Kidding aside, one trait most kids card games do share is the fact that discarding and drawing play a big role. Several of the best poker games today share these traits as well.

“Got any 4’s?” “Nope, go fish!”

Got 4 cards to a wheel in 2-7 Triple Draw? Go fish!

Draw games are some of the most fun poker variants you’ll find in a mixed game, so let’s go through them and get you ready to relive the excitement of drawing from the ol’ Uno deck.

In this section of our Mixed Games Poker Guide, we’ll be covering the classic variants of 2-7 Triple Draw, A-5 Triple Draw, 5-Card Draw, and Badugi, as well as some variations that have evolved in the wider mixed games collective like Badacey, Badeucey, and Archie.

Also, be sure to check out our other Mixed Games Poker Guide articles on Flop Games and Stud Games.

THE CLASSICS

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw

Let’s start with the most popular and common version of draw, and also one of the most popular games overall in a mix, as it is action packed and can play significantly bigger than other games in the rotation (especially when played as pot limit or in rare appearances no limit, but for our purposes here, we’ll focus on limit).

In 2-7 Triple Draw, the goal is to make the best five-card low hand without making a straight or flush (aces play high), so 23457 (known as a wheel or number 1) is the best possible hand.

Players are dealt five cards face-down with a button and two blinds in play. Pre-draw betting begins to the left of the blinds, as in flop games, where players can fold, call, or raise. At the completion of betting, players must then decide which of their cards to discard and subsequently draw new cards in hopes of improving their hand, beginning with the blinds.

Action continues with two more rounds of betting and drawing, followed by a final round of betting, with the lowest hand following the third draw declared the winner. At any point in the hand, a player can ‘stand pat’ and no longer draw if they feel their hand needs no further improvement (or if they wish to ‘snow’, or bluff).

As mentioned, this version of the game is played with a limit betting structure, so in a $10-20 game, the betting increments pre-draw and after the first draw are $10. After the second and third draw, they increase to $20.

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Tip: Don’t leave home without a deuce

There is a lot of strategy involved in playing Triple Draw well, and many ways you can get in trouble in a hand. Check out the Learning Resources section of our Mixed Games Poker Guide for a deeper dive into this and all the mixed games we discuss.

As with all poker games, starting hand selection is a large part of playing Triple Draw well, and arguably the most important and powerful starting card to hold in any poker game is the deuce in 2-7 Triple Draw. Without it, you literally can not make one of the strongest possible hands. The best hand you can make is 86543, which is the 9th best possible hand. You can also run into more possibilities of making straights, and if you don’t have a deuce, your opponents likely do, which will make drawing to a deuce more difficult if that’s what you’re hoping to do.

If you are dealt a pat 8 to begin with, you should keep it and play it aggressively as opposed to breaking (discarding) and drawing to a 7, but if you don’t have that deuce when you are drawing, you’ll be making life more difficult than it should be.

Limit A-5 Triple Draw

Though a much rarer variant in the realm of draw games, A-5 triple draw is nearly identical to its 2-7 cousin, with identical deal, betting and drawing structures. However, hand strengths are the key difference, as straights and flushes no longer count against you, so A2345 is now the best possible hand (hence the name).

As such, strategies change significantly with seemingly more possibilities to make hands, and one card (the deuce), not having the power it did when straights counted against you.

Limit A-5 Triple Draw Tip: Pat 8’s ain’t what they used to be

As mentioned earlier, in 2-7 Triple Draw, a pat 8 is a decently strong starting hand, and should be patted and played aggressively. However, in A-5, with a 7 no longer being the lowest possible made hand, the value of a pat 8 diminishes significantly. There are many more opportunities to break your hand and draw to improve.

For example, if you are dealt 8642A to start, you’re better off discarding the 8 and drawing to improve. You have three draws to catch a 3 or 5 to make a very strong 6, or you could catch a 7 to improve to a ‘pattable’ 7642A. Once you’ve made a 7, it’s usually best to pat it and play aggressively against opponents still drawing to force them to pay to outdraw you.

