Resorts World Las Vegas – 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.

]]> Announcing Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival V https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/announcing-cardplayer-lifestyle-mixed-game-festival-v/ Wed, 31 May 2023 18:29:45 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=59048 Cardplayer Lifestyle will be hosting its fifth Mixed Game Festival, a five-day affair sponsored by PokerStars, at Resorts World Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, with an EPT Cyprus prize package to be awarded.

We’re proud to announce that Mixed Game Festival V will take place once again at the fabulous Resorts World Las Vegas from July 2-6. In what’s sure to be another thrilling week of mixed game poker, we’ve incorporated some new elements to ensure this will be our best festival yet.

On the menu will be five straight days of low-stakes cash games — mainly $4/8 and $8/16, with higher stakes games available upon request — catering to lovers of all poker variants, from weekend warriors to home game hotshots, and even to grinders and pros just looking to splash around and take a relaxing break from the major tournament series happening around the city.

But there’s much, MUCH more!

Mixed Game Festival V

Grand Prize Package Details

For every hour of mixed game cash play you log, you’ll receive an entry into our random drawing to win an EPT Cyprus prize package (estimated value over $3,000), which will consist of:

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

The drawing will take place on the festival’s final day, Thursday July 6th, and the lucky winner will have the opportunity to play against some of the world’s top mixed game players at the first ever European Poker Tour stop in Cyprus this October. Here’s what that type of experience feels like.

Schedule of Events and Giveaways

A hallmark of our Mixed Game Festivals are the “value adds”, and we’ve got quite a few in store for you this time, including:

  • Kickoff pizza party
  • Poker Trivia Competition
  • Scavenger Hunt
  • Poker book signings
  • Grand prize drawing
  • Multiple other daily merchandise giveaways, and more!

MGF V Schedule

Poker Trivia Competition — Details

Think you know a lot about poker, poker history, the poker industry, and our Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festivals? Come match wits against your fellow players to see who among you is the true poker trivia boss!

Poker Trivia Competition MGF V

Scavenger Hunt — Details

Resorts World will become your playground, as you scour the venue for items that will sometimes be challenging to find, while at other times perhaps be right under your nose in the poker room.

Scavenger Hunt MGF V

Prizes to be awarded to our top finishers in the Poker Trivia Competition and Scavenger Hunt include:

  • Free first rack of chips
  • $100 vouchers to the PokerStars Store
  • Merchandise “grab bag” courtesy of: BBO Poker Tables, RunGoodGear, D&B Poker Publishing, Faded Spade Playing Cards, and PokerGO

Book Signings — Details

  • WSOP bracelet winner Dylan Linde will be signing copies of his book Mastering Mixed Games, available for purchase at a discounted price of $25
  • Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra will be signing copies of his autobiography Pulling The Trigger for a discounted price of $10

A Nod to Charity

A portion of all proceeds derived from book sales, the scavenger hunt, and poker trivia competition will be donated to Poker Gives, a non-profit organization that distributes funds to assist military families, homeless veterans, and youth programs in Las Vegas.

Daily Event Coverage + Player of the Day

Hill Kerby, a veteran poker reporter and Cardplayer Lifestyle contributor, will be on-site producing daily recaps that highlight all the action during our Mixed Game Festival, and you’ll be able to find them right here on Cardplayerlifestyle.com. We’ll also be covering the festival extensively via social media on our Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Mixed Game Festival sweaters

A Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day will be selected on each day of the Mixed Game Festival and will have “their story” written up on our daily recaps.

Show up and take part in the festivities, and you could “see your name in lights” alongside some top poker pros and popular poker personalities who’ve pledged to come and take part in all the fun.

You can score discounted hotel room rates at Resorts World by using promo code YYPKR when booking online or calling directly: 1-833-930-3888.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Las Vegas!

Got questions about our upcoming Mixed Game Festival? Please contact: [email protected]

]]> 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.

]]> Announcing Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival IV https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/announcing-cardplayer-lifestyle-mixed-game-festival-iv/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 14:27:09 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=57613 Cardplayer Lifestyle will be hosting its fourth Mixed Game Festival, a five-day affair sponsored by PokerStars, at Resorts World Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, with an EPT Prague prize package to be awarded.

We’re proud to announce that Mixed Game Festival IV will see a return to the fabulous Resorts World Las Vegas from March 19-23 to stage what’s sure to be another exciting week of mixed game poker.

This time around, the festival will include a pair of tournaments, namely a $260 Omaha 8/Stud 8 tournament on Monday March 20, and a $260 H.O.R.S.E. tournament on Thursday March 23 as our grand finale.

Mixed Game Festival IV

Alongside the tournaments, nonstop dealer’s choice cash game action will be spread at stakes as low as $4/8 and $8/16, with higher stakes available upon request.

