With Mixed Game Festival XIV stretching over two whole weeks, one pizza party simply isn’t enough. In that spirit, Day 7 of the festival featured our second pizza party at Bellagio, with hungry players eager to wolf down some cheese and pepperoni slices. Between that and our first pizza party on Day 2, we made sure our players were plenty well fed, but that’ll be all the pies on the menu until next time; while there’s still some really cool stuff coming up, it won’t be delivered inside square boxes.
It’s clear, though, that our mixed game crowd knows value when they see it, so once again the Bellagio poker room was buzzing with action. We had three tables (two $4/$8 and one $6/$12) going from the start, with a fourth one opening a bit later/ All told, Day 7’s poker action lasted until the final table broke at just after 3am. If you want to know the exact time, you can ask festival founder Robbie Strazynski, who may or may not have been one of the last five players to rack up his chips for the night… 🙂
There was also a special appearance from Alex Livingston, who was unable to attend Day 5’s Pokercoaching.com Meet-Up Game, but who graced us with his presence as soon as he rolled into Las Vegas, throwing more free stuff into the mix for our players.
Alex Livingston’s Mixed Game Course, I Presume?
There is a reason why poker and pizza go so well together – it’s the kind of food that doesn’t require you to abandon the grind entirely. You can keep on mixing it up, and that’s one thing that the regular crowd at these Mixed Game Festivals knows quite a bit about.
Adding to the excitement in the room, Pokercoaching.com’s Alex Livingston came to splash around a bit with the players and give away free lifetime access to his recently-released mixed game course to one lucky player. That player ended up being James Garica who won just for being in the right place, at the right time. No loops or hoops to go through.
With the pizza gone and the main giveaway of the day done, you’d think the action would wind down, but the opposite happened, as a fourth table formed.
📣👉 Our fourth table is opening now! Come join in the excitement at @BellagioPoker as Day Seven of @cardplayerlife‘s Mixed Game Festival XIV rolls on! 👍🥳
♠️♥️♣️♦️#PokerLifeMedia #MGFXIV pic.twitter.com/RygyTI97WQ— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) June 8, 2026
In addition to scooping (or halving, or quartering) the pots, players got to pick up some smaller prizes along the way. Chuck Martin managed to win his second Faded Spade set of cards for this trip, so whatever home game he plays in should be set for a while.
In an astonishing series of events, @chuckspoker somehow won ANOTHER set of @FadedSpadeBrand cards here at Mixed Game Festival XIV. 😲
Ian is not amused 😂 pic.twitter.com/kMNYXJi2zK
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 9, 2026
Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day: Linda Rand
Day 7’s PokerCoaching.com Player of the Day comes from Tampa, Florida. This is Linda Rand’s eighth visit to the World Series of Poker, and since mixed games are her forte, she decided to check out what the festival has to offer.
Linda is here with her boyfriend, Donnie, who is also a poker player, so they can share the ups, the downs, and everything in between. She tells us that Archie is her favorite poker variant because you can go for high, for low, and change your mind midway through the hand.
Before moving to Florida, Linda worked as a poker dealer at the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa for a full 10 years, and she loves everything about the game: the people, the excitement, the fact that its different every day, and, of course, winning.
While she wouldn’t share with us what exactly she enjoys doing away from the tables (this remark brought lots of laughter while the player interview was being conducted), Linda’s message to all the ladies out there is to give poker a try and not be afraid to come out, play, and have fun. “Ladies, we are smarter than they (men) are,” she announces with conviction.
As for her poker goals, she’d like to win a big tournament, and she doesn’t care too much about what the game variation is, as long as the guarantee is at least $100k. Playing three to four tournaments a month lately, Linda is certainly putting some work toward that goal.
RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day: Constantine Garcia Woodward
Constantine Garcia Woodward, originally from California, has been in Las Vegas for about 10 years. He decided to make the move for better work opportunities. Before discovering poker, he worked different jobs, including being a security guard and a ramp agent at the airport in Anchorage, Alaska.
When he moved to Vegas, Constantine picked up a job as a cab driver. He then enrolled in a dealer school and, upon completing his education, he picked up a different career once more, along with a deck of cards.
It was his family (his older brother and his mother) who pushed him toward poker. “I didn’t really know anything about poker, but my brother wanted to be a dealer, and my mother thought I’d be very good at it, say Constantine.” She turned out to be right!
At this point, he’s been dealing cards for nine years, and he has dealt at almost every poker room on The Strip.
As for his hobbies, he likes to exercise, spend time at the park, and play some poker when he can. His dream is fairly down-to-earth, as he primarily wants to be a successful, winning poker player.
While Constantine enjoys the Mixed Game Festival and dealing all the different games, in his efforts on the felt, he prefers to stick to trusted No Limit Hold’em and Omaha High.
For a man who had such a colorful career, it’s no surprise that in addition to sticking with Bellagio for a while to come, he does have some additional aspirations, including working on his truck driving license.
Come Hang Out With Mori
It feels like the longer the festival goes on, the stronger the grasp of its magic becomes, not only to pull the people in, but to keep them in their seats for hours on end as cards fly through the air.
👀👉 Still three tables going strong on a Monday night! Come join in the fun at @cardplayerlife‘s Mixed Game Festival XIV, sponsored by @BetMGMPoker, which runs until Thursday at @BellagioPoker! 👍🥳
♠️♥️♣️♦️#PokerLifeMedia #MGFXIV pic.twitter.com/FXtaj9r4q3— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) June 9, 2026
There are some cool things lined up for Day 8 as well, with Poker Hall of Famer Mori Eskandani joining the crowd to play some hands and, undoubtedly, share some interesting stories. Plus, Mori is always full of ideas for new games, so we expect the action at his table to be fun and chaotic.
Today’s Day 8 of Mixed Game Festival XIV at @BellagioPoker will include an appearance by Poker Hall of Famer Mori Eskandani…
…and ANOTHER Poker Hall of Famer, too!😃
Wanna know who?
Come join us for “Tuesday with Mori”, and call 702-693-7291 to get your name on the list. pic.twitter.com/LyXengkgbv
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) June 9, 2026
Plus, there is also a surprise in the cards for Tuesday, but we won’t reveal who it is. What we can say is that it’s going to be special, and you should be there for it!
Be sure to call in ahead of time at (702) 693-7291 to put your name on the list or be at the Bellagio at noon, sharp, to secure your seat.
We are entering the final stretch, with our third and final $3500 2026 BetMGM Poker Championship seat up for grabs on Thursday, so you don’t want to miss out!
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