No Limit 2-7 Single Draw

No Limit 2-7 (a.k.a., “Kansas City Lowball”) is seen by many poker players as the most ‘true’ form of poker. A hand is dealt identically to the triple draw games above (straights and flushes count against you, too, as in 2-7 triple draw), but two big changes make the game drastically different, and they’re right there in the name of the game: No limit betting, and one draw.

With only two betting rounds (pre- and post-draw), the amount of information a player can gather from their opponent is very limited. You get information from their pre-draw action, the number of cards they draw, and their post-draw action. That’s it. Oh, and one more thing…

Live. Reads.

Hence why this variant is seen as such a pure form of poker. In the live version of the game, there may be no other variant where knowing your opponent and picking up a live tell is as important. Looking your opponent in the eye and determining whether they’ve got it or not is a big part of No Limit Deuce, and its why you’ll see the best players in the world succeeding at the game.

There are online games available, and they are fun (ultimately NL 2-7 is just a really fun game), but they’re just not the same without the live element of reading your opponent.

Don’t be afraid though if you’re reading skills aren’t among the elite. Bet sizing, timing tells, and pot odds all still huge elements of being a successful NL 2-7 player. And did I mention it’s a lot of fun?

No Limit 2-7 Single Draw Tip: A pat Jack is a favorite over any 1 card draw

When it comes to poker strategy, there is a lot to such a simple game. With only the one draw, hand strengths change drastically from triple draw games. Knowing your opponents and their hand ranges is key, but one rule stands above all others and it’s pretty simple: A pat Jack is a favorite over ANY 1 card draw.

The pat Jack is the line. No matter how strong your opponent is drawing, the fact that they’re drawing makes their hand inferior. If you have the roughest Jack possible (JT986), it’s still a favorite to win against even the strongest of one card draws.

Position is as always a huge positive, but in a situation where you may have played your made Jack aggressively and gone to the draw against an opponent who is out of position, you’ll know exactly what to do against them.

5-Card Draw

Prior to the poker boom, if there was a draw poker game you grew up playing, it was likely 5-Card Draw. Nowadays, the game is virtually impossible to find save for mixed cash games, WSOP Dealers Choice or Big Bet Mix events, and a spattering of online offerings.

Action is dealt identically to the above games, however in this game you want to make the best hand, using the standard rank of hands. 5-Card Draw can be played as a limit triple draw game, but is best and most commonly played as either a pot limit or no limit game with one draw.

5-Card Draw Tip: Know your draws

Deception is not as prominent a part of 5-Card Draw as it can be with other draw games, which is frankly a large part of its lack of popularity. It’s really a pretty simple game. Both your and your opponents pre-draw hand strength will be quite apparent to observant players, and as such, you’ll need to be observant to how both they and you draw.

A player drawing one card obviously has either two pair, four to the straight or flush, or in very rare cases, four-of-a-kind.

If drawing two, an opponent has either three-of-a-kind, a pair with a high card (not recommended – draw three when holding a pair for the best chance at making three-of-a-kind), or in some cases a two-card draw to a straight or flush (just don’t).

Three-card draws are almost always a pair unless a player in the blinds gets the opportunity to draw cheaply with two high cards.

Four- and five-card draws you should only see from the big blind. If you notice a player acting otherwise, don’t let them leave the game!

Badugi

Badugi is one of the most unique draw games and, as you’ll see shortly, the perfect addition to some of the exciting split-pot draw game variations coming up! It is played as a lowball game where the lowest four-card hand wins, but in this game, you also must try to make your hand unsuited (known as a Badugi), so A234 of all four suits is the best possible hand (straights do not count against you but flushes obviously do).

The game is dealt similarly to the above games, with a button and two blinds, but players are dealt only four cards face-down before any of the drawing rounds. Badugi is played as a triple draw game, but can be played limit, pot limit or no limit, with limit and pot limit the most common.

