Mixed Game Festival XV Wraps at Bellagio

Mixed Game Festival XV Closes at Bellagio

The final day of Mixed Game Festival XV arrived quickly, with players gathering at Bellagio for one last session of dealer's choice action. Three tables ran from the start: two at $4/8 and one at $9/18.

While poker is the centerpiece of the Mixed Game Festivals, the events are built around friendship, camaraderie, and a genuine love for different poker variations rather than the stakes or the money.

Josh Arieh Plays for the Love of the Game

It is unusual to see big-name players in small-stakes games. Tournament players generally gravitate toward games that fit their usual stakes or buy-in level, and they have other obligations in life.

That made it a pleasant surprise when Josh Arieh, a seven-time WSOP bracelet winner, reached out to say he would like to spend some time playing low-stakes cash games at Bellagio. Arieh is primarily a tournament player and had not played cash games in a long time, but he set that aside to be part of the Mixed Game Festival.

Arieh said he came purely for the love of the game and to support mixed games, noting that No Limit Hold'em has had a huge boom while mixed games remain niche. He also shared that he took his first steps in poker playing mix. While he understands the intensity and appeal of No Limit Hold'em, he believes mixed games create a better environment for fun and camaraderie, because players are not constantly forced to make decisions for their entire stacks.

Despite his tournament resume, Arieh came across as a man of the people. Even at the lowest stakes available, he spent hours at the tables and enjoyed every moment.

For Arieh, poker is not just about money. He describes the game as one big puzzle he constantly tries to figure out, and he plays to win regardless of the stakes. He also showed generosity away from the results: for every pot he won, he told the dealer to pick one stack before pushing it his way and to keep it as a tip, adding energy and good karma to the table.

Mixed games may not be as popular as Hold'em or PLO, but with players such as Josh Arieh and Eli Elezra helping to promote them, the format's future looks bright, and the Mixed Game Festival continues to carry that torch.

Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day: Kentaro Fujita

The final Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day for MGF XV came from Japan. Kentaro Fujita traveled more than 5,000 miles from Tokyo to Las Vegas to enjoy some poker and attend his first Mixed Game Festival.

Poker was not the only reason for the trip. Fujita came to the United States on a business trip, working as a travel agent for cruise ship sales. After spending the first couple of weeks working, he made time to play in Las Vegas.

Fujita said he usually comes out for the World Series of Poker, but since he was unable to do so this year, the business trip became a good opportunity to make up for it. He had heard positive things about the Mixed Game Festival from friends and decided to try it for himself, enjoying the week.

Back home, he plays mix in home games and in some tournaments spread across amusement casinos, primarily those that are part of the Japan Open Poker Tour (JOPT). Those tournaments do not offer cash prizes, as that would be illegal in Japan, but they still offer rewards and the prestige that comes with winning.

Fujita had a strong run in the $300 Triple Draw Mix tournament on Day 3 of the festival, finishing in third place, though he attributes that finish more to luck than skill. He said he picked up several new and interesting variations at the festival, such as Watermelon, Oma-jack, and Peek-a-Dugi, and cannot wait to tell his poker friends about them and discuss strategy when he gets home.

RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day: Armani Peters

Armani Peters, the RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day, is a shift manager at Bellagio, though he still jumps into the box if there is an emergency or if a dealer needs to step away urgently.

Peters has lived in Las Vegas since 2007 and has been with Bellagio since 2013. He started his poker journey as a player but moved to the industry side of things in search of a more reliable paycheck.

Like other staff members interviewed during the Mixed Game Festival, Peters takes tremendous pride in working at Bellagio. He loves interacting with new people every day and with regulars in new ways. He describes the poker room community as a bunch of brothers and sisters who all enjoy gambling.

Having spent over a decade at Bellagio, he has seen a lot. Some of his favorite moments came when the late Doyle Brunson would ride in on his scooter, and staff had to quickly shuffle people around and move them out of the way. Peters shared that Brunson knew him by name, which always felt special.

When he is not working, Peters enjoys smoking meat and cooking for friends and family, a hobby those close to him likely appreciate.

A Wrap for 2026, With More to Come

From the pizza party on Day 1 to a couple of tournaments and two days filled with cash game action, Mixed Game Festival XV met and exceeded expectations once more. The T.O.R.S.E. tournament on Day 2 and the Triple Draw Mix event on Day 3 both attracted a fair number of players, and attendance was greater than what you would expect during a random week in off-season October.

Sponsors added extra value. BetMGM Poker provided three Grand Prize seats into the $1,100 Bellagio Fall Classic Main Event. Players also picked up swag from RunGoodGear, quality poker decks from Faded Spade, D&B poker books, and hat and hoodie combos from Pokercoaching.com.

After five days, another Mixed Game Festival came to a close, and founder Robbie Strazynski recorded a special thank-you message to everyone who showed up in support throughout the week.

No more Mixed Game Festivals are planned for 2026. Plans are in the works to take the festivals to the next level in 2027, with a return to Bellagio, hopes for another Las Vegas casino, and ambitions to bring a Mixed Game Festival or two to US destinations outside Las Vegas. Concrete dates and details are not yet available.