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For those of you looking to broaden your poker horizons beyond No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha (PLO), giving 8-game mix a try sure ought to scratch that itch. As far as which poker variants are included in the 8-game mix, you’ll find: No Limit Hold’em, 7 Card Stud, Fixed Limit Omaha 8 or Better, Razz, Pot Limit Omaha, Fixed Limit Hold’em, 7 Card Stud 8 or Better and 2-7 Triple Draw. In the previous two articles of this miniseries, we’ve gone over the unique mechanics of mixed game poker and have given over 8 Beginner’s Tips for the 8-Game Mix.

I imagine that those of you who’ve read those pieces might already be fixing to jump in the game online at PokerStars or are perhaps giving a thought to attending the next Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival, in Las Vegas. In poker it never hurts to be as prepped as possible. So before you fire up those tables online or jump on a plane to Vegas, I wanted to offer you another slate of 8 tips for the 8-Game Mix. Enjoy!

8-Game Mix

No Limit Hold’em

Don’t over c-bet out of position, this can be easily taken advantage of! You can check a lot out of position even as the previous aggressor or with strong hands. This is the only no-limit game in the mix after all, so you can always check-raise or go for that big value (more than 2bb) on the turn or river, too!

7-Card Stud

You don’t have to play in flow in stud games. You don’t have to bet on 4th street just because you were the aggressor on 3rd street. The situation can change a lot on 4th street and there is no need to inflate the pot with medium strength hands either. Take a moment to evaluate the situation instead of auto c-betting in these spots.

Fixed Limit Omaha 8 or Better

Make sure you defend the big blind often enough, even with high only hands! When there has only been a single raise in front of you, you can defend a good portion of your range in the big blind. And don’t be afraid to take the initiative and lead on flops as well when you do; there are many boards that won’t suit the pre-flop aggressor and you can take advantage of that.

Razz

Go for the steal. Have a terrible hand but you’re showing the last low up card? Try going for that steal. You can have a pretty wide range in these spots as broadway up-cards like Jacks, Queens and Kings are very unlikely to play back at you. If its just you and the bring-in, you can raise with (almost) any two hole cards.

 

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Pot Limit Omaha (PLO)

Play aggressively pre-flop! Make sure you get those 3-bets in, especially with those beautiful double suited hands and hands with Ace blockers! Make the most of being able to bet big in these games and put your opponents in difficult situations.

Fixed Limit Hold’em

Get those check-raises in, even if you were the pre-flop aggressor! The check-raise is a powerful tool in your arsenal and a great way to get more chips in the middle with your big hands, as well as to add some firepower to those cheeky bluffs.

7 Card Stud 8 or Better

Do you want to go multiway or squeeze a player out of the pot? When you’ve got two halves of the pot to play for, make sure you think about what is best in each scenario. Sometimes you’ll call as you can win bigger pots multiway, winning a bigger half the pot keeping players in, whilst other times raising and putting a hand in a tough spot helps you fold out hands with strong equity against you.

2-7 Triple Draw

It’s time to snow. Snowing is when you pat your hand as a bluff. When you draw to hands like two pair, trips, straights or even open-enders that don’t have a very good chance of improving into a strong hand, take a moment to think if this would be a good snow candidate. You can stand pat as a bluff and make sure to bet the streets afterwards; you need your opponent to fold in the end after all!

Bonus 8-Game Mix Tip

Don’t forget to have fun! 🙂 If you’re new to mixed game poker, hopefully you have a great time. You can ask the dealer if you’re ever unsure of rules and the community is really friendly, too. Good luck and enjoy the new games.

A few days ago we released our preview of the 2024 NAPT Las Vegas. In addition to the enhanced schedule of tournaments and Mixed Game Festival IX, which will be running in parallel to the series, plans call for Season 2 of the Big Game on Tour to be filmed. Obviously a lot of planning and logistics go into properly preparing to put on an event series and production of that scale. With that in mind, we reached out to PokerStars with a slate of questions about how all of it comes together.

Many thanks to NAPT Tour Manager Robert Levin as well as to Francine Watson, the company’s Associate Director of Branded Content, for kindly answering those questions. As you read what they have to say below, I’m sure it’ll give you a deeper appreciation of all the effort and hard work that they and their teams have put in to making sure that the NAPT and Big Game on Tour Season 2 will be memorable, indeed!

North American Poker Tour 2024

The 2024 NAPT: Diving Deeper

Last year’s return of the NAPT was warmly received after a lengthy hiatus. It’s understandable that the live event series was brought back in “limited format” so as to test the waters that PokerStars hadn’t sailed for over a decade. What are some of the main takeaways your team learned from being back on US soil?

The return of NAPT was very well received. Players were extremely enthusiastic before the event and all the feedback on site reflected everything that goes into PokerStars Live Events to give players the best experience possible on and off the felt. Aside from the great reactions from players who attended NAPT, the demand from our online players in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and Ontario to play satellites and qualify for NAPT showed us we are definitely on the right track.

Any poker player who has attended an EPT stop will notice some obvious parallels in what they’ll see at an NAPT stop. In what ways would you say PokerStars is aiming to make the NAPT distinct and special?

Our EPT events are the pinnacle of poker festivals in Europe, and we have that same aim in North America. From seeing the grand entrance, to the branding on the walls, to our top-notch dealers and floor staff, every player who participates in one of our events gets the full PokerStars experience that is unlike any other.

There are plenty more tournaments on this year’s NAPT schedule vs. last year’s schedule. When planning ahead for this year’s stop in Las Vegas, what were the important “metrics” you wanted to hit with your expansions?

Putting us on par with our EPT counterparts, the biggest change you’ll see is the $5,300 Main Event. The 2024 NAPT Las Vegas Main Event will be a can’t miss event on the poker tournament calendar and this year with a $3,000,000 guarantee, the stakes will be high.

We wanted to ensure that although we raised the buy-in, the event was still accessible and so we set out to award over 100 Gold Passes that include a Main Event buy-in, hotel stay and travel expenses. These Gold Passes are available online and through many of different partners in the US and Canada. Aside from the Main Event, there are side events with buy-ins from $250 all the way up to $25,000 including another $1,000,000 in guarantees and several mixed game events.

NAPT Gold Pass Resorts World

Resorts World has truly become PokerStars’ “home” in Las Vegas. It’s not only the hosting venue for the NAPT, but the company has also held some other smaller events on-site, such as a private tournament experience with Arlie Shaban for PokerStars Ontario online qualifiers, etc. Obviously that requires close coordination with Resorts World Director of Poker Operations Leon Wheeler and his team. Can you expound a bit on the nature of your ongoing collaborations and how closely you work together?

Resorts World has been a great partner since the first time we hosted an event there in 2022. Leon and his team have made Resorts World one of the premier poker destinations in Las Vegas and have made it very easy for us to work together planning this enormous festival. Las Vegas is the poker capital of the world; it was extremely important for us to find a home for NAPT, and Resorts World has fit the bill.

With PokerStars accessible to players online in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, those states seem like logical potential destinations for future live events. While the Las Vegas tour stop is back in expanded form this year, it is nonetheless the sole NAPT stop for 2024. Are there plans for additional expansion of the NAPT beyond Las Vegas for 2025?

Of course. We are working on our 2025 calendar as we speak. This summer we had some very successful and popular sponsored events in Maryland and Pennsylvania, which made it closer to home for online players to qualify and participate in our events. Keep an eye out as we hope to announce our 2025 plans in the near future.

