The Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival is back at Bellagio this week, and thanks to BetMGM Poker, three players will turn their time at the mixed game tables into a shot at a much bigger prize.
Mixed Game Festival XV got underway on Monday, October 5, beginning five days of low-stakes mixed game action in Las Vegas. The festival runs through October 9, with dealer’s choice cash games available from noon each day at stakes starting from just $4/$8 and $6/$12.
This edition also marks five years since festival founder Robbie Strazynski first tested the concept. Back then, even he wasn’t sure there would be a second edition.
“At the time it was an experiment. I’m like, ‘I think this will work and it’ll be pretty cool.’ I didn’t know that there would be a number two even.”
Five years later, the festival has reached number 15, built around an idea that has remained largely unchanged: make mixed games affordable, social and approachable for players who might otherwise never venture beyond No-Limit Hold’em.
And this week, BetMGM Poker is giving players another reason to pull up a chair.
BetMGM Poker Giving Away Three $1,100 Bellagio Seats
BetMGM Poker has put up three $1,100 seats to the Bellagio Fall Classic Main Event, which carries a $100,000 guarantee.
One seat was awarded during Monday’s opening day, with another set to be given away on Tuesday and the final ticket following on Wednesday. The prizes are awarded at random, so players don’t need to win a tournament or build a monster cash-game stack to get their hands on one. They simply need to be there when the prize is drawn.
For Strazynski, it is the latest chapter in a relationship with BetMGM Poker that has now stretched beyond three years.
“Every time we’ve been here at Bellagio, they have been our event sponsor,” Strazynski told PokerNews. “Over the summer, they have their annual $3,500 BetMGM Championship, so they’ve given us seats for that.
“Now, working directly with the Bellagio on their Fall Classic series, they’re like, ‘Yeah, let’s put some people into the Main Event.’
“They’ve been wonderful and I’m just grateful for their continued support, over three years now working with them. It’s great.”
That support has helped give recreational mixed game players access to events well beyond the stakes being played during the festival itself. This time, three people who may be spending the week playing $4/$8 mixed games will leave with a four-figure Bellagio tournament seat in their pocket.
Mixed Game Regular Wins First Bellagio Fall Classic Seat
The first ticket found an appropriate home. David Hanrock, from Youngstown, Ohio, has attended around ten or 11 editions of the Mixed Game Festival, but until Monday had never landed one of its major giveaways.
“This might be the first time I’ve ever won anything,” Hanrock said after receiving the $1,100 seat.
There is, however, one catch. The Bellagio Fall Classic Main Event is No-Limit Hold’em, a game Hanrock has largely left behind.
“Probably the last time I played Hold’em was over ten years [ago],” he said. “I’ve gotten completely out of Hold’em, so this is going to be something new, jumping into the fire.”
Players still have two more opportunities to follow him into the event, with the remaining BetMGM Poker seats being given away on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Winners can choose which of the four Bellagio Fall Classic starting flights they want to enter. Day 1A begins Thursday, October 8, Day 1B follows on Friday, while two further flights are scheduled for Saturday, October 10.
Tournaments Added to Mixed Game Festival XV
The festival’s recent Bellagio stops have taken place during the busy Las Vegas summer, when players already have more tournaments than they could possibly play. With Mixed Game Festival XV taking place in the fall for the first time, Strazynski has been able to add tournaments alongside the usual cash games.
The $300 T.O.R.S.E. takes place on Tuesday, October 6, followed by the $300 Triple Draw Mix on Wednesday, October 7. Both begin at noon, while the festival’s cash games continue alongside them.
The poker is only part of it. Monday began with the festival’s traditional pizza party and also saw Jonathan Little sit down and “splash around” with players.
Celebrity appearances, merchandise giveaways, book signings, snacks and other extras have become regular parts of the festival over its five-year run.
Why Mixed Game Festival Is Built for Beginners
For anyone curious about mixed games but reluctant to jump into an unfamiliar format, Strazynski believes that accessibility is exactly what has kept people returning.
“People aren’t here to pay rent. People are here to have a good time,” he said.
Rather than being populated solely by Las Vegas regulars, Strazynski says the festival has attracted players from across the United States and as far afield as Wales, Japan, Israel, Malta and Canada.
“This is the most inexpensive place to learn it. You’re playing $4/$8 limit. You can sit on the same $100 to $200 pretty much all day long.
“Even if you lose a little bit, you’ll come away feeling, ‘Wow, I got great value for my money,’ that you really can’t find anywhere else, and hopefully learn along the way.”
That combination has helped turn what started as an experiment in 2021 into a festival now celebrating its 15th edition.
“If your goal is to learn and improve, this is the best place to start,” Strazynski added. “Then you can climb the next-game ladder and play higher.”
Calum Grant
Senior Editor & Live Events Executive