The Mixed Game Festival has returned to Las Vegas, promising heaps of fun and affordable non-Hold’em action over the course of five spectacular days. Running November 16–20 at Resorts World, Day 1 of MGF XII kicked off yesterday, and there were quite a few players who could hardly wait to take their seats at one of the tables!
At kickoff, three tables got underway, and within half an hour a fourth table began running: three $4/8 and one $8/16 dealer’s choice cash game mixes. Also a hit with the players, the festival featured its traditional pizza party, which perfectly embodies what this event is all about: a bunch of poker lovers gathering to have a good time without too much pomp or glamour. Mixed Game Festivals have always been about the camaraderie and the love of the game first and foremost.
Whether you were at the heart of the action or watching from the sidelines, it was quite clear that there is no lack of players sharing this vision.
We always start our Mixed Game Festivals off with a pizza party, and today was no exception 😁
🍕🍕🍕
Thanks so much to @PokerRoomRWLV for always treating our players so wonderfully 🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/81RyiaQuVT
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 16, 2025
A Festival With an International Flavor
Compared to major poker festivals thrown by industry giants, the Mixed Game Festival is a relatively small and intimate affair. Even so, it manages to attract people from all over the United States as well as beyond its borders thanks to its unique flavor.
Almost every time, without a fault, there will be several players at the table, coming from the most remote of places to play $4/$8 and $8/$16 mixed games and participate in tournaments with buy-ins of a few hundred bucks. Monetarily, it doesn’t make much sense, but you can’t put a price on fun, experience, and memories.
Mixed Game Festival XII was no different in this regard, with players from Canada and even Japan joining the locals, and enjoying every moment of it:
Mixed Game Festival 参戦😀
今夜のお献立(4-8)
DRAWMAHA49
SUPER 7STUD Hi-Lo 8 or BETTER
BADACEY
A-5 TD
ACTION RAZZ
ARCHIE
DRAWMAHA 2-7
2-7TD
RAZZDUGI
BADEUCEY
5CARD DOUBLE BOARD OMAHA BEST BEST
BADUGI Hi-Lo
DRAWMAHA 0#じゃない方ポーカー https://t.co/0vhXNZIrJj pic.twitter.com/LwyDrFJqyq— ya.soshi (@ya_soshi_) November 17, 2025
Made it @cardplayerlife yeeee haw !!!! pic.twitter.com/6c5AIM0j0n
— Darren Johnson (@WASHDUDE) November 17, 2025
As far as the local contingent was concerned, Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson, “The First Lady of Poker,” could be found in the mix along with Director of Live Events & Content at PokerGO Tim Duckworth, a longtime friend and supporter of the Festival.
Of course, there were quite a few other familiar faces in the mix. Over the years, the MGF has built a solid foundation of players who’ll always turn up to play and get the action going. In fact, multiple players have now attended 10 of the 12 festivals that have taken place since our inaugural in late 2021!
In addition to chips on the felt, there are always some extra prizes up for grabs, showing players that their presence is appreciated. One such player to receive such a token of appreciation this time around was Tom, who picked up a Limit Hold’em strategy book, courtesy of D&B Publishing, after scooping a badeucey pot.
Tom just won himself a copy of a great @DBPoker1 Limit Hold’em strategy book for scooping a badeucey pot.
Where else can that happen besides the @PokerLifeMedia Mixed Game Festival? 😁 pic.twitter.com/mqCqWwrnQF
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 17, 2025
PokerCoaching.com Player of the Day: Hang Vong
Mixed Game Festival XII continues the tradition of shining the spotlight on those who make the whole thing possible, players and dealers alike. So, each of our daily recaps will once again dedicated segments, featuring one player and one dealer, sharing their stories.
The Day 1 Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day segment is Hang Vong, a first-timer at the Mixed Game Festival. Vong discovered the intriguing world of mixed games three years ago, and he’s been on the learning path ever since.
Though he didn’t wish to be photographed from the front, Vong was more than happy to share “his poker story” and how he got into mixed games. A recreational player, Vong plays two to three times a week, and fell in love with mixed games because they offer more diversity than No Limit Texas Hold’em in terms of strategy and players having to think on their feet instead of following GTO patterns.
His day job is producing documentary series, but since moving to Las Vegas from LA a year ago, Vong has been giving more attention to poker, dabbling with mixed game tournaments as well. What he loves about poker the most is that every hand is different, and you can make different decisions at various moments throughout a hand to reach different results.
Despite admittedly still learning, he decided to jump in “on the deep end”, playing $8/$16 instead of $4/$8 because the higher stakes are more meaningful to him He also believes that by playing at higher limits, he’ll have more opportunities to learn correct mixed game strategies and avoid developing bad habits.
Like so many before him who got the taste of the Mixed Game Festival, Vong is delighted by just how friendly and patient everyone is, and is looking forward to playing some more over the coming days.
RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day: Mendie Pham
Mixed Game Festival XII’s Day 1 RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day is Mendie Pham, a poker dealer with 18 years of experience under his belt who has been with the Resorts World since the day it opened, just over four years ago.
Pham came to the US from Vietnam 25 years ago. Initially, he worked at restaurants, but he picked up an interest in poker by watching people play and decided to change careers. His first dealing experience was in California, at the famous Bicycle Casino; later, he moved to Las Vegas.
Despite having been dealing for 18 years, Pham has absolutely no interest in playing the game himself. His passion is purely for dealing cards and observing people at the tables. He says the job gave him an opportunity to see and meet all sorts of people (some good, some bad), but his overall experience at the Resorts World has been an overwhelmingly positive one.
In his private life, Pham is passionate about cars and track racing. He’s not just a passive fan, though, but rather a participant at numerous track races, car shows, and competitions. It goes to show, once more, that poker brings together many different types of people on both sides of the felt.
Tournament Action on the Horizon
The action during the opening day of Mixed Game Festival XII continued into the wee hours of the morning, with two tables going strong well past midnight.
Monday, November 17, will see the first of the two tournaments on the docket. The $300 O/E event kicks off at noon, and it will honor the legacy of the late “Miami” John Cernuto, who won this tournament the first time it was spread at Mixed Game Festival IV. Taking things to a whole new level, the event will feature the Mixed Game Festival’s first-ever live tournament coverage, with hand histories, videos, photo galleries of the players, prize poll information, and more courtesy of pokerreporting.com.
If the strong Day 1 start is anything to go by, the Day 2 tournament should attract a nice crowd to properly celebrate the life and legacy of one of the most prolific mixed game players to have walked the earth. Of course, cash game action will be available on the sidelines as well starting at 12pm, with things undoubtedly picking up speed as players are eliminated from the tournament.
*To get yourself on the cash game waitlist, please call the Resorts World Poker Room at (702) 676-7680
