Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival IX has begun in Las Vegas, taking place in collaboration with the 2024 North American Poker Tour by PokerStars. Gathering all fans of poker games of the non-Hold’em variety, MGF IX kicked off in style yesterday at Resorts World, with the man responsible for all the shenanigans celebrating his 43rd birthday.
As luck would have it, the (Poker)Stars aligned just so such that Day 1 fell out on Robbie’s birthday. And what better way is there to celebrate another year of your life than sitting at a poker table throwing around piles upon piles of $1 poker chips along with fellow dealer’s choice mixed game lovers? 🙂
It was a great start to an event that has become a staple in the mixed game community, and in addition to the planned activities, there were some well-known guests joining the mix. Most notable among them was longtime PokerStars commentator Joe Stapleton who briefly jumped into the action and giving away some signed copies of his new poker comic book, Trapped.
👀 Look who came by to drop off some great reading material! 👍
👉 Thank you to @Stapes for supporting @cardplayerlife‘s Mixed Game Festival IX at @PokerRoomRWLV in partnership with @PokerStars #NAPTLasVegas! 🥳#PokerLifeMedia pic.twitter.com/DF0xsWQMGB— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) November 4, 2024
READ MORE: Interview with Joe Stapleton about Trapped
Welcome @Stapes to @PokerLifeMedia Mixed Game Festival IX!
Thanks so much, for joining us ❤️ pic.twitter.com/KbBrSocKrK
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 4, 2024
A Strong Showing for the Mixed Game Festival IX Kickoff
Action for the first day of Mixed Game Festival IX kicked off around noon. Two tables were filled immediately, with the waiting list long enough to easily fill up a third one. However, with NAPT tournament tables not moving into the Grand Ballroom in the Resorts World convention area until November 4th, space was temporarily at a premium.
A third table opened at about 7pm, as tournament tables started breaking. Tomorrow, there will be no such space limits, with plenty of room at the mixed game felt for all who wish to splash around.
Before table #3 opened, players enjoyed the traditional “opening day pizza party”, plus Robbie brought out birthday cake and goodies, as he was serenaded by a familiar tune, which the whole room took up joyously!
Everyone loves a @PokerLifeMedia Mixed Game Festival IX pizza party😁🍕
Come join us for all the dealer’s choice fun at @PokerRoomRWLV.
If you bust an NAPT tournament, come put your name on the list! pic.twitter.com/MrfMSfulnO
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 3, 2024
🥳🎂 You have to sing Happy Birthday to @cardplayerlife, especially when he is about to hand out the cake! 🎂🥳
👉 Come join in the fun at @PokerRoomRWLV for Mixed Game Festival IX! 👍#PokerLifeMedia pic.twitter.com/CMuVzXfQ7v
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) November 4, 2024
Not surprisingly, cash game action at all three tables continued past the midnight mark. At 2:30am, when Robbie retired to bed, a shorthanded table was still in session. #degensgonnadegen 🙂
Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day: Chuck Martin
Mixed Game Festival IX continues its successful tradition of collaborating with Pokercoaching.com, with one player selected as the Player of the Day title during each day of the festival, and receiving 1-3 month subscriptions to one of the best poker training sites out there.
Day 1’s Player of the Day was Chuck Martin of San Jose, California. A veteran of many past Mixed Game Festivals Chuck keeps coming back because the festival lets him enjoy mixed games instead of having to play “boring ass two-card poker.”
Chuck also offered some good-natured ribbing of the host, “Robbie is fun to tease because you can always call Razz on him” he said.
Chuck fell in love with mixed games back in the mid-2000s, when he happened upon a 10-game mix in Las Vegas at the old Imperial Palace. Although he had almost no knowledge about such games, the concept of multiple different poker variants seemed like a lot of fun, and he’s never looked back.
His favorite games in the mix are “anything triple-draw.” Chuck said that he doesn’t have any big poker dreams, but rather than he “simply loves sitting down and playing low-limit poker, and when the opportunity presents itself for that poker to be of some mixed game variety, that’s a big bonus.”
To someone who’s never tried mixed games, Chuck’s message is to sit down and give it a go at a low limit. “You won’t be risking a lot, and people are usually more than happy to help out and explain what’s going on.”
More Action Coming Up on Mixed Game Festival IX Day 2
After the strong start, the action will continue today for Day 2 of Mixed Game Festival IX. Cash game action should kick off at noon once more, and there will be please of space to get three, four, or even more tables going right off the bat!
Just as a reminder, there are also three mixed game tournaments on the docket for this year’s event, and all three are a part of the official 2024 NAPT schedule.
Tournaments take place on November 7, 8, and 9, so there is plenty of time leading up to these events to sharpen your skills at low-limit cash tables and get in the zone.
Plus, for every hour you play in the cash game streets, logged by your Genting Rewards card, you’ll be entered into the twin $550 tournament seat giveaways, set to take place at 7pm on Wednesday November 6th (must be present to claim your prize).
All this is to say that (if you’re not already there) you should be heading over to Resorts World Las Vegas and pulling up a chair. Even in Las Vegas, it’s not often that you get to play 12+ hours of non-stop dealer’s choice mixed games at low limits, so don’t miss out on this unique opportunity!
Lastly, for those interested in getting a jump on things and signing up for the following day’s wait list, you can call in to the Resorts World Poker Room at (702) 676-7680 or use the handy PokerAtlas app, as illustrated below:
🤔👉 Want to know how easy it is to get on the list for @cardplayerlife‘s Mixed Game Festival IX at @PokerRoomRWLV? Just go to @PokerAtlas and sign up! ✍️👍#PokerLifeMedia pic.twitter.com/fpH1diuBIx
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) November 3, 2024
