Mixed Game Festival XV Returns to

The Mixed Game Festival is back at Bellagio, and for the first time the festival lands in Las Vegas in autumn rather than the summer months that hosted the previous three editions. October on the Strip is quieter than the June–July stretch when the World Series of Poker fills the city, and that quieter calendar has its own upside for mixed game players: fewer competing events, longer sessions, and fewer distractions.

A Familiar Crowd, Plus Some New Faces

The festival has a dedicated following that returns edition after edition, and Mixed Game Festival XV has been no exception. Players drove in from neighboring states, and others flew in from across the United States as well as from Canada, Wales, England, Israel, and Japan. A handful of walk-ins rounded out the field.

Day 1 opened with the festival's traditional free pizza and two $4/8 dealer's choice tables. A third table formed within an hour, and all three ran for roughly nine hours before merging down to a single table of the most persistent players.

Among the early guests was Jonathan Little, founder of PokerCoaching.com, who sat in at a couple of tables and signed copies of his poker books. Justin Saliba also stopped by to say hello, though he did not have time to join the action. More guest appearances are expected later in the week.

First Grand Prize Seat Awarded

The festival awards a range of special prizes, and the most valuable are three Grand Prize seats into the $1,100 Bellagio Fall Classic, a $100,000 guaranteed event, courtesy of BetMGM Poker. The first of those seats has now been claimed.

David Hanrock won two consecutive blind PLO flips to secure the seat. He has traveled from Youngstown, Ohio, to roughly a dozen Mixed Game Festivals over the years, and this was his first major prize at the series. The Bellagio Fall Classic Main Event is a Hold'em tournament, and Hanrock noted that the last time he played Hold'em was more than a decade ago, so he expects a challenge. His advice to other festival regulars still waiting for a Grand Prize is straightforward: show up on time, put in the hours, and hope to be in the right place at the right time.

Smaller prizes were also in play. Mark from California won a two-deck setup of Faded Spade cards for making a 7 low in 2-7 Razz.

PokerCoaching.com Player of the Day: Shale Juster

Where some players rarely miss a festival, others arrive for the first time. Shale Juster, the PokerCoaching.com Player of the Day, is in the second group. He flew from Minneapolis to Las Vegas specifically for the Mixed Game Festival after the trip had sat on his to-do list for a while.

At home, Juster plays two or three times a week at Canterbury Park and in four different home games. Though close to retirement, he still does some sales work for his former company, which he says keeps him busy between poker games and regular naps.

Beyond the mixed game action, Juster was especially pleased to meet Jonathan Little. He had followed Little's training videos for years and once bought a small piece of one of Little's high-stakes tournaments at Aria; that event ended in a win, turning a $100 investment into a couple of thousand dollars and, in his words, making him an even bigger fan. Juster also worked through Alex Livingston's Master Mixed Games course, which he says helped him move toward a more aggressive style, a work in progress. His message to anyone considering mixed games: unless you are focused strictly on learning and playing very GTO-heavy poker, you will have a lot more fun playing mix.

RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day: Carl McDonald

The festival also highlights the dealers who make the games possible. Day 1's RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day was Carl McDonald, chosen in part because he simply looked like he was having so much fun in the box.

McDonald has lived in Las Vegas for about a decade and has dealt on and off at Bellagio for most of that time, along with other casinos in the city and the World Series of Poker during the summers. He knows how to deal all casino games but has stuck primarily with poker because poker rooms are smoke-free. Bellagio is his favorite room to deal in because dealers, he says, get a lot of freedom there, and his personal philosophy aligns with the room's emphasis on fun and letting players enjoy the moment.

Asked whether he prefers dealing mixed games or Hold'em and PLO, he says it depends on the limits and the lineup, though $1/$3 No Limit Hold'em remains at the top of his list for how wild the games can get. He also admits that players who have had a few drinks are his favorite type, because they tend to have a great time and anything can happen at any moment.

Tournament Action Ahead

Day 1 was all about cash games. The first of two tournaments on the schedule, a $300 T.O.R.S.E. event, begins at noon, with low-stakes dealer's choice cash games available from the start as well. The second $1,100 Bellagio Fall Classic Main Event seat will also be awarded, and players need only be seated at a tournament table before registration closes for a chance at it. The Bellagio poker room can be reached at (702) 693-7290 for wait lists and additional information.