Following a successful Day 1 kickoff of Mixed Game Festival IX at Resorts World Las Vegas, which was marked with a birthday celebration and lots of dealer’s choice shenanigans (as is common for a first day of most poker events), Day 2 continued got off to a flying start.
Once again, the action kicked off at noon, and the poker room saw two $4/$8 tables going strong for a solid 12 hours. After one table finally broke at midnight, action at the remaining table continued for another 6+ hours until the sun rose over the Las Vegas Strip. Like on Day 1, there were a couple of surprise visits from poker celebrities, adding to the vibe and assuring everyone at the tables that they were in the right place.
As far as the action was concerned, the unofficial council of players came back with a unanimous verdict: Razz was the game of the day! In short, it was another fun day of mixed game poker and relaxed fun at the Resorts World, and if you’re after a more detailed report, you know what to do!
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! 🤣
If you, too, love Razz 🤦♂️ you’ll find plenty of it at @PokerLifeMedia Mixed Game Festival IX at @PokerRoomRWLV! pic.twitter.com/pR6CyHQbCm
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 5, 2024
Everybody Loves Free Poker Merch!
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been into poker, or how much stuff you already have, getting freebies is always nice – and poker players especially love getting these small tokens of appreciation, which sometimes can help soothe the pain of a nasty bad beat or general run-bad at the tables.
Those roaming the permanent poker room at the Resorts World were in luck in this regard, as many players joining the Mixed Game Festival action picked up some cool merchandise from the event’s sponsors: PokerGO, RunGoodGear, D&B Poker, and Pokercoaching.com
T-shirts, decks of cards, card protectors, poker books, and even urns (that’s a new one! 😂) were up for grabs, and giveaways continued throughout the day. Those who were lucky enough to pick up one of these prizes were over the moon, proving our earlier point.
So grateful to our @PokerLifeMedia Mixed Game Festival IX sponsors 🙏
Monique, Shaunie, and Lizzie love their @RunGoodGear shirts, Cory loves his book by @DBPoker1, and Nadi loves his new @PokerGO urn.
Plenty of great merch to win; come join us at @PokerRoomRWLV. pic.twitter.com/csiLK0LFVs
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 4, 2024
The Mixed Game Festival never fails to deliver in terms of celebrity appearances, either. Poker Hall of Famer and true mixed game aficionado Eli Elezra popped in briefly to sign some copies of his autobiography Pulling the Trigger, and PokerGO podcast hosts Donnie Peters and Tim Duckworth made appearances as well.
📣👉 Poker HOFer @elielezra1 has popped by @cardplayerlife‘s Mixed Game Festival IX at @PokerRoomRWLV! 👍🥳
👋 Come join the fun! 🥳#PokerLifeMedia pic.twitter.com/bqBcFW3waL
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) November 5, 2024
Shout out to @PokerGO Podcast 🎙️ co-hosts @Donnie_Peters and @Tim__Duckworth for taking a short break from NAPT upstairs to visit us at Mixed Game Festival IX at @PokerRoomRWLV. pic.twitter.com/6NmfhnQKja
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) November 5, 2024
The fact that all these people are happy to get in the mix and play what’s really low stakes for mixed games tells you all you need to know about the event. While everyone is definitely trying to book a winning session, it is much more about camaraderie, having a good time, and enjoying a few days filled with less-known (and sometimes really obscure) poker variants.
And all of that “goes double” at this particular time and venue, while the 2024 PokerStars NAPT Las Vegas is running. Plenty of tournaments are under way, and the action can get intense. By definition, lots of players will get eliminated and suddenly “not have anything to do”… which means the Mixed Game Festival provides the perfect atmosphere to rest, relax, and recharge all while having more fun at the felt. Oh, and of course for every hour of cash games you play, you’ll get another entry into our 2-seat giveaway!
📣👉 At @PokerRoomRWLV, you can compete in the @PokerStars #NAPTLasVegas events AND join @cardplayerlife‘s Mixed Game Festival IX! 👍🥳#PokerLifeMedia pic.twitter.com/1QTVEe1z3a
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) November 4, 2024
Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day
The tradition of highlighting a Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day continues yesterday, with Day 2’s title going to one Cory McAboy, a poker player and a product development agency owner originally from Oklahoma, but currently residing in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Cory made his way to Las Vegas specifically for Mixed Game Festival IX, returning to the low-stakes dealer’s choice streets for the second time. His first experience with the festival was back at MGF V in the summer of 2023, at this very casino, when he joined in our first-ever poker trivia contest and spent the rest of the day playing.
Different people fall in love with mixed games for different reasons. What did it for McAboy was a more relaxed environment compared to the intense atmosphere of Texas Hold’em and PLO games. As for the festival, friendly behavior at the tables and opportunities for networking were the biggest reasons for him to come back and give it another go after noticing the event listed in the Poker Atlas app.
Cory’s message to those who are perhaps scared of trying mixed games is that it can be a nice break from Hold’em, and there is much more math involved, so if you happen to be a fan of numbers in general, mixed games might be just what the doctor ordered.
Plenty of Mixed Game Festival Action Still to Come
Things are heating up at Resorts World Las Vegas, and as the three mixed game NAPT events draw closer (November 7-9), I suspect we’ll see even more players flocking to the felt.
Whether you’re already in love with mixed games or are looking for ways to keep your passion for poker burning but feel like Hold’em just isn’t doing it for you anymore, you know what to do. Head over to the Mixed Game Festival, take a seat, and get ready for a good time. Plus, today’s Day 3 is set to kick off with an exciting poker trivia competition!
You’d be surprised how many fun and exciting poker variations are out there that you’ll get to experience without breaking the bank!
Day 3 of @PokerLifeMedia Mixed Game Festival IX begins at 11:30am at @PokerRoomRWLV, w/ a poker trivia competition + the LOTS of merchandise giveaways. 🎁
$4/8 Dealer’s choice action follows immediately thereafter at noon.
Join the list via @PokerAtlas or call in (702) 676-6780 pic.twitter.com/PzZ0DumDxZ
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 5, 2024
