive a two-hour private tutorial with Patrick Antonius, widely regarded as the best heads-up poker player in the world. The winner will also be entered into the $500 buy-in Main Event poker tournament which expects to draw 2,000 players and have a total pot of nearly $1,000,000.
To complete the Las Vegas VIP experience, the winner and a guest will receive full access to the Vegas Grand Prix race weekend events taking place April 6-8. The Limbo Auction is now live and bids will be accepted through April 1. Complete rules and details are available at www.41414.com.
"We wanted to kick-off the first Vegas Grand Prix weekend with a real roar and our mobile Limbo Auction does just that," said Jim Freudenberg, president of Vegas Grand Prix. "Race fans everywhere can now take part in the action we are bringing to Las Vegas."
The "Limbo Auction" is an engaging text messaging game - played via cell phone or online - that integrates the components of both a sweepstakes and an auction. A Limbo Auction is distinct from any other experience in that it's a truly interactive game where the winner is the person making the lowest bid that no other player makes, not the highest bid. It encourages players to develop and employ bidding strategies and to stay highly engaged during each round as they receive comments and tips regarding their bids (e.g., "you're the lowest unique bid," "your bid is unique but not the lowest," etc.).
Since launching in January 2006, Limbo 41414 has run more than 500 Limbo Auctions, awarding more than $450,000 in prizes. Limbo 41414 winners have purchased luxury items including a Hummer H3 for $36.65, a Mini Cooper for $50.43, and a year's supply of gasoline and a plasma TV for $54.24 and $8.85, respectively.
To compete in the Vegas Grand Prix Limbo Auction, bidders can text the word POKER to 41414 or play on Limbo 41414's website at www.41414.com. Additionally, Limbo 41414's new web play widget will be featured on the Vegas Grand Prix website, www.vegasgrandprix.com, where players can track bids placed, unique bids held (bids that no other player has placed), and receive Limbo Auction tips to help them create strategies and to improve their odds.
About Vegas Grand Prix
The Vegas Grand Prix is a three-day festival of speed and entertainment being held April 6-8, 2007 that will encircle the heart of downtown Las Vegas. The weekend will feature rock concerts, celebrity poker tournament, Easter services, an impressive Easter egg hunt and culminate in the internationally televised 2007 series opener for the Champ Car World Series.
The racing portion of the weekend will also present a Historic Grand Prix with legendary open-wheel racers participating as well as the season opener for Champ Car Atlantic - Champ Car's support series. The temporary street circuit is a 2.44-mile, 12-turn course through the heart of "Glitter Gulch." Champ Cars generate nearly 750 horsepower and can reach speeds up to 180 miles per hour on the Vegas street course. It is expected to be one of the largest events in the history of downtown Las Vegas.
About Limbo 41414
Limbo 41414 (www.41414.com) is defining a new category of mobile entertainment with its text-message based game play. The company brings consumers an engaging community-driven entertainment gaming experience while delivering exposure to leading brands and media companies through branded prizes. Headquartered in Burlingame, California, Limbo 41414 is a private corporation backed by two of the world's top Venture Capital funds: Azure Capital Partners (www.azurecap.com) and Draper Fisher Jurvetson (www.dfj.com).
Limbo 41414's patented text messaging service can be played through all major U.S. mobile operators including Alltel, Amp'd, Boost, Cincinnati Bell, Cingular, Dobson, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, and Virgin Mobile USA in addition to Canadian giants Aliant Mobility, Bell Mobility, Fido, MTS Mobility, Rogers Wireless, SaskTel Mobility, TELUS Mobility and Virgin Mobile Canada.
The Limbo 41414 logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2744
About Encourage Marketing
With systemic changes occurring in the way consumers and businesses learn about, shop for, and purchase goods and services, Encourage Marketing (www.emktg.com) was launched in 2001 with a mission - to help clients gain competitive advantage through technology-enabled marketing strategies, and to conceive and implement integrated marketing programs leveraging the unique properties of the Internet as a communications platform. Using tactics such as viral email, grassroots awareness efforts, and promotions, Encourage helps marketers get their message out in ways appropriate to the medium - and with consequently greater ROI.