As with the other triple draw games, there is a round of betting before the first draw and after each of the three draws, before a winner is declared at showdown unless all other players fold.

The goal is ultimately to make a Badugi (any Badugi, even KQJT beats an incomplete Badugi), but in many cases that doesn’t happen, in which case the lowest three-card incomplete Badugi hand wins at showdown. For example, Ah2d3s3d would be the nut 3-card Badugi (the 3d does not play), and beats any other incomplete hand, which leads us to our strategy tip…

Badugi Tip: Start from the bottom and work your way up

As it is not a given that you’ll make a Badugi once the three draws have been completed, having the potential of a superior three-card hand as a backup versus an opponent also drawing is key.

For example, if your opponent starts with Td 2s Ah 6h, the lowest possible Badugi they can make on one draw is a 10, if they discard the 6h. Conceivably they could draw a low club, say 4c and have the option to break the 10 and draw to the 4 (if there are more draws to come), but Badugis are hard to make, so it’s better to just make a good one in the first place by starting with multiple low cards, than be starting by trying to make a bad or marginal Badugi.

If you start with say 5c 4h 2d Kd, sure you could draw the Ks giving you a bad Badugi, but you’re also live to multiple low spades that could give you a nearly unbeatable Badugi.

Also, playing in position is huge in Badugi. If you do make an ugly Badugi, at least you have the option in position to pat it if your opponent draws in front of you, knowing that at least it is ahead. If you’re out of position with a marginal Badugi, you’ll be hard pressed to know if it’s good vs. a late position opponent patting.

THE VARIANTS

Badacey / Badeucey

What’s better than playing a draw game? Playing two of them simultaneously in a split-pot game! Badacey and Badeucey are a little tough to find if you’re not near a casino that spreads a regular mixed game, as there are no online offerings of it, but if you can find one, jump in and make sure the Badacey and Baduecey plaques are in the mix because they’re both great games, with a lot of similarities, but enough differences to give each its individual flair.

Both are spread as 5-card triple draw games, usually limit, and usually capped at 6-handed because of the number of cards in play and discarded.

The key differences are that Badacey is played as a Badugi / A-5 split, while Baduecey is a Badugi / 2-7 split. Strategies vary accordingly as, along with the best 4-card Badugi hand, players will be trying to also make the best 5-card A-5 or 2-7 hand to scoop both halves of the pot. In Badacey, since straights do not count against you with A-5 rules, a standard A234 Badugi would be the best possible. However, in Baduecey, aces play high and straights count against you as with 2-7 rules, so 2345 would be the best possible Badugi.

Badacey / Baduecey Tip: How low should you go?

Let’s start with what you should look for in a Badugi hand. As we discussed in our Badugi section above, it’s better to start as low as possible when drawing to a Badugi. This is doubly important in these games as, since you will be dealt five cards instead of four, a quality Badugi will be easier to make. Therefore it is critical if you aim to scoop both sides of the pot that you take advantage of this fact, and start with at least three low cards that can make both a premium Badugi hand AND a A-5 or 2-7 hand. Start with the basis for a good Badugi that can also easily improve to at least a decent lowball hand as well, whether it’s A-5 or 2-7.

As for how low you should go? A decent guideline is to aim for a 7 Badugi and a 7 low A-5 hand in Badacey. In Baduecey, you can try to go a little higher aiming for a 7 or 8 Badugi, with an 8 low 2-7 being strong. That said, depending on how your opponents play, you can loosen these standards if you see them regularly showing down higher hands than these.

Bonus Tip: Hammer your dealt pat hands or keep it super friendly

Sometimes you will be dealt an extremely strong one-way hand that is the virtual nuts for half the pot but needs improvement for the other half (e.g., 7h5h4h3h2c in Baduecey. You have a wheel which can not be beat, but only two usable Badugi cards). In these cases, pat your hand and either: A) Do your best to thin the field to scoop by forcing your opponents all to fold, or B) in a super loose splashy game, build the pot as best you can while freerolling multiple opponents to showdown, and make a decent profit from your half of the pot. On rare occasions you may get quartered if an opponent also makes a wheel, but quarterings are far less frequent in these games than in Omaha 8 or Better.