Finally, for months now a primary driver for bringing players to compete in Las Vegas at the 2024 NAPT has been the awarding of Gold Pass prize packages. Moreover, it has been announced that all Gold Pass winners will get auditioned for the chance to play in the Big Game on Tour. How many Gold Passes will have been given out by the time the NAPT commences? What other experiences can Gold Pass winners look forward to?

Our initial goal was to award 100 Gold Passes when NAPT Las Vegas was announced back in May. Since then we’ve exceed expectations and I wouldn’t be surprised to see 120 Gold Pass winners in Las Vegas.  Aside from the great tournament schedule and filming of the Big Game on Tour, we have our off the felt activities that have become synonymous with all PokerStars events.

Gold Pass winners are exclusively invited to a welcome party on Monday November 4, that will feature food and drinks and a comedy show with Joe Stapleton and comedian Morgan Jay. That’s not the only party of the week, as all NAPT players are invited to our Player’s Party on Thursday November 7. This will take place at Zouk Nightclub once again from 8pm to 11pm. For other activities, such as show tickets, karaoke nights, and go-karting, players are encouraged to visit the PokerStars Travel desk to reserve their experiences.

PokerStars Big Game on Tour

The Big Game on Tour: What’s on Tap?

Let’s pivot to The Big Game on Tour. The show was filmed during last year’s NAPT Las Vegas stop and brought back to great fanfare last year with two new Loose Cannons featured over 10 episodes. What are this season’s production plans?

We’ve added a day to the Big Game shooting schedule this year, so there’s an additional Loose Cannon opportunity and five more shows in the upcoming series. With all Gold Pass winners getting to audition plus additional live qualifiers running at Resorts we’re excited to meet all the Loose Cannon hopefuls and fill the three positions.

You’ve notably brought in a couple of big names from outside of poker – Nick Wright and Rob Gronkowski – to play on this upcoming season of The Big Game on Tour. Wright’s love for poker is well documented. How did the idea to reach out to Gronkowski come about?

The Big Game has a legacy of compelling line ups with plenty of star power, and who better to bring into the mix for the new series than Super Bowl legend, Gronk. A larger-than-life character, he and Nick go way back so we’re hoping that brings a fresh new dynamic to the table. There’s some serious star power on the poker side too, so expect fireworks.

Big Game on Tour Rob Gronkowski Nick Wright

The show’s title changed from having originally just been “The Big Game” back in 2010. Regarding the “On Tour” part, is PokerStars hoping to do additional casting calls and film more episodes in 2025 at other locations outside of Las Vegas?

The Big Game remains a critical part of the NAPT schedule, hence ‘On Tour’. We’re essentially an open set with shooting taking place in the main tournament room at Resorts World.  We’re always looking at ways to push the show forward, and expanding out the casting opportunities is a big part of that. Plans for next year are still in works, but we’d love to shoot the Big Game on Tour in other states… and even other countries! It’s all on the table.

Top online poker brand CoinPoker keeps sweetening the pot for poker enthusiasts with new monetary perks, giveaways and promotions.

Players can now participate in No-Limit Hold’em cash games, rank high on the Hold’em Daily Leaderboard and earn their share of 1,000 USDT (a cryptocurrency equivalent to US Dollars). Each day, the top 15 players will be awarded prizes ranging from $10 to $250.

How To Compete For The No-Limit Hold’em Daily Leaderboard Prizes?

Poker lovers don’t need any convincing to try their hand at Texas Hold’em. There is a reason why it’s the most popular poker format today.

However, CoinPoker’s Hold’em Daily Leaderboard adds to the thrill, offering lucrative rewards and recognition for the top players. It features a $1,000 prize pool, awarded daily to the top 15 players.

Interested participants simply need to create an account on CoinPoker, download the app on their device and search for NLHE games under the ‘Cash Games’ tab.

CoinPoker

Notably, only NLH cash game tables and Heads Up tables with a buy-in of $1,000 or more will be eligible for leaderboard calculations. Furthermore, the leaderboard period will start at 00:00 GMT and end at 23:59 GMT each day.

However, if a player buys in before the end of the period and buys out after, their points will still be allocated to the previous day’s leaderboard.

Points are calculated based on a player’s performance, factoring in the stakes and the number of big blinds collected. The breakdown is as follows:-

If there is a tie in leaderboard points, the player with the higher winnings will be ranked higher. If winnings are the same, the rankings will be resolved through a random draw.

Don’t Miss Out On CoinPoker’s Other Special Offers

As previously stated, CoinPoker continues to offer new promotions, prizes and giveaways, one of the reasons why it has established itself as one of the top online poker sites.

For instance, new users can earn a 150% welcome bonus, of up to $2000. Similarly, those using CoinPoker’s native token CHP to pay rake will receive 33% rakeback.

While participating in the NLHE cash games, players can also aim for the Bad Beat Jackpot.

A Bad Beat Jackpot is triggered when an excellent hand is beaten by a better one. 65 BBJs have already been paid out in 2024, with a total payout of over $445,000. The minimum requirement for No Limit Hold’em is to lose a hand with AAAKK or better.

Follow CoinPoker’s X account to keep up with more such perks and benefits.

If you’re not a No Limit Hold’em fan, CoinPoker also offers 5PLO and PLO, as well as in-app crypto casino games as part of the same client.

CNC Poker has quickly gained traction in the poker training space, offering a unique combination of personalized coaching and a strong community-driven approach. To get a closer look at the man behind CNC Poker, I sat down with company founder, Raymond Norton, to discuss his background, the platform’s vision, and how CNC Poker stands out from other training sites.

Over the course of our interview, we discuss Raymond’s poker history and how he got involved in the game as a player before moving on to his history working with bitB Staking. Afterwards, we discuss CNC Poker’s growth and unique approach to poker coaching, including how it navigates the challenges of managing a diverse audience, the process of selecting coaches, and the importance of a holistic approach to poker. In addition, we dive a little deeper to discuss CNC Poker’s features and benefits.

Raymond Norton Interview: Summarized Transcript

Tell us a bit about your journey into poker. How did you first get involved in the game?

I used to work full-time as an accountant and thought that that was going to be the path I’d go down, but I hated the job. At some point, I came across a YouTube video about grinding Sit N Go tournaments where I learned that you “could make $400-$500 a day if you were good at math”. Alarm bells started going off in my head saying “that could be interesting”, so I began getting more into it.

Back in the day there used to be something called the Blonde Poker forum in the UK and that was very popular. I got active and made some friends there. Soon after that, I got into the Sit N Go grind playing 45-player tournaments, then 180-player tournaments. This was in 2015; bitB staking started around them, so I joined them as I knew Pads (Patrick Leonard) from the forums. I played for them for a few years, and I was an OK reg.; nothing spectacular. I didn’t work as hard as I could’ve, but I did alright.

Then, an opportunity came about to work for bitB and I found myself enjoying that more than playing poker. Eventually I ended up working for them full-time. By the end of my tenure there, when the staking group disbanded in 2020, I was basically running the company. Directly after that breakup, CNC Poker was formed.

Why did you believe that staking was the right way to go for you as a player?

In 2010, the games were great and you could basically just win every month so long as you put in enough volume. For quite a while I never even had a losing month. After a few years, the game got tougher and things didn’t really go as well for me. Around the time bitB started, things were going so bad that I wasn’t just broke, but actually in a fair bit of debt. So, staking was really the only way for me to keep playing.

bitB actually evolved over time, along with the game itself. From a purely business standpoint, it became clear that many good guys just shouldn’t be staked. You had to really fit a certain mold for it to make sense, have a particular type of discipline and be generating enough of a profit for it to be worthwhile for bitB to stake you.

