Norman Chad – Cardplayer Lifestyle https://cardplayerlifestyle.com Wed, 16 Aug 2023 22:57:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3 Top 10 Highlights of Mixed Game Festival V https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/top-10-highlights-of-mixed-game-festival-v/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 14:42:16 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=59823 It’s amazing to look back now, in August 2023, and think that Cardplayer Lifestyle has successfully put on five Mixed Game Festivals. Back in late 2019, the idea was just a twinkle in my eye! Our first one was supposed to have been announced in March 2020 — of course we had to put things on hold for 1.5 years until finally announcing it. Fast forward some, and less than two years after staging our first one, we’ve now got a handful under our belts.

With each new Mixed Game Festival, it’s important to me to try and improve, tweak, and ensure that we do better than the previous time. I obviously have my personal goals to fulfill, but above all, my three aims always are that the venue enjoy hosting our players, that sponsors feel glad to have supported the event, and that our players have a great time. Beyond that, of course, the uniqueness of our festivals — versus other “meet up games” — is that they are designed to help promote and grow mixed game poker.

I’d like to believe that we once again achieved all of our goals with Mixed Game Festival V, which wrapped up a few weeks ago at Resorts World Las Vegas. I can’t help but smile and think back to a number of highlights where I believe we truly succeeded. I’ve put together my top 10 and have listed them below, as well as why I specifically believe these are highlights worth reminiscing about.

three tables Mixed Game Festival V

Poker Trivia Competition

A festival — by definition — needs to be festive. Beyond just playing poker, we try to incorporate some elements to ensure that our participants 1) show up on time to begin the cash games each day, and 2) have the opportunity to win some cool merchandise and have a great time. Historically, these have included pizza parties and poker book signings.

My daughter Abby suggested that I utilize the Kahoot! portal to create a poker trivia competition. It obviously took some time to prepare, but it was certainly a worthwhile endeavor. Admittedly, one of the most enjoyable parts for me was coming up with incorrect answers for the multiple choice quiz. Special thanks goes to Chad McVean, our Social Media director, who assisted me in running the poker trivia competition. We had close to a dozen people show up to play, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Scavenger Hunt

Another new element we incorporated into Mixed Game Festival V was a scavenger hunt. I had put together a list of 20 items that participants needed to take pictures of and with. At first, only half a dozen people showed up for this one. However, once our cash games began, a wait list formed and rather than just sit and wait, another half dozen players mentioned they wanted to do the scavenger hunt, too, so we ran it back and did so.

It was pretty amusing to see the first hunt’s winner, Mike Patrick, hurtle himself down the final stretch towards the poker room after just 20 minutes, having successfully completed the entire list. It was great to see that every players took the hunt seriously, and put in just as much effort as they did at the felt to try and emerge victorious.

I was elated to see that all of the participants really enjoyed themselves even though of course there could only be a few winners.

Miami John’s unscheduled visit

Something else we try to do to enhance the player experience at our Mixed Game Festivals is arrange for some poker celebrity appearances. I’m grateful that we’ve had the support of many professionals in the poker community who have kindly come out to splash around with our players in the low-stakes dealers choice streets. With that said, I usually make arrangements for these appearances ahead of time, so when a poker celebrity shows up unannounced it’s certainly a welcome surprise.

Prior to Mixed Game Festival V, “Miami” John Cernuto had reached out to me asking if we would be staging any tournaments. I told him that this time it would be an exclusively cash game affair. He said “OK,” and we left it at that. So you could imagine my shocked expression to see him walk in on the second day of MGF V. As I stood up to greet him, John just said “I came to support what you’re doing,” and he proceeded to play $4/$8 limit mixed games with our players for the next hour while I enjoyed a lovely chat with his daughter Debi.

Miami John and daughter Debi

John Maley, “Mr. All-Nighter”

The grand prize for this festival was a PokerStars-sponsored EPT Cyprus Mixed Game Package valued at over $3,000. For every hour of cash game play, a player would earn one entry into the random drawing for the prize package. We’ve done this sort of giveaway before, so it’s no surprise that many players try to put in as many hours as possible. One player, however, took this to an entirely new level.

John Maley drove in from Southern California straight to the Resorts World poker room. He played throughout the day, continued playing throughout the night… and continued further throughout the following day. When he finally got up from the table, over 31 hours had passed and he still looked fresh as a daisy. Only then did John take his bags and check into his hotel room. Having a player that dedicated to playing low-stakes mixed games is just out of this world.

Eli Elezra comes to play my stack

I’m very fortunate to be able to say that over the past few years since I translated his biography, Pulling the Trigger, from Hebrew into English, Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra and I have grown to become very good friends. Eli has always been super kind to come and sign some books at our Mixed Game Festivals as well as splash around with our players. So, I knew he’d make an appearance this time around, but I didn’t know when.

While I was speaking with one of our players, he smiled and told me to turn around. What I saw is that Eli had suddenly appeared in the room and just sat down in my seat, where he proceeded to play my chip stack. I couldn’t help but laugh, but also head over to give him a hug and show my appreciation for his support. For those curious, after about 20 minutes, Eli had successfully added a couple dozen dollars to my chip stack.

Silent auction for two BBO Poker Table Tops

George Chao, CEO of BBO Poker Tables, has always been a supporter of our events. This time around, he contributed half a dozen portable table mats as giveaway items. On the last day of the festival, I still had two that I hadn’t yet distributed. So, I asked some players what would be a good way to give away the two remaining mats.

Someone suggested a silent auction, whereby it would cost a $1 chip to place a bid, and after all bids were submitted the highest one would win. That person’s winning bid plus all of the $1 chips collected would then be equally distributed among the dealers at our mixed game tables. We did this twice, and thus successfully distributed close to $150 in tips to our dealers!

Higher stakes mixed games with Norman, Jan, and Linda

Prior to Mixed Game Festival V, our dealers choice mixed games had exclusively been for stakes of $4/$8 and $8/$16. This time around, Norman Chad agreed to host a special Omaha 8/Stud 8 game for his regular $20/40 stakes on the final day of our festival.

I was happy to see that close to a dozen players signed up ahead of time on the wait list. Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson and Women in Poker Hall of Famer Jan Fisher got seats at the table, too. I’m glad to see that our festivals were able to attract crowds interested in mixed games at multiple price points, and I hope this is something we’ll be able to replicate at future events.

Norman Chad Linda Johnson Jan Fisher

Alek Gillies wins the EPT Cyprus Prize Package

To be fair, whomever would have won the grand prize package would have made this festival’s highlight reel. With that said, it gives me special pleasure that our grand prize winner is a 21-year-old who had never really played mixed games before.

I had the pleasure of playing with Alek for a couple hours, and while he readily admitted that he had no idea how to play mixed games, that nonetheless didn’t stop him from having a great, positive attitude and being willing to learn one new variant after another.