Archie

Archie is one of the rarest and most complex draw games, though it has grown in popularity on the Las Vegas mixed game scene for just that reason. It’s a lot of fun, but it can be a complex game with a lot of nuance and definitely favors more experienced mixed game players. So, if you’re new to this game, be careful as there can be a lot of seemingly enticing situations that can get you in trouble.

Archie is basically 5-card triple draw high/low split with qualifiers. Half the pot goes to the highest hand, half goes to the lowest A-5 hand. Of note, you must qualify your hand to be eligible for any part of the pot. For a qualifying low hand, you must make an 8 low or better. For a qualifying high hand, you must make either a pair of 6’s or a pair of 9’s (rules vary from room to room).

If there is no qualifying low hand at showdown, the entire pot is awarded to the highest hand. If there is no qualifying high hand, the pot is scooped by the lowest hand.

Quite often the pot will be split, as players will often be dealt strong one-way hands or draws and play solely for that half of the pot in a multiway situation. As with any split pot game though, our goal is to scoop the whole pot yourself! It will be tough to do that, but here’s a tip on how to do just that!

Archie Tip: Low hands with high potential are premiums for a scoop, or at least a strong chance at half

Barring a rare occasion where you are just dealt the nuts both ways, you’ll likely need to improve in some aspect to scoop a pot. Four low straight cards or four low suited cards are the premiums in this aspect.

If you are dealt 2356J, for example, you’ll be discarding the Jack and drawing one with plenty of opportunity to make either a strong low with an ace, 7 or 8 (which will likely win you half the pot), or there are those four 4’s out there that could scoop you the entire pot.

Four low suited cards are a similarly huge starter with possibilities to make a strong high (with a 9 or higher flush) a strong low (with an offsuit non-pairing card that gives you five cards 8 or lower), or a potential scooper (with a fifth flush card 8 or lower).

As mentioned in the Badacey /Baduecey section above, once you’ve made a hand, it’s up to you to determine whether you want to protect your hand and/or fold out opponents by raising aggressively, or building the pot by keeping others in if you’re resigned to playing for half.

When it comes to poker, that’s no different. Along with studying and dedicating yourself more to your game of choice (for most, No Limit Hold ‘em), It’s also a great time to take up a new game… or 8, or 10.

Anyone who knows me knows I love the mixed games, and it thrilled me to see over 16,000 players kicking off the year in a small stakes 8-game tourney on PokerStars recently.

Mixed games are alive, well, and growing, and I would love to see them grow even more this year with new players.

As such, I wanted to put together a quick guide of beginners’ tips for the games in a standard 8- to 10-game mix.

This will consist of some very fundamental advice for the newest of players (and like any strategy advice in poker, there are always exceptions), but at the end of this guide I’ll also point you towards some excellent resources that will go far more in depth than I will.

First, a general rule for all games: know the basic rules of whatever you’re playing before you jump in. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen beginners playing 2-7 draw games like they’re Five Card Draw or Ace to Five. Know the fundamentals and give yourself a fighting chance.

And since No Limit Hold ‘em is in an 8-game mix, I’ll just leave this here: Enough with the open limping!

I’m not going to get into it all, but where we’re at in 2021 when it comes to No Limit Hold ‘em theory, it’s universal (outside of the highest levels) that open limping is just not a good play.

Okay, mini-rant over. I’ve gone and calmed down a bit (read: dusted off some bankroll money, lol) by playing some live dealer casino 2021. Now, let’s get to the good stuff!

Pot Limit Omaha: No danglers!

One of the appeals for new players to the great game of Pot Limit Omaha (said with Joey Ingram emphasis) is the action provided by having four hole cards instead of two. Twice the cards = twice the fun, right?