The fact of the matter is that staking is really an individual decision. Often if you’re good enough to be staked nowadays, you’re good enough to play on your own without the need to be staked.

When did you realize that coaching and player development was something you wanted to focus on?

I often get asked if I miss playing poker for a living. Honestly, my answer is “no” because I just love the other (business) side of poker more than the playing side. With playing, it still felt like work to me, whereas running the business aspects of a poker site just feels fun. When I was at bitB I kind of had this epiphany that even when I could be working for many hours — 60-70-hour weeks — I’d still have energy and enjoy it because I was having fun, whereas playing poker almost felt just like the grind of being an accountant to me.

What inspired you to start CNC Poker, and how did your experience at bitB Staking influence your vision and ability to build out the company?

When bitB disbanded, I just asked myself what I could keep doing that would help me maintain that feeling of loving what I do. It wouldn’t be staking; that’s something else entirely. But I loved the communication side of things. I love talking to players and helping them figure things out.

Through bitB, I had developed a large network of players who I believed I could help with coaching and answering other sorts of questions, so basically that’s how CNC Poker became a reality.

The transition was pretty quick — about 3 months in between bitB disbanding until CNC Poker launched. That’s not about 4 years ago; October 2020 it happened.

Raymond Norton

CNC Poker focuses on live group coaching, which is pretty unique. Why that over more traditional pre-recorded courses?

My goal was to try and create something that was genuinely different versus other poker training sites. Feedback I had been getting from many people was that they paid a monthly fee to a site but basically had stopped using the services… and nonetheless still kept paying for membership. I wanted to create something where, by contrast, you pay for what you use; full stop.

You only need to pay for what you actually want; once you’re a member of CNC Poker, there’s no further payment unless you specifically initiate with a desire to acquire additional lessons and knowledge, etc.

As a matter of fact, CNC Poker has changed a good bit over the last four years. It used to be that we’d require members to listen/watch the live sessions in real time (i.e., that they weren’t available after that), but very clearly we realized that that wouldn’t work for scheduling and time zone reasons and wouldn’t be fair to many members. So we quickly switched to a “lifetime membership” type of model, giving people the ability to study when they want and are available to buckle down for the group sessions on their own time.

How do you guys handle coaching players from different backgrounds—some casual, some more serious grinders?

The overwhelming majority of our members have a pretty solid basic level of poker knowledge and understanding. They’re mid- to high-stakes guys. Often, when an issue like that comes up and someone asks a question during a live session, the instructor/coach will say “we’ll get to that privately after the session”, so as not to disturb the lesson flow. We fully rust our coaches’ judgement on matters such as these.

So, essentially, just like in university or something. If, however, the question/point being made is more generic in nature, the instructor will realize this and integrate the answer into the lesson itself for the sake of all the students.

You’ve got a solid team of coaches at CNC Poker, including some well-known pros like Stoyan Obreshkov and Ben Heath. What’s your process for picking coaches, and how do you ensure that each one brings something different to the table?

To a large degree, the most successful coaches on our site are the ones who put in the most work and effort. They all have lots to offer, and we do have a discerning selection process whereby we obtain feedback from our members on what they’d like to see and learn from coaches.

At the end of the day, however, there’s so much to learn and teach in poker. So many different styles of instruction, and of course students have different areas of weakness. There’s never a situation where we’d automatically say “no” to any coach who is interested in working with us and brings some unique knowledge or perspective to the table. At the very least, we give new coaches the opportunity to have a trial session and get feedback.

CNC Poker logo

CNC Poker places a strong emphasis on mental and physical well-being, with coaches like Jon Prince,  Alan Longo, and Valeria Marin specializing in areas like mindset and nutrition. Why do you believe this holistic approach is important for poker players?

There’s a lot more awareness of living a healthy lifestyle nowadays. Not just with optimally playing poker, but in life in general; healthy habits are good for you. And of course there’s just a lot of mental stress that comes with playing this game and grinding for a living. It’s critical to know how to effectively deal with those stresses. Just like professional athletes have coaches in this regard, we find it important for poker players to get this type of coaching.

Who would you say CNC Poker is ideally suited for and who should NOT be utilizing CNC Poker training?

Guys who have more modest bankroll of a few hundred dollars; it simply just doesn’t make sense for them to spend the money on a program like hours. Even while they’d get high quality coaching, from a financial perspective it just doesn’t make sense. Same goes for guys who really just enjoy the game and are happy playing recreationally. It just doesn’t make sense to pay for a program that you’re not going to try and make optimal use out of.

Once you’ve crossed those barriers, of having full intention to study hard and make the most from a poker training program, and have also managed to amass yourself a bankroll of decent size so that you can play in higher stakes cash games and tournaments, at that point it makes a lot more sense to consider enrolling in CNC Poker.

Can you outline the pricing structures and plans that you offer at CNC Poker?

Our Global platform costs $200 to enroll in for a 3-year membership, while our Brazil platform costs $120 for a 3-year membership. Obviously one difference between the two is language of instruction, with all materials and coaches on each platform utilizing the target language (English/Portuguese).

You get a bunch of content plus unlimited access to all the services we offer and our Discord server, to speak with other members and coaches.

Once you’ve watched some content and have tried out videos produced from a variety of different coaches, you can then decide which coach is right for you and pursue further instruction. That costs separately from $50-$750 per session depending on the coach and length of session.

Conclusion

Raymond Norton and CNC Poker are bringing something special to the poker training scene, with a focus on live group coaching, community, and customization. With a roster of accomplished coaches and a unique mix of live group sessions and personal coaching, CNC Poker is carving out its niche in the competitive world of poker education. So long as you’re serious about improving your game, CNC Poker has something unique to offer you in terms of its approach to instruction. So, if you’re looking to elevate your game, this might just be the place to start.

Those with further questions for Raymond about CNC Poker are welcome to reach out to him by email ra***********@******er.com or to sign up for a (basic level) free CNC Poker membership and then speak with him on their public Discord server.

Following its return in 2023 after a more than decade-long absence, the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) is set to light up Las Vegas once again in just a couple weeks. From November 1-10, poker players from around North America and beyond will convene at Resorts World Las Vegas to compete for a chance at glory—and $4 million in total guaranteed prize pools. A string of new events and partnership have the 2024 NAPT Las Vegas festival shaping up to be an unforgettable experience, with 10 days of non-stop action both at and away from the felt set to cater to poker players of all skill levels.

North American Poker Tour 2024

2024 NAPT Tournament Schedule Offers an Eclectic Mix

This year’s NAPT Las Vegas stop will be packing an even bigger punch than last year, offering significantly more events (36 in total) and bigger prize pools. Buy-ins will range from a modest $250 all the way up to $25,000 for the high rollers, with the $5,300 Main Event boasting a guaranteed prize pool of $3 million.

Below you’ll find some of the marquee events that highlight a packed 2024 NAPT Las Vegas schedule:

In addition to the above events, PokerStars has also partnered with the RunGood Poker Series as well as Cardplayer Lifestyle (that’s us! 🙂 ), to offer several co-branded events on the NAPT tournament schedule this time around:

The full schedule of tournaments to be held at the 2024 NAPT Las Vegas festival can be found here.

Of course, alongside the NAPT, we’ll be running Mixed Game Festival IX from November 3-7 in the Resorts World Poker Room, with tons of non-Hold’em cash game action on offer from limits as low as $4/8. We’ve got plenty of extras and giveaways for you to look forward to, including two seats to the $550 H.E.R.O.S. and 8-Game tournaments!

For those of you looking to broaden your horizons and start your mixed game journeys ahead of the NAPT, PokerStars ambassador GJ Reggie has penned a couple of great beginner strategy pieces on mixed game mechanics and tips for playing 8-game mix.