For poker to thrive, we always have to attract new audiences, which means “newly minted” 21-year-olds who can now play legally in poker rooms. Mixed game poker is no different, and it’s always good to lower the average age at the felt and see some 20-somethings enjoying themselves playing dealer’s choice.

Alek Gillies

Post-Festival Shawarma with Brian, Pat, and Matt

We don’t exactly have a “closing ceremony” for our festivals, so after the grand prize is given out, cash games just sort of continue until people get tired of playing and then go their separate ways. This time around, I wanted to celebrate with a nice dinner.

Rather than head to a kosher Las Vegas restaurant alone, it was a special pleasure to bring along some guys who’ve become close friends from one Mixed Game Festival to the next, Pat, Brian, and Matt. Sure, the food at Mother Falafel was great, but the company was what made the meal a memorable one.

shawarma

Charity donations fund a Monday night feeding of the homeless

Ever since our first Mixed Game Festival, there has always been a charity component to our events. I had advertised ahead of time that a portion of proceeds from the poker trivia competition and scavenger hunt would go towards the volunteer-powered Poker Gives charity. Altogether, we were able to collect a total of $300, and a couple button clicks later, the money had been donated.

It’s one thing to just say the money is being given to charity, but it’s entirely another to witness the charity itself being given, and the gratitude from the recipients. I’m grateful that we were able to use Mixed Game Festival V as a vehicle for doing good for some needy people in the Las Vegas community, as you can see in the video below.

]]> Mixed Game Festival V Day 5 Recap: Raymer, Elezra, and the EPT Cyprus Prize Package https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/mixed-game-festival-v-day-5-recap-raymer-elezra-ept-cyprus-prize-package/ Fri, 07 Jul 2023 16:23:25 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=59558 It seems like just yesterday that we were eagerly awaiting the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V at Resorts World Las Vegas. And now, in the blink of an eye, it has come and gone.

The festival was a huge success by all measures. We saw dozens of excited mixed game players – some of whom traveled thousands of miles – join us for five days to play their favorite poker variants in the popular Dealer’s Choice format.

More players took seats throughout the week with limited knowledge of some games, eager to learn. We even had players venture away from No-Limit Hold’em to play mixed games for their first (and hopefully not last) times!

In case you missed them, be sure to check out our recaps from Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 as well.

FossilMan Spends The Day With Us


Day 5 action kicked off at 3 p.m., and 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg “FossilMan” Raymer was already in the room and engaging with players at the start.

Raymer has been a staunch supporter of the Mixed Game Festival since its inception when he won the inaugural MGF H.O.R.S.E. event in October 2021 to earn a PokerStars Platinum Pass.

When play began, Raymer took a seat with host Robbie Strazynski and a full lineup of faces we’d seen all week long. Others came and went as the day turned to night, but Raymer’s presence remained a constant.

In case you missed it, Raymer played the WSOP Main Event on Tuesday, Day 1b, and bagged a top-25 stack in his flight. He will play Day 2 today, and we wish him the best of luck. In the meantime, we couldn’t be more grateful that he took time out of his summer schedule to play and hang out with us.

The Toughest $4/$8 Game in the World

Raymer’s presence was only the beginning of celebrity visits from the poker world.

Poker Hall of Famer and five-time WSOP bracelet winner Eli Elezra took a break from the high-stakes games to play Robbie’s stack for a few hands. I couldn’t imagine a tougher $4/$8 game anywhere on the planet during that time, but there also may not have been a more fun one.

Alek Gilles Is Going To EPT Cyprus

“You got me hooked,” said Alek Gillies on Day 2 of the festival. Gillies, a full-time dealer at Edmonton’s Yellowhead Casino, has been in Vegas all month, working his first summer as a PokerNews live reporter.

When asked what he meant, he said he had so much fun on Day 1 that he had to come to play again after his shift ended at the WSOP.

Gillies was back on the WSOP grind during the festival’s final day. However, he logged plenty of hours throughout the week, each hour giving him an entry into a random drawing for an EPT Cyprus package valued at over $3,000.

PokerNews' Alek Gillies

The draw occurred just after 6 p.m., and Gillies was selected randomly, earning a Mixed Game tournament buy-in of up to €550 with roundtrip airfare and four nights’ accommodation on the Mediterranean island this autumn.

“I’ve never been to Europe,” said Gilles via text message later in the evening. “I’m super excited!”

Upping the ante: Norman Chad hosts $20/$40 O8/Stud8

One of the greatest aspects of the Mixed Game Festival is that it makes low-stakes mixed games accessible for all. However, we also love that it has created enough demand to accommodate the occasional larger game.

WSOP commentator Norman Chad made his second appearance at the festival Thursday, helping to close things out with his very own $20/$40 Omaha 8/Stud 8 game. The game started at 6 p.m. with a full table and a waiting list.

Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson and Women In Poker Hall of Famer Jan Fisher were among those on the waitlist, arriving shortly after cards went in the air. Both found open seats at a $4/$8 Dealer’s Choice table in the meantime, ultimately making it into Norm’s game later in the evening.

Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day – Zak Zimbile

New to the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V, we are featuring a “Player of the Day” each day during the festival, sponsored by PokerCoaching.com. As a reminder, all Mixed Game Festival V attendees can receive a free one-week membership to PokerCoaching.com Premium just by asking Robbie in person for the special link. Check out this article with the specific details of what that entails.

Our final Player of the Day joined us this afternoon to play mixed games for the first time in his life. Naturally, he sat with Greg Raymer on his direct left.

Zak Zimbile was unafraid, eagerly looking to learn the games he was now playing. Raymer was the perfect teacher, explaining everything and helping Zimbile understand games like Drawmaha-Dugi.

Zak Zimbile

Zimbile has played poker on and off for over a decade but is a CPA by trade. Most of his clientele are gamblers  – poker players and sports bettors – and he’s even written articles for Cardplayer Lifestyle about poker players and taxes. He opened his own firm in Las Vegas within the past year and has been upping his poker volume lately, playing cash games three or four days a week.

Zimbile thinks some of the increased volume is due to the time of year. Summer is not only the busiest time for poker in Las Vegas but also after tax season ends. He is enjoying the grind while it lasts but is remembering to have fun, as evidenced by his desire to join us. Off the tables, Zak also loves rock climbing, especially indoors.

Festival Recap

The Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V brought five days of events, giveaways, and $4/$8 Dealer’s Choice cash games.

Opening Day kicked off with a pizza party before cards went in the air on two tables. Later that night, four tables were running with more players present and waiting for seats to open.

Extracurricular events headlined Days 2 and 3 with the first-ever Poker Trivia Competition and Scavenger Hunt. Cardplayer Lifestyle contributor and veteran poker reporter Mike Patrick stole the show both days, but unanimous fun was had all around. Several prominent poker players also visited us on Day 3, including “Miami” John Cernuto, Norman Chad, and a trio of PokerCoaching.com coaches, Justin Saliba, Paul Beitelspacher, and Kieran Woods.