Well, if you’re playing with 3 cards while everyone else is playing with 4, you’re instantly at a huge disadvantage.

Got a random low card along with those 3 sweet broadway cards? That dangling low card instantly kills a good chunk of your equity. Barring a crazy rare runout giving you trips or better with that random dangler, your starting hand is seriously hampered.

Plain and simple, you’re given 4 cards. Make sure they all work together in some fashion.

Limit Hold ‘em: Bet and raise small pairs, don’t limp and call

The structure of the game may be the same, but the differences between Limit and No Limit Hold ‘em are huge.

One of the major ways in which the games diverge in strategic approach is how to play hands that in No Limit you’d be happy seeing flops with, and cashing in on implied odds. Well in Limit, that’s just not a thing. You do not want to go multiway with small pairs, especially out of position. You want to play pots heads up as much as possible, and not give the big blind incentive to see the flop. As such, you need to be raising and 3-betting small pairs preflop.

Postflop, having position is huge because just like in No Limit Hold ‘em, way more often than not, you won’t flop a set. Pairs are great, but they can still be vulnerable to whatever your opponent had preflop, given that despite your 3-bet, they’ll still be getting tremendous odds on a call.

Be ready to keep up the aggression, but with great odds both preflop and on the flop, your opponent will rarely fold, so have an idea of how they play, and whether or not you’ll be able to get them off their hand with sustained aggression, (especially on the turn, where the bigger bet sizes begin) if the board doesn’t run out in your favour.

Many times that small pair may end up the winner at showdown vs. missed draws or overcards that missed.

Omaha 8 or Better: No middle card garbage

Split pot games cause new players a lot more problems than they should.

Although there are plenty of ways to have chips pushed to you with high and low possibilities, the goal is to scoop the entire pot. Along with generally playing WAAAAAAY too many hands, far too often new players start with hands that look enticing but give them no shot at scooping.

Hands like 679J or JT65 may look promising, with plenty of straight-y possibilities (and flush potential if suited), they have huge potential for disaster.

In small stakes games, you’re very likely to find yourself in multiway situations postflop. If you make a straight, and a 3-flush hits the board, someone likely has you beat with a flush. Even if you have a flush, its vulnerable to better flushes, and above all, if a low comes on board it’s VERY likely your weak low won’t be good.

Hands like these leave you praying to win half the pot at best with marginal made hands. These are situations you want to avoid. Start with hands that have good potential to win you both halves of the pot. Will it mean you have to fold a lot? Yup, but I’m sure you’d rather keep your chips than give ’em away to strangers, right?

Hands with aces in them are off to a great start. Add a low card like a 2 or a 3, sprinkle in some high hand potential with big pairs, suitedness to the ace, or another wheel card (2,3,4,5), and you’ve got a recipe for success more often than not in Omaha 8 or Better.

Razz: You need 5 cards to make a winning hand

Ok, this may seem obvious as a basic rule of most poker games, including Razz, but the point I want to make here is that on 3rd (and 4th) street in Razz, you have an incomplete hand. As such, piling in multiple bets on these streets is generally not a good play.

Equities run much closer than you might expect in the early streets of Razz. Sure, you may have A23 vs. your opponent’s door card 8, or even a defended bring in, but only 60% of your hand is made. Piling in bets based on the “strength” of your hand this early is dangerous. Here come the broadway cards and a paired 3 the rest of the way (seriously… why does that always seem to happen?!). Now how does that A23 look?

If you catch good on 4th and your opponent(s) catch bad, then you can start applying pressure, but unless you have a notable advantage in the hand, piling in bets on early streets is a pitfall that beginners should avoid.

7 Card Stud: Do not double bet on 4th street

The Tournament Director’s Association (TDA) actually removed this archaic rule (when an open pair is shown on 4th street, that player has the option to make a double bet; e.g., In a 5-10 game, you can bet 10 instead of 5) recently for TDA-approved tournament play, but you may still find this option available in cash games and online.