Action-Packed Player Activities Away from the Felt

For those players looking to keep the party going away from the felt, PokerStars has also announced a full slate of activities. Among the off-table highlights is the PokerStars Players Party on Thursday, November 7, which will take place at Zouk’s Empire Room.

Other fun-filled events include:

Players can also relax in the PokerStars Players Lounge throughout the series or grab tickets to head up to the Strat Tower for breathtaking views of Las Vegas.

NAPT Women’s Event and Rake-Free Satellite

With PokerStars being a longtime leader in advocating for increased female participation at the tables, it’s no surprise to see the NAPT shine a bright spotlight on women. On November 5, the NAPT Women’s Event will take center stage, featuring a $330 buy-in and a $30,000 guaranteed prize pool.

In addition, to make this event more accessible and give more women the opportunity to make their mark at the felt, PokerStars is hosting a $60 buy-in rake free(!) Ladies Event Satellite on Sunday, October 20, at Resorts World with unlimited reentry. A seat into the Women’s Event will be awarded for every $330 in the prize pool.

So whether you’re a high roller chasing huge money or a recreational player just looking to have a great poker experience and partake in the festivities, the 2024 NAPT Las Vegas has something for everyone. Prepare for 10 days of thrilling poker action, unforgettable player experiences, and an atmosphere buzzing with energy—right in the heart of Las Vegas.

Mixed games are becoming increasingly popular with more players lining up than ever before to play them online at sites like PokerStars and in person at events like the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival. For players only familiar with No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha who wish to expand their horizons and give 8-game mix a try for the first time in the live realm, it’s important to understand the unique mechanics of mixed game poker. Once you’ve got them mastered, then it’s time to pick up a few tips about all the different games.

The eight games that constitute the 8-game mix are: No Limit Hold’em, 7 Card Stud, Fixed Limit Omaha 8 or Better, Razz, Pot Limit Omaha, Fixed Limit Hold’em, 7 Card Stud 8 or Better and 2-7 Triple Draw. Here, then, are eight tips for beginners delving into 8-game mix for the first time!

8-Game Mix

No Limit Hold’em

You know this one right?! Play your game. It might be the only game in the rotation where you can get all your chips in at once, but don’t let this make you too eager or too nervous to play the game as you usually would.

7-Card Stud

Pairs are very playable; as are strong straight and flush draws. If you have four to a flush, you don’t fold! With such a nice price to see the next card, hold on and hope you get there.

Fixed Limit Omaha 8 or Better

You’ll want to play hands capable of making strong highs and/or strong lows; ideally both! You don’t want to be caught chasing half the pot and end up in the position of having both the second-best high hand and the second-best low hand at showdown.

 

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Razz

Three cards 8 or lower is always a good place to start. Make sure you bet and represent your board, particularly when your opponent has caught bad cards.

Pot Limit Omaha (PLO)

Double suited aces isn’t the only hand you can play in PLO! Hands that have four cards that are well connected, compliment each other, and work well together can offer a lot of value and playability, too.

 

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Fixed Limit Hold’em

Don’t forget to 3-Bet! It can be tough to get a lot of chips into the middle and win big pots with your big hands in these limit games. Thus, 3-betting can give you the initiative and help add some chips to the pot when you have a strong hand, especially in a game where it is often difficult for your opponents to fold once they’ve hit the flop.

7 Card Stud 8 or Better

The best hands are those with good high and low potential. Low cards (with an Ace) that also have straight and flush potential are very premium hands as they offer chances to scoop the whole pot.

 

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2-7 Triple Draw

Don’t leave home without a deuce (2), especially from early position! The deuces are the most valuable cards in the game; all the best possible hands that you can make contain a deuce. Be sure to have one of your own if you want to the chance to make those strong hands.

Bonus 8-Game Mix Tip

It’s tough to fold! In Fixed Limit Games you are often getting a very nice price to call down, even in situations that might not look too favourable, so you have to be very careful as overfolding in Limit Games can prove very costly.

You can’t play a hand of poker optimally without taking a number of important factors into account. They each add critical information that helps you make killer reads and perfect exploits. Below, I’ll be listing each of these six factors in order of importance. For that reason, you might be surprised at what I place at #6, at the bottom of the list. Without any further ado…

1. The Player

Your opponent is critical and MUST be factored into your decisions. Your history with them including poker statistics, showdown hands, bet sizes, the things they’ve said at the table and even more, all factor into your winning strategy. When you understand your opponent and know their tendencies, you can make more accurate reads on their hand strength and devise plays to exploit them.

2. The Position

Most of your opponents are at least semi-aware of the value of position. They’re tighter in the early position, they love playing the cutoff and BTN, they don’t like the blinds, and they don’t like it when their early position open-raise gets 3 late position callers. And post-flop, they’re happier to cbet in position and they don’t like playing OOP over multiple streets.

3. The Action and Bet Size

Strong plays and big sizes (check-raises, 3bets, 120% pot, etc.) are often signs of strength. Calling, checking and smooth calling tiny bets are often signs of weakness. In general, attack weakness and avoid strength. And, when you combine their tendencies with their play and bet size, you can make some killer reads and exploitative plays.

4. The Stack

The number of chips they have and the effective stack size (the amount you’re both playing for) is important. This is critical in tournaments as there are plays like 3bets and re-shoves that can earn tournament life-extending chips. And, it’s also a key aspect in cash games. The smaller the effective stacks, the more selective you have to be in battling. The larger the effective stacks, the more room you have to maneuver both pre- and post-flop.

5. The Board

We know that huge preflop favorites can quickly turn into dogs on the wrong flop, the wrong turn or the wrong river. So, with every hand, you must take the prior four factors into account and consider how they interact with the board.

6. Your Hand

Yep, your hand is at the bottom of this list. It is important, but the prior five factors help you make profitable decisions that your hand alone can’t. When you started playing poker, your hand was the #1 thing you considered, followed by the board at #2 (factors 5 & 6 on this list). But now that you’re a more seasoned player and studier, you’ve learned the value of the first five factors and now you consider those before your own hand.

Check out this video for the perfect floating strategy:

Take Action

Put the six key factors on a sticky note, in order, and attach it to your monitor. Over your next three online poker sessions, play just one table for 30 minutes before adding tables. During the 30 minutes, for each hand you’re in or thinking about playing, take these six factors into account and use them to make the best decisions possible.

When we think about poker training these days, the first thing that comes to mind are websites offering a variety of courses focusing on a specific area of the game, be it cash games, regular MTTs, PKOs, etc. There are certainly many quality options to choose from, but a majority of poker training sites take a very similar approach where they create a course and then offer it to players “as is”. CNC Poker, by contrast, is looking to disrupt the poker training space by offering full flexibility for you to only invest your hard earned money on specific coaching you actually wish to purchase. Members who wish to take things to the next level can pick and choose specific coaches to learn from.

Created by Raymond Norton — who had previously spent five years managing bitB Staking working with some of poker’s best and brightest minds — CNC Poker focuses on a community-driven approach. While there are some quality premade videos available, the site revolves around live group coaching sessions. In addition, members can avail themselves of the opportunity to have 1-on-1 sessions with the site’s roster of coaches, offering a much more personalized and targeted poker learning experience.

CNC Poker banner

CNC Poker Overview: What’s on Offer?

CNC Poker offers a couple of membership options. You can become a member for free, which will give you access to free content on the site and the Discord community. The Global Membership option, which you can purchase on a monthly basis or for an entire year, gives you access to the CNC Global video library, a private community server, and more.