Poker Hall of Fame member Linda Johnson and Women In Poker Hall of Fame member Jan Fisher joined us on Day 4, occupying one of the two opening tables for the afternoon. WPT champion and WSOP bracelet winner Dylan Linde took a seat at the other, taking time to talk strategy with his tablemates and autograph his book, Mastering Mixed Games, for anyone who procured a copy.

The final day concluded with repeat visits from Johnson, Fisher, and Chad. We also concluded the festival by learning new poker variants, making new friends, and forging memories that will last a lifetime.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of such an incredible week. We look forward to the next Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival and hope you do, too. Be sure to join the Cardplayer Lifestyle newsletter to be among the first to find out where and when it will take place.

*Our daily coverage of Mixed Game Festival V is brought to you, with much appreciation, courtesy of PokerStars.

]]> Mixed Game Festival V Day 4 Recap: Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher and Dylan Linde https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/mixed-game-festival-v-day-4-recap-linda-johnson-jan-fisher-dylan-linde/ Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:30:08 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=59525 It’s hard to believe we’re already through four days of the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V. Day 4 saw another full slate of action inside the Resorts World Las Vegas poker room. Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson, Women In Poker Hall of Famer Jan Fisher, and WSOP bracelet winner and Mastering Mixed Games author Dylan Linde all came to start the day’s action.

With a 3 p.m. start time, we got going with three tables, but only two of those tables were new, however. The third (or rather, the first) never stopped running from the day before!

Poker Takes Center Stage

Part of the fun of the Mixed Game Festival comes from festival host Robbie Strazynski’s extracurricular activities like the scavenger hunt and poker trivia competition. Even folks who don’t yet feel comfortable sitting down to try their hands at mixed games pop in to see what all the fuss is about. One such individual was Anish Patel, author of the Final Nine graphic novel, who dropped by to say hello.

Anish Patel

Rumor has it that some more notable “drop-ins” will happen on the festival’s final day… stay tuned for tomorrow’s recap 😉

However, Day 4’s focus was all about poker. (And the Winchell’s donuts provided by Chuck “Donut Boy” Martin). Fisher and Johnson occupied one of the new tables alongside Robbie and several other players who’ve been with us all week.

Linde helped open the other new table alongside a full slate of familiar faces from the week, including prize winners from earlier in the week, Mike Patrick and Scott Sandoval. Linde spent several hours fielding questions and discussing various game strategies with the table, all while engaging with others in the room and signing copies of his book.

The Theme of the Week: Mixed Games Rock!

One of the coolest things about the Mixed Game Festival is how it allows players to get into low-stakes Dealer’s Choice games and learn new poker variants. It’s truly incredible that some of our participants have traveled from all over the country – and even the globe! – to get involved, with the MGF circled on their calendars months in advance.

The festival has also served as an introduction to all the games not named Hold’em. I’d like to say I’m surprised that so many people are falling in love with mixed games after playing, but we all know that wouldn’t be true.

Dylan Linde joined by a table full of mixed game players at the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V.

Dylan Linde with our crew of mixed game lovers

I’m also not surprised to have seen fellow poker media colleagues make regular appearances here. PokerNews has had strong daily representation, including players like the aforementioned Mike Patrick, as well as Connor Richards, Calum Grant, Roxanne Johnson, Alek Gillies, Yori Epskamp, and Frank Visser.

Best of all, everyone has a new favorite game. We saw multi-board variants, like Squid Game and Watermelon regularly called yesterday to complement the Draw game, Stud game, and Flop game offerings in the stack of placards.

Players discuss a hand of Watermelon poker at showdown.

Watermelon

Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day – John Maley

New to the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V, we are featuring a “Player of the Day” each day during the festival, sponsored by PokerCoaching.com. As a reminder, all Mixed Game Festival V attendees can receive a free one-week membership to PokerCoaching.com Premium just by asking Robbie in person for the special link. Check out this article with the specific details of what that entails.

There was a clear-cut winner for Wednesday’s Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day at the Mixed Game Festival.

Orange County’s John Maley (from Fountain Valley, to be exact) had been at his seat for more than 28 hours when we spoke with him at around 9 p.m. It was his new personal best for the longest session he’d played by a long shot.

Maley said he drove in, arriving at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and immediately got in a game. He plays long sessions and intended to stay until the table broke, something that never occurred as the calendar shifted to Wednesday. As a result, he still hadn’t checked into his hotel nearly 30 hours later!

Mixed games are where Maley has the most fun. He has played poker for around 20 years now and started exploring games other than Hold’em after the first five years. He loves the mental stimulation and nuanced differences in strategy that each game provides, which he said helped keep him mentally alert through the marathon session.

When asked about his favorite games, Maley said he enjoys those with multiple boards and ways to win. That said, he loves “The Game” (of poker) and is even cool sitting around the table with players who only know how to play Texas Hold’em, noting that we pretty much all got into the game that way. We should be grateful that it can be a foot in the door for new players in mixed rotations like HORSE and 8-Game.

Maley’s day job also keeps him around the game, as he is a cage supervisor at Commerce Casino. However, there’s not much of a mixed scene at LA casinos, and he credited Las Vegas locals such as Raul Yapor  and “Coach” Donald Shiflett for regularly running mixed games. He also had nothing but love for the room, staff and players at Resorts World.

“They’re all great,” Maley concluded. Over 31 hours after arriving, his table finally broke and he finally got up and checked in to his hotel room. 😁

Day 5 Preview: EPT Giveaway, Norman Chad Returns, and Greg “FossilMan” Raymer

Today’s the last chance to get in on the $4/$8 Dealer’s Choice action at MGF V. We look forward to seeing 2004 WSOP Main Event champion Greg “FossilMan” Raymer and poker commentary legend Norman Chad play today, the latter of whom will be hosting a $20/$40 Omaha 8/Stud 8 mixed game.

Sticking to the week’s theme, we have more prizes to give away on the festival’s final day. In addition to more swag giveaways, a grand prize drawing will take place at 6 p.m. The winner will win an EPT Cyprus package courtesy of festival sponsor PokerStars valued at over $3,000. Every hour of play throughout the week has earned our players one entry into the random drawing, and the winner will receive:

  • A Mixed Game tournament buy-in up to €550
  • Roundtrip airfare for one
  • Four nights’ accommodation

*Our daily coverage of Mixed Game Festival V is brought to you, with much appreciation, courtesy of PokerStars.

]]> Mixed Game Festival V Day 3 Recap: Scavenger Hunts, Miami John Cernuto and Norman Chad https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/mixed-game-festival-v-day-3-recap-scavenger-hunts-miami-john-cernuto-norman-chad/ Wed, 05 Jul 2023 17:20:30 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=59502 Tuesday marked the midway point of the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V, and the day was nothing short of remarkable.

