Mixed Game Festival 14: Day 9 Recap – Eli Elezra Attends

Time flies when you're having fun — and the players who have been camped out at Bellagio for the past two weeks know that better than anyone. Unbelievably, Mixed Game Festival XIV has already been running for nine full days!

Players who attended Day 8 had the privilege of sharing tables with several Poker Hall of Famers, and the penultimate day of the festival brought even more notable names into the mix. Following Mori Eskandani and Huck Seed, it was Eli Elezra's turn to blend in — both literally and figuratively — as the poker legend spent about an hour playing $4/$8 and $6/$12 dealer's choice cash games, drifting between tables to give everyone in the room a chance to go head-to-head with him.

Bellagio wasn't particularly busy that day, but we managed to keep three tables running. That was expected, as the final day of Mixed Game Festival on Thursday is sure to draw a large crowd. Not only is it the last chance to experience what some regulars describe as "Vegas's best home game," but we'll also be giving away the final free seat to the $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship. More details to come.

Fun with Eli, and More Player Perks

Mixed Game Festival XIV has seen numerous celebrities make appearances, including the aforementioned Poker Hall of Famers, Women in Poker Hall of Famers Jan Fisher and Linda Johnson, and the legendary poker commentary duo Norman Chad and Lon McEachern. These poker stars have greatly enhanced the atmosphere at the tables, so the more the merrier.

Sticking with that philosophy, we welcomed another Poker Hall of Fame member, five-time WSOP bracelet winner, and mixed-game specialist Eli Elezra, who joined the game and stayed for a while. Anyone familiar with Eli's career knows he regularly plays in some of the highest-stakes mixed games in the world, where a single blind can cover the entire buy-in range at an MGF table. But he's also a great ambassador for poker and a good friend of the festival, almost always making time to play a few hands with recreational players.

As always, Eli was happy to take selfies with players, give away signed copies of his autobiography Pulling the Trigger, offer advice on the game, and enjoy about an hour of fun at the tables.

Additionally, as the festival nears its end, some free swag needed new homes, so the players at the tables had plenty of chances to win cool items! Dylan, a first-time Mixed Game Festival player, was lucky enough to win a "splash pot" — in addition to taking down a pile of chips, he also received a premium deck of cards from Faded Spade. Logan won a pot in 2-7 Triple Draw and earned a copy of Jonathan Little's The Complete Poker Workout, a very practical and interactive poker book. And of course, thanks to RunGoodGear, who provided a steady stream of T-shirts for dealers and players.

PokerCoaching.com Player of the Day: Tom Watson

Some players plan ahead, while others, like Tom Watson, decide on a whim. Our PokerCoaching.com Player of the Day hails from the Detroit area, and this is his third Mixed Game Festival. He told us he hadn't originally planned to come, but after seeing social media posts about the event, he got a serious case of FOMO, booked a flight last Tuesday, and arrived in Las Vegas a few days later.

Tom is a fan of mixed games, though he considers himself average at best — especially compared to some of the regulars. But he enjoys the experience and isn't afraid of a challenge. So far, he's up about $100 on the trip. He says back home, people call him "Mr. Poker," but given his skill level, he feels the nickname is undeserved — though he always tries to get people to love poker and MGF. Tom works for Ford Motor Company; at 55, he could comfortably retire, but he plans to keep working a while longer. His retirement goal is to come to Vegas every summer and play mixed games for months at a time during the off-festival season.

RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day: Jo Eusebio

Our latest RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day winner is Jo Eusebio, who has an interesting story behind him. Jo moved from Hong Kong to the United States, living in Los Angeles and New Jersey before finally settling in Las Vegas. He started working at 18 and spent a few years as an auto mechanic before getting into the casino industry. His first dealing job was at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles, fresh out of dealing school. When his sister found work at Caesars in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the whole family moved, and Jo landed a position at the famous Taj Mahal. He told us that during his years at the Taj, he encountered many celebrities, but even nearly thirty years later, he's still not entirely sure he should name them — "What happens in Jersey stays in Jersey," we suppose. As for his work at Bellagio, Jo has been there since it opened in 1998. He says the friendly relationships with players and other staff have been a constant theme throughout his career.