Time flies when you’re having fun and anyone who frequented the Bellagio over the past couple of weeks will attest to that. Incredibly, Mixed Game Festival XIV has now been going for nine full days!
Those who joined the action for Day 8 had the pleasure to share table space and play some pots with a couple of Poker Hall of Famers, but the penultimate day of the Festival had even more celebrity appearances in store.
After Mori Eskandani and Huck Seed, it was Eli Elezra’s turn to get in the mix, metaphorically and factually, as the poker legend spent an hour or so playing $4/$8 and $6/$12 dealer’s choice cash games, switching between the tables to give all players in attendance a chance to play some hands against him.
It wasn’t a particularly busy day at the Bellagio, but we had three tables running constantly, and this was somewhat expected, as the final day of Mixed Game Festival XIV on Thursday is bound to attract a big crowd. It’s not just the last opportunity to play the “best home game in Vegas,” as some of the regulars describe it, but we’ll also be giving out the last free seat into the $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship. But more on that in a moment.
Fun With Eli, and More Free Stuff for the Players
We’ve had a great number of celebrity appearances at Mixed Game Festival XIV, including the aforementioned Poker Hall of Famers, Women in Poker Hall of Famers Jan Fisher and Linda Johnson, and poker’s legendary commentating duo, Norman Chad and Lon McEachern. Having these poker celebs at the table adds a lot to the overall atmosphere, so you can never have too many.
In keeping with that idea, we had Eli Elezra, another member of the Poker Hall of Fame, a five-time WSOP bracelet winner, and a mixed game specialist, joining the action for a little while.
Those familiar with Eli’s career know that he is a regular fixture in some of the biggest mixed games in the world, where a single blind could probably cover the full scope of buy-ins spread across a single MGF table.
But, he is also a great ambassador for the game and a big friend of the Festival, and he almost always manages to find some time to pop over and play some hands with the proverbial masses.
As always, Eli was more than happy to take some selfies with the players, give away signed copies of his autobiography Pulling the Trigger, offer some advice about the games, and enjoy the action for an hour or so.
📣 Day Nine of @cardplayerlife‘s Mixed Game Festival XIV, sponsored by @BetMGMPoker, includes a visit from @elielezra1 at @BellagioPoker! 🥳
📽️ https://t.co/kZITXkdCuS
🔗 https://t.co/K0u0CjbrMX
♠️♥️♣️♦️#PokerLifeMedia #MGFXIV #FindTheFountains #JoinTheFestival pic.twitter.com/B34VIoeQIu— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) June 10, 2026
Additionally, as the Festival is coming to its inevitable conclusion, there is some free merch that needs to find its new owners, so players at the tables had a fair few opportunities to pick up some cool stuff!
Dylan, who is a Mixed Game Festival first-timer, got lucky to scoop a splash pot, and, in addition to a bunch of chips, this also earned him a set of high-quality playing cards, courtesy of Faded Spade.
Dylan lives in Las Vegas but this is his first Mixed Game Festival.
New player lucky – he just scooped a splash pit and won himself a sweet @FadedSpadeBrand setup! pic.twitter.com/BV3dZIdcrD
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 10, 2026
Logan will have an opportunity to take his game to the next level thanks to a free copy of Jonathan Little’s Complete Poker Workout, a very useful and highly interactive poker book.
Logan just scooped a 2-7 triple draw pot here at Mixed Game Festival XIV at @BellagioPoker to win the latest @DBPoker1 book by @JonathanLittle.
He also spontaneousoy made a $20 donation to @PokerGives.
Good people with good hearts get good luck 😍 pic.twitter.com/iPiam3mf5S
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 10, 2026
And, of course, a shoutout goes to RunGoodGear, which has been supplying an endless stream of T-shirts for the dealers and players.
Among our most popular merch items at the Mixed Game Festival are our custom-designed @RunGoodGear T-Shirts.
We give ’em to every “Dealer of the Day” and profile said dealer in our daily recaps. Some great stories in there.
Check ’em out!https://t.co/DJqpRfUl49 pic.twitter.com/0SzRIEJ7gM
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) June 10, 2026
Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day: Tom Watson
Some players plan things ahead of time, while others, like Tom Watson, make a decision to join the action at the spur of the moment.