A waitlist of nearly 25 players was already on the board at 10:45am in the Resorts World Las Vegas poker room. Players began filing in around 11:00 for the day’s pre-poker event, the scavenger hunt.

Fast forward to 4 a.m., and we still had enough players for two tables of $4/$8 Dealer’s Choice!

Mixed Game Festival Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunt: So Nice We Ran It Twice!

Just short of a dozen players arrived early to chase their share of $100-value prizes. Cardplayer Lifestyle contributor and PokerNews live reporter Mike Patrick went two for two, finishing the competition in just 20 minutes to score another “free first rack of chips,” a.k.a., a nice rebate on his buy-ins.

A few minutes later, Patrick “Panda” Chen finished second and chose the “bucket o’ swag”, that included a library of poker books, a BBO Poker Tables portable table mat, and a Faded Spade deck set.

The third and final prize was the most fun to determine, as both Ruth Sun and Scott Sandoval arrived simultaneously, only to discover that they were both missing one final item on their lists! The two of them scrambled outside to grab a photo of the Encore Resort in a mad dash to complete their hunts.

In the end, Scott crossed the finish line mere seconds before Ruth was able to make it back to the poker room, thus claiming the $100 voucher to the PokerStars Store.

One by one, the remaining players filed in and learned they had missed the top three. Nonetheless, the competition brought smiles across the board and received immediate rave reviews for “bringing out my inner child”, and of course “every participant was a winner,” taking home a copy of Eli Elezra’s biography Pulling the Trigger or a RunGoodGear-produced Mixed Game Festival T-Shirt.

Chuck Martin was another early arrival who, despite opting to pass on the scavenger hunt, won over everyone’s hearts by bringing some Independence Day-themed donuts for his fellow players to enjoy.

Cards went into the air at noon, and action immediately got underway at two tables. A few folks on the waiting list found themselves with some extra time on their hands, so our founder and event host, Robbie Strazynski, ran an impromptu second scavenger hunt. Among the handful of players, Giancarlo Santolin came out on top to earn his own “bucket ‘o swag.”

Additional giveaways continued throughout the day, with players engaging in blind hold’em flips, needing to be the first to make a nut (high or low) hand, and fulfill other unique at-the-felt requirements to claim some sweet swag.

Some of Poker’s Finest Join Us on Day 3

Within the next couple hours, several prominent poker professionals entered the room alongside two tables of $4/$8 dealer’s choice and its waitlist.

Some of our friends from PokerCoaching.com– Justin Saliba, Paul Beitelspacher, and Kieran Woods – stopped by to chat with players. It was a repeat visit for Saliba, who – while regularly running in the high roller No Limit Hold’em circuit these days – openly shared that he absolutely loves splashing around in the low-stakes mixed game streets.

Mixed Game Festival V Poker Coaching

Just before the clock struck 3:00pm, mixed game aficionado and all-time tournament in-the-money leader “Miami” John Cernuto stopped by to show his support for grassroots growth of mixed game poker.

A third table opened shortly thereafter with eight more players taking their seats, one of whom wasted no time putting the table into a frenzy of laughter and lightening up an already enjoyable atmosphere.

Of course, that player was Norman Chad, another longtime mixed game lover and MGF regular. If you missed him, he’ll be back on Day 5 (Thursday) to captain a special $20/40 Omaha 8/Stud 8 table.

Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day – Roxanne Johnson

New to the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V, we are featuring a “Player of the Day” each day during the festival, sponsored by PokerCoaching.com. As a reminder, all Mixed Game Festival V attendees can receive a free one-week membership to PokerCoaching.com Premium just by asking Robbie in person for the special link. Check out this article with the specific details of what that entails.

Roxanne Johnson

Roxanne Johnson, our Day 3 Player of the Day, hails from Kelowna, British Columbia, a city of around 150,000 four hours east of Vancouver, Canada. She’s a retired court liaison, formerly having worked for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. She has since kept herself busy with other gigs, like her current one as a PokerNews live reporter at the WSOP.

This is her first summer reporting at the Series, but her poker history dates back to pre-Black Friday (2011). She recalls getting into the game through 180-person turbo sit-n-go tournaments on PokerStars and playing regularly on Full Tilt Poker.

More recently in her career, she won a PokerStars Micro Millions event and decided to celebrate with a four-month trip to Europe last year. Her win also earned her an entry to a site-sponsored women’s poker boot camp, and she stayed up until 2 a.m. to participate, since the camp was on a North American schedule.

Roxanne Johnson

Image Credit: PokerNews

The time discrepancy was inconvenient, but the timing was perfect. Boot camp participants earned a seat into a winner-take-all tournament for a PokerStars Platinum Pass, good for a $25K buy-in at the PokerStars Players Championship and travel expenses. The event took place at EPT Prague while she was in Europe, and she bested the field to earn a trip to the Bahamas.

Her poker past notwithstanding, Johnson didn’t get into mixed games until this summer. Having played No-Limit Hold’em primarily, she said her favorite variant so far is Crazy Pineapple due to the similarities with the game she knows so well.

Before jumping back into the action, Johnson took a picture donning a Pokercoaching.com hat and shared the following: “I’m already a member of the site and I love it! They’ve helped my game so much.”

Day 4 is sure to be another fun one today, with more poker celebrities set to make appearances. We look forward to seeing you at Resorts World Las Vegas!

*Our daily coverage of Mixed Game Festival V is brought to you, with much appreciation, courtesy of PokerStars.

]]> Mixed Game Festival V Day 2 Recap: Our First-Ever Poker Trivia Competition Is a Hit! https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/mixed-game-festival-v-day-2-recap-poker-trivia-competition/ Tue, 04 Jul 2023 20:26:32 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=59481 We’re already two days into the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V after the conclusion of play on Monday. Time flies when you’re having fun.

Day 2 stayed true to the MGF theme, with festival host Robbie Strazynski going out of his way to ensure players had fun and were on the receiving end of giveaways throughout the day. A brand new event – the Poker Trivia Competition – headlined the giveaways, awarding the top three finishers hundreds of dollars worth of prizes.

Of course, poker remained the primary attraction inside the Resorts World Las Vegas poker room. Cards officially went into the air at noon with two tables to start, and a third opened shortly after that to accommodate the demand of a 30-person waitlist.

Fourteen hours later, three tables were still going strong.

Trivia Competition Kicks Off Day 2 Festivities

The inaugural Poker Trivia Competition began at 11:30, and players got the memo to arrive early. Familiar faces to the Mixed Game Festival arrived early for the event, including Ruth Sun, Rob “Bergs” Bergman, and PokerNews reporter/Cardplayer Lifestyle contributor Mike Patrick.

In total, nine players got into the competition with their sights set on claiming bragging rights. Robbie quizzed everybody with 30 multiple-choice questions on various poker-related topics, creating an atmosphere full of laughter and excitement. What a surprise – poker players love all things poker!