The central part of the site is the roster of coaches where you can see all the different poker coaches you can book a session with, alongside their credential, fields of expertise, etc.

The video library features about a dozen videos covering different topics, and while it certainly adds value to the membership, it’s not the main focus of the platform. That said, these videos can certainly help you become familiar with individual coaches’ styles and pick the ones that you like with whom to further your own poker study.

CNC Poker videos

Discord Community & Group Sessions

CNC Poker boasts a community full of many of the world’s most successful players, who are private members on their platform and have invested in their services.

There are also several group sessions scheduled every month, and these are available on the site and also announced via the Discord server. It typically costs between $40 – $70 per session.

Since there are members from all over the world, some live sessions may not take place during the best time slot for you, but CNC Poker does their best to accommodate everyone as much as possible and any session you sign up for you have lifetime access to watch when it suits you.

CNC Poker Video Library

In addition, there’s premade video content on the platform which serves primarily to help you get to know the coaches on the CNC Poker roster and their teaching styles. That said, this fact doesn’t take away anything from the value of the information found in these videos.

At the moment, the CNC Poker video library contains about a dozen videos that cover a range of different topics. There are several free videos from performance coaches Jon “The Perception Coach” Prince and Alan Longo, as well as from nutritionist Valeria Marin that will become available to you through the Global membership package, and these are well worth your time and money.

As for poker-specific videos, some of the content on offer includes:

You’ll be able to pick up some useful information from these videos but, more than anything else, you’ll be able to see what these coaches have to offer, how they present, and if you feel they’d be a good fit for instructing you in 1-on-1 sessions.

CNC Poker Coaches: Solid Variety of Expertise & Pricing Options

If the concept of 1-on-1 poker training agrees with you, CNC Poker is the right platform for you. When you click to Book Your Next Session, you’ll see the list of coaches that are available. You can click on any individual coach to see their profile and how much a session or a package of sessions will cost.

There are two categories of coaches: Premium and Pro. The Premium category features some pretty big names, which is why their prices are on the higher end, starting at about $400 an hour. While the price is a bit steep, you’ll be getting excellent bang for your buck, via 1-on-1 coaching from the likes of:

CNC Poker coaches

The Pro section features some lesser-known but nonetheless very capable players who have proven their skills over many years spent at the live and virtual felt. Here, prices per hour start at about $50 per hour, which is much more affordable.

If you’re playing low to medium stakes, coaching sessions with one of the Pro coaches who specializes in your format should be more than enough to help you improve your poker game. Premium tier coaches are a great pick for medium stakes players looking to move further up, where they’ll face the toughest opponents.

The process of booking a session or multiple sessions is very easy, but it is recommended that you first get in touch with the coach you’re interested in and make sure you’ll be able to figure out a schedule that works for both of you. This initial dialogue can also help you figure out if they are the right poker coach to best help you achieve your specific goals.

It’s worth mentioning that CNC Poker also offers performance coaching sessions with the likes of Alan Longo, Valeria Marin, and Jon Prince. Prices among those poker coaches currently range between $120 and $450 per session, and these are a great option if you need someone to help you better structure your efforts and develop a better mindframe in general.

Is CNC Poker the Right Training Site for You?

The CNC Poker training platform is certainly different and pricier than many other poker training sites out there. So, the main question that comes to mind is: is it worth it?

The bottom line is that every poker player learns in a different way. The live group coaching sessions model is a unique and innovative approach that no other sites have adopted, thus presenting a fresh style of learning available to poker players looking to up their game.

Beyond that, the 1-on-1 approach is probably not the best option for those who are completely new to poker. You’ll be better served with standard courses that cover basics and some advanced poker concepts. At the start of your journey, there is so much information that you can and should absorb from these types of lessons.

However, once you reach a certain stage in your poker career, if you are taking the game seriously then what CNC Poker has to offer can be very valuable.

Almost every poker player, no matter how good they are, struggles with certain aspects of their game, and they want to improve in that particular area. For that, 1-on-1 poker training with an experienced coach that specializes in your particular variation can prove invaluable.

Instead of general advice, you’ll be able to ask very specific questions and analyze hand-picked spots to eliminate those subtle leaks in your poker game and find new ways to exploit the population.

Thus, CNC Poker is an excellent option for players who are already at a certain point in their poker journeys and are serious about improving and moving up the stakes. Plus, if you can find a coach on their roster that you can really work with, the hourly price is well worth it in the long run!

WPT Global has announced the signing of three-time Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel as their newest brand ambassador. Kessel, an NHL star and avid poker enthusiast, will contribute to the site’s “Team Canada” initiative, aiming to boost player engagement with exclusive poker tournaments and VIP experiences for Canadian poker players.

Kessel’s love for poker is well-known among fans, as the hockey veteran has often spotted at marquee live poker events over the years. His presence in the poker community has long been a buzzworthy topic, particularly in NHL cities where fans have come to appreciate his serious, but fun-loving demeanor at the tables. Now, with his official role at WPT Global, Kessel is set to take his love of poker to the next level.

“I’ve been passionate about poker for over 20 years, and I’ve been a huge fan of the World Poker Tour for a long time,” Kessel said. “I’m really excited to work with WPT Global and to kick things off in Montreal. I can’t wait to bring some cool experiences to poker and hockey fans alike.”

Phil Kessel WPT Global

A Canadian Online Poker Push

Kessel will begin his involvement with the site via WPT Global’s “Team Canada” initiative, which is designed to engage the Canadian poker community with exclusive events and promotions. The partnership kicks off in earnest during the upcoming WPT Playground Festival in Montreal that will be taking place from October 14-30, 2024, where Kessel will make several in-person appearances, giving players and fans the chance to interact with the hockey legend.

As part of his ambassadorship, WPT Global has also announced that Kessel will host some special invitation-only online poker events, offering players the opportunity to compete for VIP experiences both on and off the felt. One such event will be the upcoming Iron Man Tournament, set to take place on November 27, where players will have a chance to win a VIP package to the WPT World Championship in Las Vegas among other prizes.

READ MORE: 2024 WPT World Championship Schedule Revealed

Phil Kessel’s Iron Man Tournament on WPT Global

Set to take place on November 27 at 7 PM EST, Kessel’s exclusive, invite-only Iron Man Tournament will feature the following prizes:

Players can receive an invite by registering on WPT Global with the promo code IRONKESSEL81 and making a deposit of $100 or more. Existing WPT Global players can participate by earning free tournament tickets through various promotions that will be announced shortly.

A new Ambassador approaches, @PKessel81! 🏒

Register now with code IRONKESSEL81 for your chance to WIN a VIP experience with Phil — including entry into the @WPT World Championship! pic.twitter.com/csoyjvEtVn

— WPT Global (@wpt_global) October 8, 2024

Bridging the Gap Between Sports and Poker

WPT Global’s signing of Kessel is a move that reflects the ongoing connection between poker and sports. In a uniquely fitting spot as both a beloved NHL star and passionate poker player, Kessel embodies the spirit of competition and community that both worlds share. Alex Scott, President of WPT Global, sees Kessel’s involvement as a natural fit for the platform.

“Phil has not only proven himself as a world-class hockey player but also as a true poker enthusiast who brings the same passion and dedication to the tables,” Scott said. “His ability to bridge these two worlds—sports and poker—is something we’re really excited about, and we can’t wait to create some unforgettable experiences for our players, especially in Canada.”

WATCH: Interview with WPT Global President Alex Scott

Welcome to the world of Mixed Games!

There is in fact more to poker than No Limit Hold-em and Pot Limit Omaha. These ‘other’ poker variants that are often collectively dubbed ‘Mixed Games’ and are available to anyone looking to spice up their poker playing lives.