“We are delighted to be welcoming back Cardplayer Lifestyle’s Mixed Game Festival. Last year’s festival was so successful that we are thrilled to have the opportunity to host it again and can’t wait to get started,” said Leon Wheeler, Director of Poker Operations at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Cardplayer Lifestyle Omaha 8 – Stud 8 Tournament Structure + Rules

Cardplayer Lifestyle H.O.R.S.E. Tournament Structure Sheet + Rules

Grand Prize Package Details

The EPT Prague prize package, which will be awarded to the winner of our H.O.R.S.E. tournament, will consist of:

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

Estimated total value of the prize package is over $3,000. Beyond the objective monetary value, however, our winner will have the opportunity to play against some of the world’s top mixed game players on the prestigious European Poker Tour stop in Prague this December. Here’s what that feels like.

Freebies and Giveaways

A hallmark of our Mixed Game Festivals are the “value adds”, and that will begin right away with a fun-filled feast:

Beyond the EPT Prague prize package, we’ve got some sweet extras that our players will surely enjoy, including:

  • “Bubble protection” for both tournaments + FREE poker training site memberships courtesy of Pokercoaching.com
  • Multiple daily merchandise giveaways courtesy of premium poker industry brands like: RunGoodGear, BBO Poker Tables, D&B Poker Publishing, PokerGO, and more!

Mixed Game Festival IV

In addition, over the course of Mixed Game Festival IV, we’ll be staging three poker book signings:

  • On Tuesday March 21st, WSOP bracelet winner Dylan Linde will be signing copies of his book Mastering Mixed Games, available for purchase at a discounted price of $25
  • On Wednesday March 22nd, WSOP bracelet winner Chris Wallace will be signing copies of his book Getting Started With HORSE at a discounted price of $25.
  • Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra will be signing copies of his autobiography Pulling the Trigger for a discounted price of $10.

A portion of all proceeds derived from the book sales will be donated to Poker Gives, a non-profit organization that distributes funds to assist military families, homeless veterans, and youth programs in Las Vegas.

You can score discounted hotel room rates at Resorts World by using promo code YYPKR when booking online or calling directly: 1-833-930-3888.

Daily Event Coverage

A couple of our wonderful contributing writers — Christina Bradfield and Brian “Bizzy” Gutierrez —  will be on-site producing daily recaps that highlight all the action during our Mixed Game Festival, and you’ll be able to find them right here on Cardplayerlifestyle.com. We’ll also be covering the festival extensively via social media on our Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Show up and take part in the festivities, and you could “see your name in lights” alongside some top poker pros and popular poker personalities who’ve pledged to come and take part in all the fun.

Rebecca McAdam Willetts, Director of Partnerships & PR at PokerStars said, “What we love about this event is it has a very specific purpose and style; it provides players who love to dabble in a variety of games a home-game type atmosphere and environment, but of course with some serious competition. We always try to encourage and support such demonstrations of love for the game and are very happy to be a part of it by giving the community something that continues the journey onwards after the Vegas shenanigans!”

Looking forward to seeing you all in Las Vegas!

Got questions about our upcoming Mixed Game Festival? Please contact: [email protected]

]]> Mixed Game Festival II Day 5: Martin Smith Wins Grand Prize, Elezra Shines in Return to Poker https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/mixed-game-festival-ii-day-5-highlights-smith-elezra/ Fri, 17 Jun 2022 17:29:37 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=52991 The second Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival reached its conclusion yesterday. The festival happily continued to grow the popularity of mixed games with a huge turnout throughout the week.

Low-stakes, beginner-friendly Dealer’s Choice games ran nearly around the clock, with over 1,200 hours of play logged among the players who visited the Resorts World Las Vegas poker room over the last five days.

Along with a final day of giveaways from BBO Poker Tables, PokerGO, D&B Publishing, and RunGood Gear, the grand prize of the week, the PokerStars Live prize package of a flight, hotel, and 400 euro entry to a Road to the PSPC event in Europe was awarded. This was done via a random draw with entries weighted by hours played here this week.

No better winner could have been drawn than Martin Smith, who traveled to Las Vegas from his home in Malta and logged over 60 hours of play this week. Martin earned by far the highest number of entries based upon hours played.

Smith, who is an accomplished poker player and author of a unique mixed game book, Pot-Limit Sviten Special, which has been played and thoroughly enjoyed this week, was overjoyed with the prize.

“I love poker traveling. It’s always a good chance to play and meet new people, play new places. I really enjoy that. It’s perfect for me.”

Smith also captured the spirit of the Mixed Game Festival and why we here at Cardplayer Lifestyle love mixed games.