Our today’s pick of PokerCoaching.com Player of the Day comes from the Detroit area, and this is his third Mixed Game Festival. He tells us that he honestly didn’t plan to come out this time around, but after seeing all the social media posts ahead of the event, he got a severe case of FOMO, booked his flight last week Tuesday and arrived in Vegas ca couple days later.
Tom is a big fan of mixed games, although he doesn’t think he is a very good player, especially not compared to some of the regulars. However, he enjoys the experience, and he’s not afraid to battle it out, and so far, it’s worked out for him, as he’s about $100 up for the trip.
He says that at home, they call him “Mr. Poker,” a nickname that he doesn’t think he actually deserves considering his skill level, but he always tries to get people excited about the game and the MGF.
Tom works for Ford Motor Company and, at 55, he says he could comfortably retire right now, but he’ll be sticking around for a little while longer. Once he’s done, he says he’d like to be able to come out to Vegas every summer and play some mixed games for a couple of months, even when the festival is not in town.
RunGood Gear Dealer of the Day: Jo Eusebio
We have yet another interesting story coming from Jo Eusebio, our latest pick for the RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day.
Jo came to the US from Hong Kong, spending time in Los Angeles, then moving to New Jersey, and finally arriving in Las Vegas. He’s been working since he was 18, and spent a few years as a car mechanic before being pulled into the casino industry.
His first dealing gig was at Hollywood Park in LA, fresh out of the dealer school. When his sister landed a job with Caesars in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the entire family moved, and Jo landed a job at the famous Taj Mahal.
He tells us that over the few years he dealt at the Taj, he crossed paths with many celebrities, but even today, nearly three decades later, he doesn’t feel 100% comfortable naming any names. “What happens in Jersey stays in Jersey” we suppose… 🙂
As for his job at the Bellagio, Jo has been here since the opening in 1998. One thing that remained constant over the course of his time here is the friendly relationship he has with the players and his fellow dealers. The job itself became more challenging over the years with the introduction of new games and poker variants, but it’s something Jo takes in strides and embraces.
Despite being here from day one, he has preferred to retain his position as a dealer instead of “moving up”. Jo admits that he tried dual rate for a few years, but realized that “being in the box” was what he enjoys most.
Although he might be retiring soon, he honestly tells us that he doesn’t see himself playing much poker, as he is a bit of a “degenerate gambler.” Since his son was born, Jo has put his gambling on a tight leash, though, and focuses on doing his job and spending time with the family.
His message to new dealers looking to break into the industry is simple: “pay attention to what you are doing, develop your own pace, and be patient – always wait for players to complete their action before you move on to the next seat.”
Everything Is Set for the Big Finale!
There is just one final day left before Mixed Game Festival XIV wraps up. But, make no mistake, we’ll wrap things up with a bang.
Thursday, June 11, will see the last grand prize giveaway, where one more player will pick up a ticket to the $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship.
The first two were awarded via PLO flips and poker trivia. For the third one, you’ll need to try and guess the total value of tournament chips contained in a transparent box.
To submit your entry, you’ll need to be seated at one of the active tables. We need to underline this – you can’t just walk over and put in a guess, as this competition is open to our Mixed Game Festival players only. Of course, everyone is welcome to grab a seat and play some hands, as long as there are available seats.
Before submitting your guess, you’re free to do a deep analysis of the chip box. Here’s a video from last year that you can use as a mini tutorial. 🙂
🤔👉 Here’s a flash back to last summer and the chip count @BetMGMPoker Giveaway! We will be doing the same contest on Thursday at @BellagioPoker! 👍🥳
🔗 https://t.co/K0u0CjaTXp
♠️♥️♣️♦️#PokerLifeMedia #MGFXIV #FindTheFountains #JoinTheFestival pic.twitter.com/KSBeNwEFmA— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) June 10, 2026
Once again, you need to guess the total value of chips, and NOT the number of individual physical poker chips. It doesn’t matter if you guess over or under the exact number – the guess that is closest to the actual total wins the $3,500 seat.
It’s going to be a fun day, and we expect a bumper crowd, so if you want to be absolutely sure you have your seat, call ahead at (702) 693-7291 to put your name on the list. See you at the Bellagio for the big finale of Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival XIV!