Shortly before the quiz began, Mike told us that his trivia game was strong. He became an early favorite to take down the competition after climbing into the lead after the first few questions. When all was said and done, he remained on top with nobody able to catch him once he pulled ahead.

For his win, Mike had his choice of three prizes:

  • A “bucket o’ swag”, including a portable table mat from BBO Poker Tables, a collection of Jim Donahue poker books, D&B Poker’s Mastering Mixed Games by Dylan Linde, a PokerGO coffee mug, a two-deck set of cards from Faded Spade and an accompanying Faded Spade hat
  • A $100 voucher credit to the PokerStars Store
  • A “free first rack” rack of $1 chips (a.k.a., $100 toward the player’s first buy-in of the day)

Mike chose the $100 in chips. Second place finisher Brian Dowd chose the “bucket o’ swag” and bronze medal winner Pat Ang shipped the PokerStars voucher. They weren’t the only winners though, as ALL participants received their choice of a RunGoodGear-produced Mixed Game Festival V long-sleeve shirt or a copy of Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra’s book, Pulling the Trigger.

Brian Dowd

Brian with his “bucket o’ swag”

It’s Time to Join Us!

Fewer marathon sessions took place among MGF players on Monday, creating an opportunity to work through the games’ waiting list and allow everybody a seat who wanted one.

After spending the beginning of the day at the festival, I left the room for a few hours and returned a little after 8 p.m. to two open seats across the three still-booming tables calling my name.

I took a seat at Robbie’s table, three to his right, and quickly jumped into Badugi mid-rotation. I didn’t need to worry about calling Razz on him when it became my turn to pick the next game, either, since Cardplayer Lifestyle social media director Chad McVean took care of that earlier in the day.

Plus, we still have three more days to go. I fully intend to call Razz on Robbie sometime before the end of the festival.

Anyway, I got to play a few games I knew, like A-5 Triple Draw and Badeucy, along with new ones for me, like Drawmaha 49 and Archie. After about three-and-a-half hours, it was time for me to retire and begin the day’s recap. I was told the three tables stood solid until 2:30 am until a couple of them broke, with the final table only breaking well after 4:30 am.

Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day – Aidan Long

New to the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V, we are featuring a “Player of the Day” each day during the festival, sponsored by PokerCoaching.com. As a reminder, all Mixed Game Festival V attendees can receive a free one-week membership to PokerCoaching.com Premium just by asking Robbie in person for the special link. Check out this article with the specific details of what that entails.

Day 2’s Player of the Day was Aidan Long, a recent Vegas transplant from Boston. A software developer who works remotely, Long moved to Sin City last September to bring himself closer to the game of poker after beginning to take the game more seriously in 2020.

Long learned how to play poker from his grandparents, who taught him when he spent time with them during summers as a kid. After the pandemic hit, he moved back home and began to play home games with friends.

Despite countless hours of studying over the last few years, Monday was Long’s first foray into mixed games. He came into the room around 4 p.m. intending to play some $2/$5 No-Limit Hold’em and saw our $4/$8 mix, piquing his curiosity enough to sit down while waiting for a spot at his intended game.

Even after hearing his name called for $2/$5 at around 8pm, “there’s no way I was leaving!” said Long in between Razz hands. “I’m loving it!” he added after I asked if he was enjoying the change of pace.

When asked about his favorite game so far, he quickly said Omaha 3-2-1.

Why?

In true poker fashion: because he won!

Three Days Remain

Tuesday marks the midway point of the five-day Mixed Game Festival V, and plenty more fun remains on the docket.

We’ll be hosting a Scavenger Hunt at 11 a.m. today (and awarding more gifts to all participants). More giveaways will take place through the remainder of the festival, and we expect to see some poker celebrities make their way to the room as their Main Event schedules allow.

Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra will make an appearance at some point, as will Mastering Mixed Games author (and WPT/WSOP champion) Dylan Linde, 2004 WSOP Main Event champion Greg Raymer, and more.

We’ll be welcoming the one and only Norman Chad on Thursday, July 6. He will host a $20/$40 O8/Stud 8 mix as a part of MGF V, and players can join the list a day before to ensure a seat with him when the day begins.

Day 3 is sure to be another fun one today. We hope to see you at Resorts World Las Vegas!

*Our daily coverage of Mixed Game Festival V is brought to you, with much appreciation, courtesy of PokerStars.

]]> Mixed Game Festival IV Day 5 Recap: Watchman Wins H.O.R.S.E. Event and EPT Prague Prize Package https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/mixed-game-festival-iv-day-5-recap-watchman-wins-h-o-r-s-e-event-and-ept-prague-prize-package/ Fri, 24 Mar 2023 17:21:08 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=58065 Cardplayer Lifestyle’s Mixed Game Festival IV capped off another successful series at Resorts World Las Vegas yesterday with a $260 H.O.R.S.E. tournament that drew appearances from some of the most familiar faces from throughout the poker community.

The fifth and final day of the festival marked the end of the fourth iteration of Robbie Strazynski’s gathering of mixed game fans and aficionados. Eighty-one players turned out to play for a total prize pool of $17,820 — along with the grand prize of a trip to EPT Prague to play in a mixed game event as a value added bonus for the winner.

The grand prize trip came courtesy of PokerStars, and it includes roundtrip airfare for one, four night’s accommodation, and a buy-in to a mixed game tournament up to €550 at this December’s PokerStars European Poker Tour stop in Prague.

The $260 finale kicked off at 2 p.m. and the field piled in quickly before registration closed at the end of the first break. Mixed game tournaments aren’t offered in Las Vegas as often as no-limit hold’em, so the chance to play H.O.R.S.E. for a free trip to Prague attracted some of the bigger names from the local poker scene.

The Players

PokerGO’s Jeff Platt took a break from the US Poker Open at the Aria to jump into the tournament. He busted out before things could get serious, but he got his H.O.R.S.E. fix before a long weekend at the PokerGO Studio. World Series of Poker commentator Norman Chad also stopped by to say hello, along with Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher.

Jeff Platt

“Miami John” Cernuto was among the others in attendance, and he was joined by two-time bracelet winner Ari Engel. Cernuto took down the Omaha 8/Stud 8 tournament earlier in the series, and Engel finished in second. Both players failed to qualify for the money in H.O.R.S.E., but they’ll likely be found together again soon at a final table in another mixed game tournament.

Ari Engel

The Final Table

The top 12 places paid a min-cash of $421 and the winner was slated to take home $5,517, along with the EPT Prague prize package worth over $3,000. Ryan Leonis had the bitter honor of busting out on the bubble, but his despair was short lived and he was refunded his $260 buy-in, courtesy of PokerCoaching.com’s bubble protection.