These variants can be quite different to what you might expect compared to NLHE and PLO, so here is a quick primer on some of the terminology and mechanics you might come across when venturing into the world of Mixed Games.

Mixed Games

Differences Across All Game Formats

Dealing from the Left

In games that play with a button, the dealer will always deal from the button round, however in stud games there is no button.

In this case dealers always deal from left to right across every street.

Antes

It is commonplace in today’s poker tournaments to adopt a Big Blind Ante in NLHE and PLO games, where the Big Blind pays the Ante for the whole table and the Ante is equivalent to 1 Big Blind.

In fixed limit variants that have a Button and Blinds, there is no Ante in play.

In contrast to this, the fixed limit stud variants, which do not have a Button or any Blinds, have all players paying the ante every hand.

Streets of Betting

In Flop Games, people refer to the actions as pre flop, post flop, turn and river actions.

In Stud Games, given that there are no community cards, the betting rounds are known as streets and are based on the number of cards currently in your hand. The very first round of betting is 3rd street and with each subsequent card we get 4th street, 5th street, 6th street and 7th street.

In Draw Games there are similarly no community cards, and action is determined by the drawing round, so pre-draw, 1stdraw, 2nd draw and post draw.

Position

In games with a button, who acts first is based on position relative to the button. In Stud Games, where there is no button, who acts first is determined by whichever player has the best board for that game. This means position can change between the players mid-hand, depending on the face-up cards that are dealt on the following streets.

Actual Mixed Games

Game Changes

The true definition of a Mixed Game is a poker game format that incorporates multiple different poker variants on a set rotation. These are games such as HORSE, 8-Game, 10-Game and Dealer’s Choice.  These formats will typically rotate through the variants after a set number of hands played. This is usually the equivalent to an orbit at a full table.

mixed game plaques

All Fixed Limit Mixed Game Variants

Limit Betting

In fixed limit games there are two different betting limit increments. That of the small bet and that of the big bet. If you are ever unsure of what the current limit is in the hand you are playing you can check the number of burn cards on the table. If there are two or more burn cards then you are now on the big bet limit.

Capped

No limit betting is, as expected, a format where you can wager all your chips in a single action.

In pot limit betting, you can wager your chips based on the size of the pot.

In fixed limit games, you are only able to bet and raise within the constraints of the current limits. In addition, there is also a cap to the number of raises you are allowed to make on any given betting round.

The cap is usually 4 raises / 5 bets but may vary among operators.

Big Bets, not Big Blinds!

In no limit and pot limit games, people gauge their stack size based on how many big blinds they have, with something like 40-50 big blinds being a reasonable stack average.

In fixed limit games you count your stack in number of big bets. The big bet is the higher limit increment of the limits currently in play and a 10 big bet average is very standard for tournament play.

Hopefully this tip helps you get a better idea of whether you are short stacked or deep stacked, and you’ll be able to adjust your play accordingly.

Hi/Lo Games

Split Pots & Low Hands

Games described as hi/lo are split pot games where half the hand goes to the best low hand and half the pot goes to the best high hand. In the split pot games within 8-game the games have an 8 qualifier and are formally known as Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better and Stud Hi/Lo 8 or Better.

This means that in order for your hand to have a low, you will need five cards unpaired 8 or lower to qualify. The best low hand is A2345, and straights and flushes do not count against you.

Stud Variants

Face-Up Cards, Face-Down Cards and The Board

Here’s another Mechanic unique to Stud Games: In stud variants you will receive some cards face down and some face up. There are no community cards!

Your starting hand will consist of two cards dealt face down (down cards) and then a third card dealt face up. This card is commonly referred to as the up card.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth cards are also all dealt face up to make your board; the collection of up cards. Your seventh card is then dealt face down to complete your hand.

Stud Games

Bringing-In

The Bring-in is a uniquely Stud Variant Mechanic; it applies to the games Razz, Stud and Stud8.

It is a forced bet, similar to that of the blinds in no limit hold’em, except the player who brings in is the one with the ‘worst’ face-up card, according to the game being played.

In Razz the worst up card is a King (of Spades); in Stud it’s a 2 (of clubs) and in stud hi/lo it is also the 2 (of clubs).
When it comes to who brings in, suits do matter and suits are ranked in alphabetical order with spades being the highest and clubs classed as the lowest.

The “Complete” and 2Bet

The “Complete” is the first ‘whole’ bet following the Bring-in in Stud Games.

It only occurs in the very first round of betting and is in the denomination of the small bet limit. The first raise after this is then known as the 2Bet.

Draw Variants

Standing Pat

In Draw Games, players take turns to declare how many cards they are drawing. Players often make the mistake of showing their drawing cards before their turn and offering information to their opponents unnecessarily, so be careful you don’t fall into this habit!

When someone says they are ‘pat’ or ‘standing pat’, that means they are not drawing any cards.

Draw Games

And that’s a wrap!

Hopefully this introduction to live poker mixed games mechanics will have better equipped you to handle your first foray into the poker wilderness that is Mixed Games. If I’ve piqued your interest and you want to watch me stream mixed games online, be sure to check out my Twitch channel.

Finally, a great place to give live mixed game poker a try for the first time is the upcoming Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival IX, which will be held at Resorts World Las Vegas in partnership with the 2024 PokerStars NAPT from November 3-7.

Good luck!

Justin Saliba’s poker journey has been nothing short of remarkable, as the Pokercoaching.com coach continues to hone his skills and add more facets to his game. Recently, he’s begun pursuing additional tools for his poker utility belt and has looked beyond the confines of NLHE and PLO into the wonderful world of mixed games. In a recent conversation with Justin, we learned the catalyst for his decision to explore poker’s lesser-known variants and what it what that has helped him embrace the complexity and community of mixed games. In this interview, Justin talks about his initial steps into the world of non-Hold’em poker, the challenges and rewards he’s encountered, and how this journey has continued to shape his poker career.

Justin Saliba

The first time you played any non-Hold’em or PLO variants was at the Mixed Game Festival a couple years back. What drew you in to give mixed games a try for the first time?

Honestly, just before this time frame I had a conversation with my sports psychologist and was having some issues sustaining my drive. Burnout had hit a bit and I felt like I was flying around the world playing these tournaments for EV-reasons, just going through the motions, and had lost some of the joy I once had for playing cards.

One question he asked me was ‘When was the last time that you just played poker for fun?’, and I couldn’t even remember. It felt like years since I had just played for love the game! After the conversation, it became clear to me that I needed something novel to re-energize myself.

The idea of getting dealt more than two cards sounded pretty fun, and I’d had some friends talked about mixed game culture being quite relaxed and fun, so I decided to go splash around and check it out!

You had obviously been playing poker for many years before playing your first hand in a mixed game. What were your initial impressions sitting at the table for the first couple hours and being introduced to a number of new poker variants?

I had a blast. I distinctly remember the energy I felt after learning the rules to some new games and trying to watch how other people were playing. It was all a new puzzle that felt really fun and exciting. The people and the community there were also extremely helpful, teaching me some of the basics and giving me some ideas of why they were doing certain things. Overall though, it was very fun to just play like a whale and try to rely on variance to make some good hands (where I’d have to table my hand to make sure I had the winner, hah).

Justin Saliba Ethan Yau

Ethan “Rampage” Yau and Justin Saliba try mixed game poker for the first time.

In particular, I believe this was your first exposure to Draw Games and Stud Games. Do you believe they required you to unlock a new sort of skill set versus Flop Game variants?

