Mixed Game Festival XIV Day 7 Recap: Second Pizza Party and Surprise Appearance by Alex Livingston

Context: NEWS article: mixed-game-festival-xiv-day-7-recap

The 14th Mixed Game Festival XIV spanned two weeks, and one pizza party was clearly not enough. On Day 7, we held a second pizza party at Bellagio, where hungry players eagerly devoured cheese and pepperoni pizzas. Combined with the first party on Day 2, we ensured players ate well. However, this was the last pizza supply of the festival — there are still exciting activities ahead, but they won't come in square boxes.

Obviously, mixed games players know value when they see it, so the Bellagio poker room was buzzing again. Three tables opened from the start (two $4/$8 limit, one $6/$12 limit), and a fourth table went into operation later. The poker action on Day 7 continued until the last table broke after 3 a.m. Festival founder Robbie Strazynski was likely one of the last five players to color up chips.

Additionally, Alex Livingston made a special appearance — he was unable to attend the Pokercoaching.com party game on Day 5, but arrived as soon as he got to Las Vegas, bringing more free giveaways for players.

Alex Livingston's Mixed Game Course

Poker and pizza go together because this food doesn't require players to fully leave the table. You can eat while continuing mixed games, which is exactly what Mixed Game Festival regulars excel at. Pokercoaching.com's Alex Livingston played a while with players and gave away free lifetime access to his recently released mixed game course to one lucky player. The winner was James Garcia, simply because he was in the right place at the right time — no strings attached.

After the pizza was finished and the main giveaway delivered, everyone thought the action would cool down, but instead a fourth table formed. Additionally, players could win some small prizes while taking down pots. Chuck Martin won a deck of Faded Spade playing cards for the second time on this trip, so his home games should be well-stocked for a while.

Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day: Linda Rand

The PokerCoaching.com Player of the Day on Day 7 is from Tampa, Florida. This is Linda Rand's eighth time attending the World Series of Poker (WSOP), and since mixed games are her strength, she decided to experience the festival. Linda came with her boyfriend Donnie (also a poker player) to share the ups and downs together. She said her favorite poker variant is Archie because you can pursue both high and low hands and change your mind during the hand.

Before moving to Florida, Linda worked as a poker dealer at Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa for a full ten years. She loves everything about poker: the people, the excitement, the different challenges every day, and of course winning money. She didn't want to reveal her hobbies outside of poker (causing laughter), but her message to all women is: try poker, don't be afraid to come out and have fun. "Ladies, we are smarter than them (men)," she said firmly.

As for poker goals, she hopes to win a large tournament, regardless of the variant, as long as it guarantees a prize of at least $100k. She recently plays three to four tournaments a month and is working toward that.

RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day: Constantine Garcia Woodward

Constantine Garcia Woodward is from California and has lived in Las Vegas for about 10 years. He moved for better job opportunities. Before getting into poker, he worked various jobs including security and a ramp service attendant at Anchorage Airport in Alaska. After moving to Las Vegas, he drove a taxi, then attended dealer school, and after graduation picked up a deck of cards.

It was his family (brother and mother) who pushed him toward poker. "I knew almost nothing about poker, but my brother wanted to be a dealer, and my mother thought I would be good at it," Constantine said. It turns out she was right. Now he has nine years of dealing experience and has dealt at almost every poker room on the Las Vegas Strip.

In his free time, he likes to work out, go to the park, and play poker as much as possible. His dream is practical: mainly to become a successful winning poker player.

Constantine enjoys the Mixed Game Festival and dealing various games, but at the tables he prefers to stick with familiar No-Limit Hold'em and Omaha high. Besides planning to continue working at Bellagio for a while, he has other ambitions, including getting a truck driver's license.

Play with Mori Tomorrow

As the festival progresses, its magic grows stronger — not only attracting people to come but also keeping them seated at the tables for hours. Day 8 will feature Poker Hall of Famer Mori Eskandani joining in to play a few hands with players and undoubtedly share some interesting stories. Mori is always full of ideas for new games, so expect his table to be filled with fun and chaos.

The Mixed Games Festival continues through Thursday, daily at Bellagio