Tournament players battled for nearly 12 hours until Warren Coleman, Bill Watchman, and Denis Nesterenko were the only three players remaining just after 1 a.m. local time. Coleman hails from England and Watchman has several wins over the last decade in a number of poker variants. Interestingly enough, Nesterenko won a bracelet last year in the $1,500 2-7 Triple Draw event at the 2022 World Series of Poker.

The final three players agreed to bring the tournament to an end and flipped for the trip to EPT Prague. Watchman won the runout and he will be headed to the Czech Republic in December for the poker trip of a lifetime.

A Look Back at Mixed Game Festival IV

Day 1 kicked off the fourth Mixed Game Festival with three tables of $4/$8 Dealer’s Choice and free pizza offered throughout the day. WPT Executive Tour Director Matt Savage was one of the poker personalities to check out the early action, and he was joined by a steady stream of poker players from near and far.

Day 2 gave way to the O8 tournament, won by the aforementioned Cernuto, who bested a field of 61 players to take the top prize of $4,375. Day 3 brought out book signings by Dylan Linde, Chris “Fox” Wallace, and Eli Elezra, with bomb pots and Mixed Game Festival merchandise flowing all week long, while Day 4 saw the Pokercoaching.com crew enter the fray, headed by Jonathan Little and Justin Saliba, along with popular poker vlogger Ethan “Rampage” Yau. The Day 5 finale was a fitting end to a week full of great mixed games and new friendships with poker players from around the world.

It was another successful festival in the books for Cardplayer Lifestyle, and players are already looking forward to the next one. Be sure to join the Cardplayer Lifestyle newsletter to be among the first to find out where and when the next Mixed Game Festival will be.

]]> Mixed Game Festival IV Day 4 Recap: Ethan Yau, Jonathan Little, and lots of WSOP Bracelet Winners Enter the Fray https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/mixed-game-festival-iv-day-4-recap-ethan-yau-jonathan-little/ Thu, 23 Mar 2023 17:15:09 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=58043 Word must have gotten around Las Vegas that the Mixed Game Festival IV was in full swing in the Resorts World poker room. There was an $8/$16 game that was still running from the night before and the list to start new games was so long that you could not read the bottom of it on the room’s screen! At the peak of Day 4 there were a total six low-stakes mixed game tables running simultaneously, a new record for a Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival (Ed. note: Which we can’t wait to break next time!) Many players showed up to play, but also specifically to have a chance to meet their poker heroes.

First to make an appearance on Day 4 was 2014 WSOP $10K HORSE bracelet winner Chris “Fox” Wallace. He signed a few copies of his book Getting Started with HORSE for the participants and then joined the festivities by sitting down to play in the $8/$16 mixed cash game.

As we sat there playing poker, a new $4/8 dealer’s choice table opened up featuring Norman Chad, Jan Fisher, and the First Lady of Poker Linda Johnson, who all returned to join in the festivities having had a blast playing and mixing it up in the cash games on Day 3. The table quickly filled up with fans who wanted the chance to play a hand of poker with them!

Jonathan Little and Justin Saliba brought not only PokerCoaching.com hats to give out to randomly selected players, but also a few fans alongside them who couldn’t wait for the opportunity to play small-stakes poker with the professional crushers. Jonathan hopped into one of the $4/$8 mixed cash games where he offered tips and tricks on what to look for in a hand to play depending on the game that was being played. He also played Drawmaha for the first time and seemed to enjoy learning the new poker variant. It was unique to see someone with over $7 million in lifetime tournament earnings and such a brilliant, successful career in poker learn a new variant for the first time and arguably be the least experienced one at the table, where the majority of the players were already familiar with Drawmaha. Learning and enjoying the game were high on everyone’s agenda, but the chance to win a few bucks of the pros was likely the highlight for most.

A surprise visitor, popular vlogger and poker pro Ethan “Rampage” Yau, then popped in to Resorts World to see what all the fuss was about and to splash around in the $4/$8 streets of mixed game poker. Rampage had never played mixed game and was learning every single new poker variant on the spot! His first game that he played was 7 Card Super Stud 8 or better. This variation of poker is the same as 7 Card Stud 8 or better, but you are dealt four cards facing down and one facing up. You then choose which two of the four cards dealt to you to keep and discard the other two cards. From there you play as you would normally would play in a stud game. Ethan looked like he was doing well and managed to win a few hands right away!

READ MORE: Mixed Games Poker Guide — Stud Games

PokerGO’s Tim Duckworth also made an appearance to show his support for the event once again, as he has attended two prior Mixed Game Festivals here in Las Vegas. He was all smiles and was kind enough to answer questions from fellow players at the table about how content is created for PokerGO. He stayed many hours playing poker before it was time to call it a night.

The game of the day that was played is currently called Squid Game but some of you may know it as Oklahoma. This game was popular among many players not only because it was fun but also, the dealers also had a little sweat on the outcome of the hand. This is an Omaha style game where players are dealt five cards and then see three full boards as they try to make the best possible high hand. The catch is that on the end; the river with the lowest card is eliminated. What happens if all three rivers are the same? Well, if that happens then no one who is playing the hand can win the pot since there is no longer a board they can use to make a poker hand. In this instance the pot is awarded to… the dealer!

An Awesome, Positive Vibe Prevails in the Poker Room

Overall, there was a ton of laughter and good times being shared by all who attended and played at the half dozen tables throughout the day. Players were thrilled to meet some of the best players and poker industry personalities and listen to stories they had to share about their careers. Many poker books were signed. Lots of swag was given out to players via randomly drawn splash pots, thanks to great sponsors like D&B Poker, BBO Poker Tables, and RunGoodGear. The atmosphere was abuzz with excitement as numerous players hopped from table to table to get a chance to play with the poker celebrities in attendance.

Some of the Mixed Game Festival regulars that were in attendance to participate in the festivities, who we’d like to give special shout outs to, were Ruth, Pat, Chuck, and Chance. These players helped keep the games friendly and were always happy to explain the rules to games if someone was not familiar with a game. More than once during the day I heard players compliment the friendliness of the community and how they made the game fun!

Grand Finale H.O.R.S.E. Tournament

The festival’s marquee event, a $260 H.O.R.S.E tournament, is set to begin at 2:05 PM Las Vegas time today, March 23rd. It will include a prize package sponsored by PokerStars to play at December’s European Poker Tour stop in Prague. You’ll get roundtrip airfare for one, four-nights’ accommodation, and the opportunity to mix it up with poker greats in a €550 buy-in mixed game tournament.

We’re expecting a field of over 100 players, including a who’s who of mixed game poker, to be duking it out at the felt for top prize and the value added prize package. The final day of Mixed Game Festival IV will also be your last chance to score some awesome merch and other great prizes… until the next festival!

