Mixed Game Festival XIV Day 3 Recap: Tournament Seats Giveaway

Mixed Game Festival XIV Day 3 Recap

Mixed Game Festival XIV (MGF XIV) Day 3 took place on June 2 at the Bellagio Poker Room in Las Vegas. As teased on Day 2, this day brought players plenty of excitement and value with the first-ever $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship seat giveaway.

For the third consecutive day, Mixed Game players filled four tables to play low-stakes dealer's choice poker games for several hours. The room was as packed as expected, but the real surprise exceeded expectations – some lucky players received four additional $300 Mixed Game tournament seats for MGM Grand Summer Series events near the Las Vegas Strip. This completely (and very pleasant) surprise had four lucky winners smiling from ear to ear.

The grand prize ultimately went to Martin Mata from Denver, Colorado, who will play the $3,500 buy-in BetMGM Poker Championship for free, competing for a $4 million guaranteed prize pool. He will join at least two other lucky seat winners from the MGF XIV giveaway and hundreds of other players at ARIA Las Vegas in early July.

Let the PLO Gods Decide

Without a doubt, poker players never turn down freebies, but the method of giving matters just as much. At Mixed Game Festival, fun is always at the core, so the first tournament seat was awarded via a proven PLO flop system.

Sean McCormack, Executive Director of Poker Strategy & Development at MGM Resorts, came in person and announced the surprise of additional $300 tickets. At the time, four tables were running, each table did one blind Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) flop. Then, the winner from each table advanced to a second round, another PLO flop, and the final winner took the $3,500 ticket.

As expected, the crowd went wild (in the best way!). Our friends at PokerNews came to Bellagio and captured the scene on video. In the end, Martin Mata won the grand prize. The four players who won $300 seats were: Nadi Medlege, Christina Black, Matt Bryant, and Scott Leader.

If you're wondering why four tables produced four second-place winners, it's because one hand in the first round resulted in a chop, so five players advanced to the final round. The extra prize was kindly provided by "Poker Boss" Sean McCormack. We can neither confirm nor deny whether future drawings will have extra prizes – you'll have to come in person and see if you're one of the lucky ones.

After the main highlight, most players returned to the tables. Although one table later broke, action continued at three tables until well past midnight.

PokerCoaching.com Player of the Day: Ben Kabatznik

Yesterday wasn't just about tournament seat winners getting free stuff. At Mixed Game Festival XIV, plenty of prizes are given out each day, including a PokerCoaching.com monthly subscription awarded daily to the "Player of the Day."

This honor went to Ben Kabatznik from San Francisco, California. Ben works in software sales and came to Las Vegas for a conference. He originally planned to play some $1/$3 No-Limit Hold'em in his free time, but changed his mind after discovering the Mixed Game Festival was running.

Ben doesn't have extensive experience with Mixed Games, but he enjoys Omaha Hi-Lo. As for this festival, he appreciates the chance to try some less common variants like Oma-Jack, which you hardly ever encounter in big tournaments or more formal events. With a full-time job, he doesn't have much time to play poker, so when he gets the chance, he prefers to gamble and have fun. Mixed Games offer more fun than Hold'em, which he feels requires more patience and an analytical approach. Unfortunately, Ben doesn't have opportunities to play low-stakes Mixed Games in California, so this festival came at the perfect time for him.

His poker dream is to play in the WSOP Main Event. He says that financially he could afford it now, but more importantly, he needs to arrange everything, find the right time, and turn it into a nice trip with his wife. Although Ben doesn't have much time to study poker, he really enjoys Jonathan Little's free content on YouTube, so he might put the one-month PokerCoaching.com subscription to good use.

RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day: Michael Godfrey

This "Dealer of the Day" spotlights Michael Godfrey. He's originally from California, has lived in Las Vegas for 21 years, and currently works as a shift manager at Bellagio.

With over twenty years in the casino industry, he's held various roles at places like the Golden Nugget and South Point, and has been part of the Bellagio team since August 2025. He says one of his main focuses since taking the position is showing people that playing poker can be fun and relaxing, even at a prestigious venue like Bellagio. In other words, despite having to dress up for work, he really enjoys the new free Mixed Game Festival T-shirts from RunGoodGear.

Despite his experience, Michael told us he still feels nervous in his new role, explaining that working at Bellagio is different. You can feel the energy of the place, which he describes as "the mecca of all poker activity on the Strip."

Back in the day, Michael came to Las Vegas during the Moneymaker boom with the goal of becoming a pro poker player. After a few years, he met his wife, decided to go for a more stable lifestyle, entered the poker industry, and has stayed ever since. On a personal level, he treasures the chance to learn from Bellagio Poker Room Director Craig Larson and Sean McCormack.

Another Exciting Day Ends

While Mixed Game Festival XIV Day 3 has ended, luckily there are still seven more days, so if you missed it, plenty of action remains. Play starts promptly at noon each day. You can reserve a seat by calling the poker room at (702) 693-7291, or just show up on time – a seat is guaranteed.

Reminder: giveaways happen every day, including merchandise and poker books. The next $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship seat will be given away on Sunday – plan ahead!