Don’t do it!

In a game with no exposed cards, a big bet could still represent a bluff, but in stud, where your cards are right there for everyone to see, why in the world would you want to scare away your opponents with a big bet holding an open pair?! The minimum you’re representing is two pair, and only a comparable hand or huge draw can reasonably continue. As always, there could be rare exceptions, but in general it’s a terrible play.

Stud 8 or better: 9s, 10s, and high cards kill your starting hand

Okay, straight up: If you have a 9 or a 10 as your door card, unless you’re rolled up (3-of-a-kind on 3rd street), maybe have buried aces, or maybe, MAYBE have a 3-card straight flush, FOLD!

Again, there can be exceptions based on who your opponents are and your position in the hand, but in general 9s and 10s are the very worst cards you can have in your hand in Stud 8. Picture cards usually pose the same problem if they’re unpaired to start the hand.

Essentially if you have two babies and a high card banana to start, your hand is trash. Forget about thinking about “well I have two low cards, I could maybe make a low.” Great, but unless you also pair that high card, or run out a low straight or flush, you’re very unlikely to win both sides of the pot.

Just like in Omaha 8, scooping the pot is your goal. And like in many small stakes games, there are likely to be more multiway pots with opponents making these mistakes. As such, you need to be the player starting strong and giving yourself the best chance to win the entire pot with stronger starting hands.

Bonus tip: Razz hands pose equal danger. Not all 3-low-card starting hands are created equal. Hands like 863 and 752 that are unconnected and unsuited may win you the low, but are very unlikely to win you the high as well.

Always be playing to scoop the pot in split pot games.

2-7 Triple Draw: Don’t leave home without a deuce

This is an easy one. The game is deuce to seven triple draw. Not three to eight, not four to nine. Deuce to Seven.

Therefore, if your starting hand does not have a deuce in it, you begin at a huge disadvantage. Simply because without a deuce, the best hand you can make is 86543, the ninth-best hand possible. Furthermore, if you don’t have a deuce, and your opponents are competent, they are likely to have one, limiting your ability to catch one.

As always, there are some rare exceptions. If you are dealt a pat 8 without a deuce for example, you do not want to break this hand, as it is quite strong, and you should be playing it aggressively before the first draw. However, if you are drawing, you should have that deuce in your hand.

Imagine if you have 7543x. Sure you have a draw to #1, the best hand you can make, but you can only draw that deuce. If you draw an 8, you have a good hand (87543), but it’s only the 13th best hand possible and can easily be outdrawn, especially against multiple opponents.

If you have 7432x, you’re in much better shape because you can draw one of four 5s or one of four 6s to make #1 (75432), or #2 (76432), or an 8 to at least make the 10th best hand (87432).

Of any game, it can safely be argued that a deuce in 2-7 Triple Draw is the most powerful card relative to the game. Even more so than an ace in Omaha 8 or Stud 8.

No Limit 2-7 Single Draw: A pat jack is a favourite against any 1 card draw

While the goal of making as low a hand as possible is the same as in the limit triple draw version, the methods and criteria for a quality hand is significantly different in the no limit single draw version.

With only one draw, and no limit betting, hand strengths differ greatly versus in triple draw. With only one crack at improving your hand, your initial hand strength is hugely significant.

There is a lot more to the game than one might think, and the more you study and play, you’ll quickly discover this. But when it comes to that initial hand strength, any pat Jack, (even JT986) is a favorite over any drawing hand (even 7432x).

Think of it like a coin flip preflop in Hold ‘em. A pair is a slight favorite against two overcards. This is also the case with pat Jacks in 2-7 Single Draw. Therefore, if you are dealt a made hand Jack low or better, and you think your opponent will be drawing, you should be patting it (not drawing) and playing it aggressively before the draw.

Badugi: Build up! (start with lower cards)

Badugi plays identically to triple draw in structure and drawing rounds, but building your hand from your lowest cards up is even more important because the best 3-card hand will be the winner if no one has made a badugi.