Absolutely. It gave me a better understanding of what ‘poker skills’ even meant. All of the sudden, I started to realize that there was a slightly different skill set that made a good Stud player, over what makes a good NLHE player. It felt like it was so easy for the good players to always remember all of the face-up cards for example. Their recall and their mechanics just felt so automatic and gave me a new respect for many of these players.

Even just the speed at which they play was so impressive to me. Especially as I was getting more comfortable with some of the games, I had to be okay with being the slowest one at the table and taking my time to try and think through perhaps my 200th rep of a Stud8 hand or something.

What variant(s), if any, stood out to you as particularly challenging or enjoyable, and why?

I really liked the split pot games early on. Stud8 and Omaha8 in particular were just completely different from anything I’ve played. The two-way-concepts that were happening made it very fun to learn and try to understand why people were doing what they were doing.

Another thing that made these two games very fun is that it felt like there were tons of different styles that good players had in these games. Some played very tight, others extremely loose, some valued one-way hands more than others… and all of them were likely winners, so the stylistic differences were pretty enjoyable and lead to a spot needing to be played completely differently against one player type compared with another.

I think this was very helpful for NLHE as well, where I likely wasn’t using my intuition enough or deviating player-to-player enough until I really dove into mixed games.

Justin Saliba Jonathan Little

Pokercoaching.com founder Jonathan Little and Justin Saliba

Trying mixed games is one thing; practicing them is another, as it’s not always so simple to find them being spread in a live setting. How/where have you gotten reps in to work on your game?

My favorite way to learn new games is heads-up online cash. I played a lot of this early on in my NLHE career, and it was how I went about beginning to study PLO, so I felt it was a good starting point for me to practice.

I know that HU is very different from ring games, but I’ve always felt like if I can learn the game where seemingly every spot is uncomfortable, and I’m having to fight for pots much more than with just very strong hands, my learning curve will be the fastest. Then, I’d be able to apply many of those skills to ring and move more into ring cash games. Also, just the sheer amount of hands you get in is so much higher than anything else, and it’s very fun!

Now you can occasionally be found jumping into high buy-in mixed game tournaments. What has the road been like to get there? Please tell us about how (i.e., the process) you’ve made progress in the mixed game streets.

Once I decided to take mixed games more seriously, I really got obsessed. I knew that I needed to surround myself with players that are much better than myself, and learn everything I can from them. With my NLHE skillset, I was able to find some nice win-wins where I traded coaching with some very good mixed game players, mostly Alex Livingston and Jerry Wong, who both helped me a ton with the fundamentals.

From there, I pretty much went through every available public course, content, PokerStars online streams, and anything else I could find to try to build solid frameworks for how I was going to approach the games.

#WCOOP started today & there’s a huge number of poker variants on the schedule

Buy-ins start at just $5.50 & you can test yourself across multiple formats, including: PLO, 8-Game, HORSE, Stud, Stud H/L, Razz, 5-Card Draw, 2-7 Single Draw, Triple Draw & Badugi. pic.twitter.com/4TVRe9wwzi

— PokerStars Support (@StarsSupport) September 8, 2024

I offered people free money in the form of EV to play me HU as well at reasonably small stakes. I would just play very good players and lose, but I would record my entire session and run all of the equities with a program I like called Stud-Flop-Draw from the interesting spots, as well send them to my coaches for feedback.

When the WSOP came around, I was really grateful as well to be friends with Shaun Deeb. He became a very valuable resource to run hands by, give me feedback when I played a hand ‘like an idiot’, and talk me through different adjustments he liked to make at the WSOP against different player types.

Overall, I would say I was still losing theoretically in pretty much every high buy-in mixed game tournament, but it felt close enough to 0% to fire, get some experience, try my best, and also get a little refresh from the NLHE tournaments where pressure and stress can feel a bit higher at times.

Would you say there was any sort of parallel from how you worked on and progressed in your Hold’em/PLO game vis a vis how you did so in mixed games; or is it a different sort of process?

I tried to have pretty much the same process. The public tools are much weaker for mixed games in general, but my approach was very similar. Surround myself with players that are better than me, learn as much as I can from them, work hard to have a strong process of reviewing hands, articulating strategies, and building frameworks for how I want to approach different spots, put in volume, and do my best to learn from every single mistake that I made (which was plenty in year 1 of mixed 🙂 ).

After five years of NLHE and PLO cashes on your HendonMob, suddenly a result pops up from June, where you finished 7th in the $10K 2-7 Triple Draw and you followed that up with another result a couple weeks later in a $1500 2-7 Single Draw Event. At what point did you tell yourself “I feel ready to compete in mixed games in tournament format”? What threshold did you feel you had to reach?

I’m not sure you can ever really feel ready when it comes to things like that. Sometimes, I think you just need to have self-belief, and not put too much pressure on yourself. I was just going to fire, have fun with it, and try my best.

2-7 Triple Draw by that point was definitely the mixed game that I had played the most of. There are some old school mixed guys that pretty much sit and play anybody HU, so I was able to get the most action in that game, with many of them berating me in chat, but actually helping me learn more and more! That said, I’m not sure if I’d played more than 100 live MTT 2-7 hands at that point, so I didn’t put too much pressure on myself and just wanted to try my best and have the belief that I know I’m a good tournament player and can achieve results.

🚨 Bracelet sweat alert! 🚨

PokerCoaching Coach @Justin_Saliba has made day 3 of the @WSOP $10k 2-7 Triple Draw and is 6/13! 🔥

Justin is battling amongst some of the biggest legends in poker for his 3rd bracelet & $350k! 🚀

Follow the action! 🍀🍀https://t.co/g9o4Xv2kn5 pic.twitter.com/BWwey5Z710

— PokerCoaching.com (@PokerCoaching_) June 12, 2024

It’s one thing to splash around in a fun $4/8 dealer’s choice cash game. It’s entirely another to play mixed games in tournament format, especially against some of the world’s best. That’s a jump that most casual mixed games players don’t usually (get to) make. That said, playing against some of the world’s best is not something new to you, as you’ve been doing that for a while on the NLHE and PLO circuit, and you’re sufficiently bankrolled to take those kinds of shots. Can you tell us what it’s been like to make that jump?

It’s really just been a lot of fun. Getting to play these weird games with guys that I’ve looked up to for years is a blast. From a competitive standpoint, I just can’t really compete with the best in mixed games yet. I have a high amount of confidence in my process and I know that if I dedicate myself, I can become a very good player in any game. But I’m certainly aware that I’m not there yet, and it will take a lot of time before that’s the case. The $10k 2-7 was a great example of this, really showing the difference between an OK player and the world beaters.

The field started with maybe 300 runners or so, and I felt comfortable at my early tables. I had a reasonable strategy to not be too big of a loser in the game, and I was trying very very hard to win, which amounts to something. I also had the same process, constantly taking notes, sending hands to my network for feedback and trying to improve after each hand.

Although I felt like I was a better player by the final table of that tournament, when you get deep in a tournament like that, you certainly get humbled. I believe the final table was pretty much six of the best 2-7 TD players in the world and me, who had played maybe a total of 300 2-7 live MTT hands at that point. Especially with the slow structure, I was close to dead, but was able to learn a lot.

Phil Ivey wins bracelet #11

Poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey won his 11th bracelet, while Justin finished in 7th place | Screenshot: Hendonmob

I relied on immense rungood, mediocre fundamentals, and some MTT skills up until that point… but as you get deeper, the better players were able to really punish me for my lack of experience and skill, and I’m not sure that there was any amount of positive variance that could have had me win on that day.