]]> Mixed Game Festival IV Day 3 Recap: Eli Elezra, Norman Chad, and Dylan Linde delight the players! https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/mixed-game-festival-iv-day-3-recap-eli-elezra-norman-chad-dylan-linde/ Wed, 22 Mar 2023 18:49:51 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=58022 Walking into Resorts World’s poker room it felt peaceful and chill. Players names started to appear on the waitlist for Day 3 of the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival IV around 11:30 AM PST and an hour later the games began. The not so early, early bird game had begun.

We started playing seven handed and all agreed to start with one of Robbie Strazynski’s favorite games, “Hold’Em – Omaha” (a.k.a., “SOHE” or “SHOP”), a game where you are dealt six cards and then split your hand into one Hold’Em hand and one Omaha hand before the flop. Other poker games in the rotation included Drawmaha, 2-7 triple draw, Badugi, Omaha Best Best, Super Stud, and Badeucey. Apparently, someone called Razz on Robbie, but I was unable to find anyone who could corroborate his tweet.

Soon we were joined by Dylan Linde and we had a full game! Linde stopped by to enjoy playing some of the mixed games with the attendees of the Mixed Game Festival and to sign copies of his book Mastering Mixed Games, which can be obtained during the festival for a discounted price of $20, of which proceeds benefit the charity Poker Gives. They are a non-profit organization that distributes funds to assist military families, homeless veterans, and youth programs in Las Vegas, Nevada. While playing at the table, Dylan was happy to answer any questions about games and gave out advice about how hands were played. Scott, a newer player from Florida who is quickly finding the enjoyment of mixed games, took full advantage of this as he is learning how to navigate the poker hands.

The waitlist quickly filled up as more players started to find their way back to Day 3 of the Mixed Game Festival. Plenty of great merch, including hoodies (courtesy of PokerGO and RunGoodGear), portable poker table mats (courtesy of BBO Poker Tables), and books (courtesy of D&B Poker) were being given away to players via randomly drawn splash pots.

Players could find a mix game at many different levels. There main games for the festival were $4/$8 but if that wasn’t enough to get your blood pumping you could test your skill at $8/$16, and the regular $80/$160 and $300/$600 mixed were also running in the room. The room was full of poker players and you could hear the laughter emanating from all tables as they enjoyed themselves in playing the countless different variations of poker.

Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra came to Resorts World to join in on the fun and sign copies of his autobiography Pulling the Trigger. He decided to sit down and show Robbie how to play his stack and splashed around a bit while we all played Baduecy.

Numerous players were excited about getting the chance to play with Eli, but perhaps nobody more than Florida’s Brian Dowd, who recorded a short video to document the moment.

Eli Elezra Brian Dowd

Legendary poker commentator Norman Chad also came out to play. He was not due to appear until Day 4 but could not resist the chance to mixed it up at the felt. Players almost had the opportunity to watch him go heads up against Eli Elezra in a Dealer’s Choice game, but Norman politely declined, informing Eli that he was in attendance for the fans!

The games kept running into the night and until the wee hours of the morning. The mixed games outlasted all the other tables in the room. Some players even made a late night delivery order of pizza so that they could continue to play without having to leave the game. The final orbit we all agreed to play “Fun Under the Gun”. A game where the players are dealt their hands but then the under the gun player gets to look at their hand and decide what game to play. Typically this game is played with four cards but to give us more options the game was played with five. The $4/$8 game finally broke around 6:30 AM as players said they would see each other in a few hours to start another game. An $8/$16 game was still running, the last table with players in the room. It would not be surprising to see everyone bright an early, but not so early, for Day 4 of the Mixed Game Festival.

Day 4 and 5 Preview

Wednesday will feature the continuation of dealer’s choice cash games. WSOP $10K HORSE bracelet winner Chris “Fox” Wallace will be in attendance with his pen ready to sign copies of his book Getting Started with HORSE. Copies of the book can be obtained for $25, with proceeds benefitting Poker Gives. Thursday will feature the festival’s marquee event, a $260 H.O.R.S.E. tournament with a chance to win an EPT Prague prize package, sponsored by PokerStars. The package with an estimated total value of over $3,000 will include:

  • €550 buy-in to a Mixed Game tournament
  • Roundtrip airfare for one
  • Four nights’ accommodation

Cardplayer Lifestyle’s Mixed Game Festival is truly one of the best events to look forward to in Las Vegas. Where else will you see poker celebrities who usually tee off for nosebleed stakes mixing it up with weekend warriors and home game heroes?

Many laughs, hugs, and bad beats are shared as players spend time catching up with each other and teaching different forms of poker. It doesn’t matter how good you are at poker; we just want to share our passion for the many, many games. Don’t be shy about joining us for a few orbits. Trust me, it will be the most fun you will ever have losing money. I myself didn’t book a win and I still ended the day — er, morning? — with a big smile.

]]> The Redeem Stream https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/the-redeem-stream/ Thu, 24 Nov 2022 16:43:43 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=56193 I’m far happier to be writing this article than my last op-ed, in which I was critical of Joey Ingram vis a vis Norman Chad.

It was never my aim to produce a “hit piece” on Joey. I’d have hoped it was abundantly clear throughout my writing just how much it pained me to be penning such biting criticism of a friend. Perhaps that’s what ended up striking a chord and prompting a response; that the criticism came from a friend.

In our telephone conversation prior to my publishing of the article, Joey said he’d soon be responding in full on his channel. He did so yesterday, and I’m glad I stayed up to watch the first half hour of it, despite the stream only beginning at 3am here in Israel. While I was writing this article, he added this pinned note to the top of his latest video‘s comments section.

Joey Ingram apology

On multiple instances during the stream, Joey shared the message of that second paragraph, and as of this publication, the video has been viewed by almost 12,000 people. I clipped out the primary excerpt where he addressed the situation:

I went to sleep last night relieved and glad to have watched Joey’s public apology, urging his followers not to choose the path of violence; that he doesn’t condone it under any circumstances. That’s the right type of message that influencers of the (poker) masses ought to be sending via their platforms.

Norman’s Missing Tweets… Don’t Change Anything

A number of responses to the article, including Joey’s, were of the opinion that it was biased specifically for not having included Norman’s (missing) Tweets, which would have better presented “Joey’s side.” I maintain that there was no way for me to have realistically found them while Norman’s account remained deactivated.

After the article was published, Norman emailed me and shared with me the text of the six Tweets he had made over the course of a few days, which ended up leading to Joey’s reaction. As I had suspected, seeing them didn’t change my feelings on this matter nor would I have altered what I wrote by even one word.

Norman also wrote to me that “I just believe he was misreading the intent and context of almost all I was writing (which is partly my fault, for not writing them better; also partly the fault of Twitter, which is not the best space for nuance, irony or sarcasm).”

But to focus on the missing Tweets would be to miss the forest for the trees. The “point” of my op-ed was clear:

Where Do We Go From Here?

I do genuinely hope that at some point in the not-too-distant future, once rightfully-flared tempers have settled, that Norman and Joey will be able to talk it out, reach some sort of mutual understanding, and move forward.