“The people that tend to play mixed games are always in such good spirits, it’s so sociable and fun. Win or lose, it’s always a good time.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Congratulations Martin.

Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra Returns

Along with the awarding of the grand prize, the other major highlight of the day was having Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra join the festivities at the start of the day to sign copies of his autobiography, Pulling the Trigger.

Players also got the thrill of playing with the poker legend for a couple of hours as he hopped into the first game of the day, putting a hurt on Cardplayer Lifestyle founder and translator of Pulling the Trigger, Robbie Strazynski.

Over the course of the 5-day festival, a grand total of $700 was collected from book sales, merchandise sales, and private additional donations, all of which was donated to the Poker Gives charity.

With a second successful festival now in the books, the focus shifts to determining when a third festival will take place. Could it even be later this year? Stay tuned to Cardplayer Lifestyle and our social media channels for details when they become available. Newsletter subscribers will be the first to know!

In the meantime, a sincere thank you goes out to the fantastic team at the Resorts World Las Vegas poker room, from managers Leon Wheeler and Gary Hager on down, to PokerStars for being the festival’s title sponsor, to the additional merchandise and giveaway sponsors, and to everyone who joined us in Vegas for another week of excitement and mixed game community fun.

]]> Mixed Game Festival II Day 3: Norman Chad, Dylan Linde, Joey Ingram the Mizrachi Brothers Join the Fun https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/mixed-game-festival-ii-day-3-norman-chad-dylan-linde-joey-ingram-mizrachi-brothers-join-the-fun/ Wed, 15 Jun 2022 15:49:56 +0000 https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/?p=52904 Laughs and smiles continued to be on show on the third day of the 2022 Mixed Game Festival II at Resorts World, Las Vegas. Tuesday was another fantastic day of celebrating some of the craziest poker variants out there as the festival gets closer to awarding its grand prize: a PokerStars Live Event package which includes a €400 buy-in Road to PSPC ticket, flights and hotel in one of eight European countries.

Much of the day was played on one table of $4/8 dealer’s choice, but we were in fine company. Poker player and author of Mastering Mixed Games Dylan Linde stopped by to sign copies of his book and jumped into the action.

Dylan Linde

After Linde wished the table goodbye, the one and only Norman Chad took his seat, marking the chance for the table to win some prizes.

Chad thought he was in luck and scooped a BBO Poker Tables goodie-bag, but quickly found out his tablemate on the right went runner-runner to make trips and scoop the giveaway. Mr. Chad naturally expressed his “displeasure” in his own inimitable way.

Also joining in the mixed game fun was Mike Williams, the Director of Poker Operations for the Bellagio Poker Room. And then suddenly Joey Ingram turned up!

The beloved poker content creator hopped in for a couple of hands of High Dugi and embraced the spirit of the Mixed Game Festival.

Mixed Game aficionado Martin Smith continued to be a piece of the furniture at the Resorts World poker room, with over 45 hours logged in the three days since the Mixed Game Festival II began! The Malta resident is surely making the most out of his first trip to Las Vegas!

Smith also wrote the brilliant Pot Limit Sviten Special, which is currently available on Kindle. It is the ultimate strategy guide for one of the best little-known varieties of poker around. This book takes you from basic information about how the game is dealt and played, to how to play the game profitably.

Martin Smith

The revolving door of famous faces continued with Robert and Michael Mizrachi. The poker legends recently co-wrote Getting Started with HORSE alongside WSOP bracelet winner (and Cardplayer Lifestyle contributor) Chris Wallace. The latter was also scheduled to come along but was unfortunately unable to show up after feeling under the weather. Hope you feel better soon, Chris!

Mizrachi brothers

As more dealers arrived for the night shift, a second table of $4/8 dealer’s choice action opened up, headlined by 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, and that ran alongside table 1 until the wee hours of the morning.

Two days of the Mixed Game Festival II still remain, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to get your hands on $100 PokerStars Store vouchers, PokerGO merchandise, BBO Poker tables gift bags, and limited edition clothing from RunGoodGear.

Mixed Game Festival Day 3

The fun continues today with Raymer scheduled to show up once again. The inaugural Mixed Game Festival $200 H.O.R.S.E. winner will be signing his book, Fossilman’s Winning Tournament Strategies, as well as reliving the day he won a PokerStars Platinum Pass.

Thursday, June 16 marks the final day of the Mixed Game Festival II but there is plenty to look forward to. Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra will be in attendance Thursday, and will be signing copies of his autobiography, Pulling the Trigger.

In the evening, the random draw for the festival’s grand price — a PokerStars Live Event package — will take place. So be sure to log some hours at the festival to have a chance of winning. It really is that simple.

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