Following on the big Mixed Game Festival XI kickoff day yesterday, things calmed down a bit on Day 2. There were no major giveaways or celebrity appearances on the docket, but this didn’t prevent players from flocking to Bellagio once more, some of them to continue where they left off the night prior.
The action kicked off at noon once again, and within minutes there were three tables of $4/8 Dealer’s Choice running, which ended up continuing until the wee hours of the night. Reportedly, at 4am in Las Vegas, there was STILL one table running…
The first order of business was a pizza party, providing some much-needed fuel for the grind ahead. Apparently, this was so well appreciated that players got treated to a second round of pizza, instantly elevating the atmosphere in the room. There is just a special kind of connection between poker players and pizza that’s hard to explain. It’s one of those “if you know, you know” moments, but the pictures and video below are worth thousands of words. 🙂
Day 2 of Mixed Game Festival XI at @BellagioPoker has kicked off with 3 tables of $4/8 dealer’s choice and a pizza party 🥳🍕
More pizza coming later, too 😁
Come join us for fun poker and good times! pic.twitter.com/aNuXSO51Lm
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 9, 2025
Round 2 of pizza 🍕 at @BellagioPoker for our $4/8 dealer’s choice players.
Three tables rocking here on Day 2 of @PokerLifeMedia Mixed Game Festival XI pic.twitter.com/oH6pOljbhA
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 9, 2025
Mixed Game Festival Players Appreciate Their Dealers!
It wasn’t just the players who had a reason to smile on Day 2. The Mixed Game Festival has a very cool tradition of occasionally auctioning off poker merchandise items, with the auction winner getting the said item and all the money from the purchase going to the table’s dealer as a special tip.
We had three of those auctions take place on Day 2, and they brought much laughter and levity to the felt, with a trio of dealers benefitting from an extra $10-$20 apiece as a result of three hat sales. The whole thing gets that competitive poker spirit going, but it is the dealers who benefit from it.
A sampling of the poker merchandise often given away, auctioned, and sold at Mixed Game Festivals
It can’t be said enough that dealers are unsung heroes of the poker world, and their role is that much more difficult when it comes to dealing mixed game poker. The time required to learn all of these different variations and the mental presence required to keep tabs on the constant changing of the games is not to be underestimated.
This is exactly why the Festival tries to shine the light on the dealers in every which way and make them feel appreciated, a practice that should become more commonplace.
RunGoodGear.com Dealer of the Day: Angelo Perez
Another way to show appreciation for the dealers is by talking to them and letting them tell their stories, which is what our RunGoodGear.com Dealer of the Day section is all about. It seems that dealing cards attracts all sorts of different personalities, but one thing they all have in common is love for the game.
Angelo Perez came to Las Vegas from Dallas, looking for poker action. During his last vacation, he spent a lot of time playing poker at Bellagio, and it became his favorite room.
Then, during last year’s WSOP season, there were dealer auditions, and he decided to give it a go, not having high hopes due to his lack of experience on the other side of the table. Angelo clearly underestimated his skills, as he got the job, later also picking up an extra duties as a room floor manager.
As far as mixed games go, he admits that his knowledge of other poker variants was quite limited before he started dealing. It took him a couple of months of learning and active training before he got fully comfortable with it.
Although his aspirations are more geared toward success on the felt, Angelo enjoys his role as a dealer and a floor (”
dual rate”), as it allows him to meet people from all over the world. He says that dealing big games, which Bellagio is famous for, is particularly exciting, and he takes pride in what he does.
Of course, the job also allows him to put some money on the side, which he hopes to eventually utilize to go on a WSOP bracelet hunt of his own.
Angelo notably had a stint as a musician, doing gigs and working in a studio, but then he fell in love with the game, and everything else faded in comparison. In his own words, “Poker trumps all!”
Pokercoaching.com: Player of the Day: Travis Ramey
Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, Travis Ramey is a poker player and chip collector who came to Sin City this summer to try his hand at winning a WSOP bracelet. However, his friend let him know about the Mixed Game Festival happening at Bellagio, and following some early tournament eliminations, he decided to come check it out. Little did he realize he’d be recognized as Day 2’s Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day.
Currently working as a law professor at the University of Alabama, which was preceded by a long career in private practice, Travis was introduced to mixed games through his hobby of collecting poker chips. The collectors’ community hosts frequent meet-up games, and these games usually feature some interesting variations that go beyond your usual No Limit Hold’em and PLO.
He’s been dabbling in mixed games for about three years, and although there are no casinos in Alabama, the private game scene is strong in the state. Travis also goes on casino trips once or twice a month to Mississippi or to visit card rooms in California.
He may be a happily married, father-of-three, successful practitioner of law today, but that’s a far cry from where he started. Interestingly, Ramey spent the best part of his 20s as a lead singer in a rock band, living on ramen noodles and mac and cheese. Tongue-in-cheek, he says that a career in music is “a great way to make a small fortune, as long as you have a big fortune to begin with and don’t mind losing money.”
Eventually, he gave up on the long hair and the dreams of becoming a rock star, going back to finish his last semester and get his law degree. He has no regrets about his “wild” youth, though, as all the experience on the stage helped prepare him for the courtroom, helping him get rid of any performance anxiety well before he got a chance to litigate his first case.
Looking Ahead to Day 3 of the Mixed Game Festival XI
Players who turn up for Day 3 action can look forward to a special treat as Poker Hall of Famer Mori Eskandani will be making his first ever Mixed Game Festival appearance, at 3 pm local time. The PokerGO President has spent decades working in the poker industry and playing the game himself — in fact he just made another final table, in the WSOP $10K Stud event — so he’s one of those legends who have truly seen it all.
He’ll be taking a seat at the table to splash around with us and play some cards, but also to share some of his insider stories that every true poker fan enjoys listening to.
There will likely be three or four tables going from noon onward, and there could be some special surprises added to the mix, too. Note that a wait-list is available every morning in the Bellagio Poker Room, so you should be sure to call 702-693-7291 and pencil your name in to lock up your seat for when cards get in the air!