I know that my involvement in this brought into focus just how careful I need to be with the words I choose.

I hope that’s a takeaway for everyone who has read the piece — especially those with influence, audiences, and followings — even if said words may have been meant harmlessly in jest.

Joey echoed the sentiments of many in his apology yesterday when he said that “we want Norman back”. His absence in the community is felt, and his reemergence on Twitter would be warmly received.

People Should See This, Too

Almost 18,000 people have read my op-ed from Tuesday, speedily having made it one of the most viewed articles I’ve ever written. Unlike almost everything else I publish, however, I did absolutely nothing to promote it beyond the initial Tweet, and yet it spread like wildfire. Poker forums, Reddit, and word of mouth are very powerful.

That’s perhaps an indicator of algorithms and media consumption in the 2022 landscape. People rush to see carnage.

I truly hate that “that’s the way the world just is.”

But you know when “the world is better”? On a day like today, Thanksgiving.

I’d like to believe that if not for my op-ed, Joey wouldn’t have acted as quickly to issue his apology. But he chose to act quickly and responsibly, and ought to be commended for it. A genuine attempt to redeem oneself ought to be recognized and appreciated.

And for that, today, I am thankful.

Joey Ingram

]]> Has Anyone Seen Norman Chad? https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/has-anyone-seen-norman-chad/ Tue, 22 Nov 2022 19:41:47 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=56121 The human brain is far better conditioned to notice the presence of something as opposed to the absence of something; let alone someone.

Perhaps that’s why it took me a little while to realize… “hey, where did Norman Chad go?”

Norman Chad

He’s not actually missing, mind you. He still resides in Southern California, and is thankfully safe and sound in his home as I publish this.

But he is missing from Twitter, which got me wondering why.

So, I did what any good friend would do; I reached out to see if everything was OK.

The email I received in response indicated that Norman was anything but OK.

Norman Chad email

Genuinely flabbergasted, my jaw dropped when I then watched the Joey Ingram footage:

Above, I wrote that “thankfully” Norman is safe and sound. That’s not a word I haphazardly threw in just for the hell of it.

Words have tremendous power, including the power to incite. Perhaps that’s why people were created with two eyes, two ears, etc., but only one tongue? We must use and choose our words carefully, especially those of us with the privilege of having larger platforms via which we could influence legions of others. With great power comes great responsibility.

Sure, Twitter (especially Twitter 2.0) is THE modern-day battleground, and seemingly every day there’s yet another issue for all of us to get worked up into a frenzy about. The poker community knows this all too well.

But to the point of making threats of physical violence? Not cool. Not cool at all. As a matter of fact, it’s really fucking dangerous.

Joey Is My Friend, Too

Coincidentally, not too long ago, lots of folks were asking ‘has anyone seen Joey?’ On multiple occasions during his social media sabbatical, I attempted to reach out to him, too. Like many, I breathed a sigh of relief when he reemerged on the scene.

Joey and I first connected back in 2014. He’s interviewed me on his podcast, and I’ve interviewed him on a few occasions, too. He’s always been nice to me and has shown exceptional support – online and in person – of my work in the poker world, for which I’ve always been supremely grateful. I love that he cares so much about poker and has toiled tirelessly seeking to grow, inform, and entertain our game’s fanbase.

Robbie and Joey Ingram

Much in the same way that “dropping the kids off at the pool” means something quite literal for this 40-something father of three in the suburbs versus something wildly different for a 30-something single guy in Vegas, our styles and approaches to content creation couldn’t be more different.

Yet, while Joey’s investigations aren’t always my cup of tea, that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Our shared passion for poker has always been our common bond. Continuing to watch Joey’s work appeal to so many fans makes me happy and optimistic for the future of our game.

Joey takes pride in the content he creates, so I can understand why he might take offense to criticism of his most recent investigation. Even though Norman has said his remarks were made in jest, I can see how Joey might have perceived them as insulting and disrespectful.

BUT, to respond by calling for physical violence to be carried out is not just plain reckless and immature; it’s downright disgraceful.

In Papi-speak: that’s WAY the fuck out of line!

Let that first line of Norman’s email hit you again:

“I deactivated my Twitter account earlier this month after receiving multiple physical threats from Joey Ingram followers.”

Poker Celebrities Are Still Real People

While any public figure must naturally develop thick skin over the years, certain barbs can potentially pierce even the most robust armor.

In a second email to me a few hours later, Norman indicated that he had attempted to speak with Joey privately about “allowing many of his guests to cross the lines of slander and defamation,” and that “when I point out to him (again privately) that his words have induced several of his followers to send me violent threats, he just ignores me.”

We cannot forget that there are real people behind the Tweets, and Norman has very publicly gone on the record on numerous occasions about his years-long battle with clinical depression.

A Hall of Fame-worthy career in this industry and decades of professional experience in the public eye notwithstanding, try to imagine for a moment what it feels like to be Norman Chad right now.

I rarely ever get into the muck and ‘do public controversy,’ and I particularly dislike getting involved in a personal feud between two people I call my friends, but if one can’t take a principled stand in support of their friends then what good is said friendship?

This isn’t just about Norman and Joey, though. It’s about all of us.

JUST WHAT KIND OF POKER COMMUNITY DO WE WANT TO BE A PART OF?!

Sadly, this entire episode is but the latest in an unending series of public assaults that different individuals in our community have had to endure, often from high-profile personalities.

We seem to have forgotten how to engage in a conversation and accept criticism in a respectful manner. There are ways to get a message across without inciting violence.

If this is the callousness with which we treat of one of our own — one of our most beloved — then what hope do we have of demonstrating kindness and common decency to ‘the next random person who walks into a poker room’?

Perhaps that’s a question worth reflecting on as we gather round the tables this holiday season.

There’s a chance that I might lose a friend over this, and that would be a true shame, but Norman’s emails broke my heart.

And better my heart than Norman’s ribs.

** Just prior to publishing this op-ed, I sent it to Joey, asking if he’d like to comment. He suggested we speak on the phone, which we then did for 10 minutes. He defended his actions saying that he had been under attack from Norman for days prior, leading up to the incident; that Norman had been disrespecting the investigation, mocking Joey by calling him a weatherman, and more.

He further said he would never lay a finger on Norman, and that “nobody’s going to Norman’s house or roughing him up.” He told me that he has already spoken to Lon McEachern and Norman’s wife, Toni, and that Norman has his phone number… “why doesn’t he call me? Let’s talk it out.”

Moreover, Joey asked me “why I didn’t include any of Norman’s attacks on him in the article?” to which I responded that I unfortunately have no records of anything Norman said, since his Twitter account was deactivated.

Finally, Joey said that he’d be making a video in the very near future to address this situation and he’s happy to invite Norman on to discuss it on his show.

]]>