Those guys were just too good and so incredibly far ahead of the strategies I was trying to execute. It’s just like anything else, the truly great ones make it look so easy as if you could do it yourself, but then if you go try to compete with them, it just serves as a wakeup call and some added perspective for how far away I am from that in these games.

Do you have any specific poker goals as far as mixed games are concerned, whether it’s increased mastery of any particular variants, tournament achievements you’d like to have, or to eventually play in the big cash game mixes that run in Las Vegas?

I need to have a mixed WSOP bracelet for sure, hoping to get a live mixed bracelet before a live NLHE one just for the fun of it. Overall, I want to be able to go after WSOP POY at some point, so trying to add 2-3 games/year that I dedicate myself to while still staying focused on NL is probably the right balance for me.

I want enough novelty in my process to keep me hungry, motivated, and fresh, but there are still so many things I want to accomplish in NLHE to just dive into mixed games 100%.

In 2023, I played 2-7 TD/SD, Big O, and O8. I think for this upcoming year, I’ll probably stick to those games and add in Stud8 and Razz for this next year, or whatever other game peaks my interest the most.

For someone who has now read about and been inspired by your progress as a mixed game player from total novice to competing in championship events, what would you recommend they do in order to try and follow a similar path to success? I specifically ask this question as the overwhelming majority of such people are NOT necessarily bankrolled to make the quantum leap into 5-figure buy-in events.

The biggest thing that I would say is just focus on improving after every single session. Instead of letting negative thoughts or noise enter your head, such as, ‘wow, that player sucks, why did they play it that way, etc’, switch your approach to be more open-minded, adaptable, and truly competitive. Spend all of that energy trying to figure out what caused them to play it that way and what you can do to counter the strategy and develop a bigger edge. If you have that mindset, you’ll just improve by a small amount over and over and over until you blink your eyes and you’re truly a great poker player.

On top of that, I would say to always remember the ‘why’ behind why you’re playing and always hold on to that joy of the game. When you’re really enjoying playing cards, focusing at a high level, dealing with variance, competing, and playing your best just feels so much easier. Put your joy back into what got you into the game in the first place and focus on improving every day and see where it will take you!

Justin Saliba Robbie Strazynski

You’ve had a role working with Pokercoaching.com for many years and are currently a popular coach on the site. Could you envision Pokercoaching.com branching into offering some mixed game courses? If so, approximately when would you estimate such a thing could happen and would you consider yourself as a potential instructor for such courses?

I think we’ll get into mixed games at some point. There are so many great mixed game coaches out there that we’ll be very happy to collaborate with someone to build something awesome for our students. We have a lot of exciting new things currently in the pipeline, so I’ll estimate sometime in 2026 for a nice little mixed game course. 🙂

Finally, Mixed Game Festival IX is on the horizon and I know you’ll be joining us to splash around at the felt once again in a few weeks. In the past you’ve brought some friends to join you and dip their toes in the mixed game streets, like Ethan “Rampage” Yau and Aram Zobian. Will any other Pokercoaching coaches be joining you/us? Will you be hopping into any of our mixed game tournaments on the NAPT schedule?

I’m sure more coaches will come out to play! The Mixed Game Festival is always a blast and I love playing at Resorts World, so I’ll definitely invite some friends to come splash around because, sometimes, being the whale is really fun!

Plus, I love PokerStars events, and the schedule for this upcoming NAPT looks awesome. I’m hoping to be deep in some of the big NLHE tourneys, but if I’m out, I’ll definitely be hopping in some mixed game tourneys there next month.

Cool to meet @AramZobian for the first time!

Thanks for coming to visit @PokerLifeMedia Mixed Game Festival VIII.

Welcome as well to fellow first-timer @APeikenVegas, and stalwart attendee @Justin_Saliba. pic.twitter.com/oXJdIOehJT

— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 18, 2024

September on PokerGO saw the continuation of High Stakes Poker and No Gamble, No Future, along with the return of the Poker Masters.

The new month of October will see more cash game action and crazy pots, while Pot-Limit Omaha will be the dominant game on the PGT. There will also be three sponsored poker events for PokerGO subscribers to watch; including the Celebrity Poker Tour Game Night IV on October 7, the DuelNow Poker Invitational on October 10, and the Monkey Tilt Poker Invitational on October 30.

PokerGO Preview October

High Stakes Poker

The 13th season of High Stakes Poker will conclude in October with the final two lineups of players. To start the month, the action-packed lineup of Andrew Robl, Jennifer Tilly, Stanley Tang, Sameh Elamawy, Humboldt Mike, Nik Airball, Justin Gavri, and Brandon Steven continue playing $500/$1,000 No-Limit Hold’em for two more episodes.

The final two episodes of the season will see the season debuts of Phil Hellmuth, Jeff Housenbold, and Chamath Palihapitiya joining Robl, Airball, Elamawy, Tang, and Tilly.

Watch Season 13 episodes of High Stakes Poker every Monday at 8 p.m. ET.

No Gamble, No Future

The month begins with the final episode of a lineup led by Jared Bleznick, Wolfgang Poker, Humboldt Mike, Sashimi Poker, Markus Gonsalves, Randy Sadler, and Jimmy D’Ambrosio playing $100/$100 No-Limit Hold’em.

There will then be three episodes from a new lineup where Wolfgang Poker is replaced by Ethan “Rampage” Yau and the stakes continue at $100/$100 No-Limit Hold’em.

The final episode of the month will be the start of the Cash of the Titans and seven episodes of intense poker action that sees escalating blinds but in a cash game format. Andrew Robl, Stanley Choi, Justin Young, Sean Perry, Kristen Foxen, Mike Volfson, and Shawn Madden are the featured players on the second installment of Cash of the Titans.

Each player has put up $100,000 on the side, while the buy-in is $100,000 with a single $100,000 rebuy or addon. With three days of cash game action, the biggest winner on Day 1 and Day 2 will each receive $150,000, while the biggest overall cumulative winner over the three days will win $400,000.

Watch Season 5 episodes of No Gamble, No Future every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

PGT PLO Series

The PGT PLO Series returns with its second installment for 2024, running from October 14-22. There will be nine events on the schedule and buy-ins range from $5,100 to $25,200 with the player who accumulates the most PGT points throughout the series crowned the PGT PLO Series champion and awarded a $10,000 PGT Passport.

Previous PGT PLO Series champions include Lautaro Guerra, Daniel Geeng, and Samuli Sipila, while PGT PLO Series event winners include Eelis Parssinen, Seth Davies, Dylan Weisman, Ronald Keijzer, Daniel Negreanu, Joao Simao, Adam Hendrix, Bryce Yockey, Jim Collopy, Sean Troha, and Nacho Barbero.

Watch PGT PLO Series final tables from October 15-22, at 4 p.m. ET.

Super High Roller Bowl: $100k Pot-Limit Omaha

The inaugural Super High Roller Bowl: $100k Pot-Limit Omaha in 2023 would see a 38-entrant field set a prize pool of $3,800,000. The final seven players finished in the money, including Chino Rheem, Frank Crivello, Aaron Katz, Isaac Kempton, Stephen Chidwick, and Isaac Haxton. However, it would be Jared Bleznick who emerged victorious to win the $1,292,000 first-place prize.

The marquee Pot-Limit Omaha event of the 2024 PGT season returns from October 24-26 with a few small improvements including the option for Day 2 registration. A field comprising of the best Pot-Limit Omaha players from around the world will be battling it out to see who the next Super High Roller Bowl: $100k Pot-Limit Omaha champion will be.

Watch the entire Super High Roller Bowl: $100k Pot-Limit Omaha from October 24-26.

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