We predicted that the somewhat slower Day 4 of the Mixed Game Festival XIV would be the calm before the storm, and that prediction was spot on, as Day 5 turned out to be one of the most eventful so far, wrapping up the first week of the festival on a high note.
There was a lot happening at the Bellagio. The Pokercoaching.com Meet-Up Game kicked off at noon, and there were four tables going right from the start. Players poured into the room for an opportunity to play some low-stakes poker against Jonathan Little and Justin Saliba, two highly regarded and successful pros who spend most of their time playing $10,000+ tournaments, so this was a truly unique occasion.
Little and Saliba also gave away an $800 seat to the ARIA Poker Classic HORSE event, scheduled for June 16, among some other cool prizes. As if having two poker crushers in the room wasn’t enough, there were another couple big-name appearances to get the players excited, too.
There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dig into it and try to bring you at least some of the atmosphere from Day 5 of Mixed Game Festival XIV.
Pokercoaching.com MUG: Little and Saliba in the House
The main event to wrap up the first half of the festival was the Meet-Up game co-hosted by the Pokercoaching.com crew, long-time friends and sponsors of the MGF.
Jonathan Little, the founder of the popular poker training site, and Justin Saliba, one of the main coaches (who incidentally got his start in mixed games at the festival), joined the mixed game crowd to play some $4/$8 dealer’s choice. Many players wanted to try their luck against the two, which led to four full tables going strong right from the start.
The atmosphere in the room was electric, and the excitement only grew bigger as the time for the tournament seat giveaway came around. Once more, players on all four tables played a PLO flip, with winners progressing to the second round.
The four finalists played another PLO flip, and it was Ben Ward who found the favor of the poker gods to come out on top and win himself a seat to the $800 ARIA Poker Classic HORSE event on June 16.
Congratulations to Ben Ward, who won himself an $800 seat into the @ARIAPoker Classic HORSE 🐎 event on June 16, courtesy of @PokerCoaching_ here at Mixed Game Festival XIV.
Lesson: win your blind PLO flips, and good things will happen! 😂 pic.twitter.com/hPbgOTWv1Z
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 4, 2026
The remaining three players who progressed to the final round each got a nice prize as well. Stephen Brogan, Tony Messing, and Garrett Browning won lifetime access to Alex Livingston’s Master Mixed Games course, which should certainly help them progress with their mixed game prowess.
READ MORE: Check out our Master Mixed Games course review
Of course, there was also a lot of merch up for grabs, and Jonathan Little was signing copies of his books, so players got quite an experience and, once again, heaps of value just for being part of the action. You just don’t get anything like it with other poker festivals.
We’ve got @JonathanLittle here for the @PokerCoaching_ meet up game at Mixed Game Festival XIV at @BellagioPoker.
He’s also signing copies of all his @DBPoker1 books, to the delight of the assembled masses 🤩📚✍️ pic.twitter.com/aUdE3iAksy
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) June 4, 2026
Poker Media Stars Come Out in Force
Day 5 saw a few more very familiar faces in the crowd. Longtime festival supporter Norman Chad popped in for a couple hours. While Norm is an MGF regular, this time around he was joined by his on-screen partner Lon McEachern, who was happily making his first festival appearance. The only way it could have gotten better is if we had a booth set up for them to do live commentary of the action.
So thankful to poker’s legendary broadcasters @lonmceachern and @NormanChad for taking time out of their schedule to visit Mixed Game Festival XIV at @BellagioPoker. ♥️
Exceptionally grateful to have them supporting the growth of our game. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/2FZuKJATG6
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 5, 2026
And let’s not forget about WSOP bracelet winner Chad Holloway of PokerNews, who decided to spend his lunch break playing mixed games. Plus PokerGO’s Tim Duckworth made his second festival appearance this summer, while veteran poker media stalwart Jesse Fullen turned up to splash around, too.
Had a long lunch break so made my way across the street to @BellagioPoker for @PokerLifeMedia’s Mixed Game Festival XIV!
Got destroyed in Super Stud but recouped some in a big A-5 Badacey. Lots of fun games.
We also filmed with @ThePokerBoss the other day for Saturday’s episode… pic.twitter.com/gy3VFr1NuI
— Chad Holloway (@ChadAHolloway) June 4, 2026
Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day: Daryl Kermmoade
Keeping in line with the festive theme, our Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day is one Daryl Kermmoade. Originally from Kentucky and now living in Lincoln, Nebraska, Daryl came out to Las Vegas for his birthday trip to celebrate turning 63.
Like many who come out to Sin City during the summer, he is focusing on playing some WSOP events. However, he also likes playing at Bellagio during the downtime. When he got here, he noticed the Mixed Game Festival was happening, and it piqued his interest.
He already has some experience playing HORSE, and this seemed like a great opportunity to expand his horizons and try some completely new variations. Having played for a fair few hours, sitting next to festival host and Cardplayer Lifestyle founder Robbie Strazynski, Daryl shared that he was pleasantly surprised at how much fun everyone was having and just how eager other players were to help and make him feel welcome.
He first got into poker around 2003, and Council Bluffs, Iowa is his primary poker stomping grounds. However, he doesn’t get to play much mixed games there, as the choice is mostly down to No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha.
As for his poker dreams, Daryl says he’d like to eventually make a final table and win a tournament, as he’s experienced a fair share of bubbles over the years. Hopefully, a free month of Pokercoaching.com will help bring him closer to that goal.
RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day: Larry Williams
Larry Williams, originally from Indiana, has been with the Bellagio for two decades. His adventure started back in 2005 when he decided to change things up, leaving his automobile repair business and packing up with the goal to travel the country for a while.
The path led him to Las Vegas, and he discovered that dealing cards was something he enjoyed. Being a people person, he tells us he enjoys the opportunity to mingle with the players.
When asked why he prefers “the other side of the table”, dealing and not playing, Larry was honest and admited that he “sucks at poker,” so a professional career as a player just wasn’t in the cards.
Like many other dealers we’ve talked to, Larry admits that there is a certain different vibe around the Mixed Game Festival crowd, where it’s obvious that people are here primarily to have fun, so there is no tension, and nobody’s playing with their life savings on the table.
He stuck with the Bellagio because he believes it is a great place to work, allowing for a lot of freedom, and, among other things, having a great cafeteria! As far as his professional goals, he says he’s pretty much seen it all and done it all, including pushing a million-dollar pot. “Chips are chips at the end of the day,” Larry tells us.
For fresh dealers who find themselves in the midst of the mixed game mayhem, his advice is to ask for help from the players. “Admit that you don’t know what you’re doing,” he says, “and just ask players to help you untangle the web.”
When not dealing cards, he likes to spend time playing some video poker, taking shorter hikes with his wife, and taking longer trips around the country when the opportunities present themselves.
Take Five, Everyone!
With Day 5 wrapping up in style, with three tables going strong late into the night, it’s time for the Mixed Game Festival to take a short break. But don’t worry, we’ll be back before you know it!
The action will pause over the next couple of days and resume in earnest on Sunday, June 7. Things will kick off at noon once more, and we’ll be giving away the second $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship ticket.
As always, you can secure your seat on the waiting list by calling the Bellagio Poker Room (702) 693-7291 ahead of the start, or simply make sure you’re there before the cards are in the air, and there will definitely be a chair for you to pull up.