Equities run far wider than in triple draw. Unsuited A23 and A34 may look very close, but the A23 is actually a near 4-to-1 favorite because the A34 must improve, while the A23 does not need to, yet still could.

The smoother (lower) you start, the better chance of winning you’ll have even if you don’t improve. If you have a 359 for example, the best hand you can make is a 9 badugi. If you don’t improve, any 3-card hand lower than a 9 beats you. Even if you do improve to a 9 badugi, there’s no guarantee it’ll be the best hand by the final draw if your opponent is drawing smoother than you.

Bottom line, start and go low! Not only is ace-deuce is a great start in Omaha 8, but also in Badugi!

Mixed game resources

Poker Books

Mastering Mixed Games – Dylan Linde

If I could only recommend one resource for both beginners to mixed games, and existing players looking to improve, it is Dylan Linde’s outstanding book. Linde provides both basic and advanced strategies for all games, including some of the more obscure ones you may only find in a live setting (Badeucy, Badacey). For under $40, The amount of information provided is invaluable.

A Poker Player’s Guide to Mixed Games – Ken Lo

This 2014 book may have flown under the radar, but it’s still available and an outstanding resource for both beginners and experienced players alike. It is incredibly thorough, going through the basics of each game before diving into deeper strategy. It’s actually the biggest book I have in my poker library at almost 700 pages, but not a page is wasted. Don’t let the size scare you. It’s well worth the read, and a great value also at under $40.

Super System 2 – multiple authors

This was the first book I read that really had multiple great chapters on mixed games. The original Super System does as well, but the information is now quite dated, while SS2 was written by more contemporary players (in 2005), such as Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman and Todd Brunson, and still holds up quite well. Their sections (Negreanu, 2-7 Triple Draw; Harman, Limit Hold ‘em; Brunson, Stud 8 or better) I can still highly recommend.

Finding a physical copy of SS2 can be a bit difficult, but the Kindle version is available for under $10.

Run it Once Elite membership

This is on the pricier end of the spectrum at just under $1000/yr, but with coaches like Chris George, George Danzer and online mixed game wizard Iteopepe88, along with the huge amount of training RIO provides on No Limit Hold ‘em and PLO, a RIO membership will truly get you elite level training for all games.

Run It Up WCOOP review with Jason Somerville and Daniel Negreanu

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This is THE BEST free piece of content available on HORSE. In 2016, JCarver and DNegs sat down for a 4-hour video breakdown of Daniel’s WCOOP HORSE win. It’s awesome to hear Daniel go through his thoughts on the final table, and honestly, aside from the aforementioned Run It Once Elite content, its really the only place you can find a mixed game hand history review with an elite poker player. Oh, and have I mentioned that it’s FREE?!?!?

Twitch streams

Twitch has become a hugely popular source of poker entertainment, and learning. While the biggest streamers are generally No Limit Hold ‘em players, there are some streamers on the platform whose main focus is playing and growing mixed games. At the top of the list are PokerStars’ streamers Mason Pye (pyefacepoker), and Georgina James (GJReggie), along with Scott Kenyon (Pokerbrahs), who has crushed me both online and live, and is incredibly good at winning flips for table massages (but that’s another story).

Rec Poker PokerStars Home Games

The crew at Rec Poker are a great bunch of people, dedicated to growing poker for recreational players. Along with nightly No Limit Hold ‘em tournaments, a monthly series, and an international series, they run a monthly mixed game tournament series with a leaderboard and player of the year award. To prepare for the monthly mixed game, each Saturday they’ll run a warmup game of whichever the game of the month is.

It’s a great way to play and learn with a group of friendly folks, and as it’s a free home game, can be played from anywhere in the world, even the United States!

So be sure to check them out and jump on into the mixed games. You’ll find me there defending my Player of the Year title.

Good luck, and have fun in the ‘banana game’ streets!

via GIPHY