Following on all the excitement from the previous day, Day 4 of Mixed Game Festival XV was a bit of quieter affair, but there was still plenty of fun to be had, and many nice surprises for those who took their seats at the table.
The peak moment of the day was when Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra popped up and sat down to splash around in the low-stakes dealer’s choice streets. As anyone in the mixed game circles (and beyond) will know, Eli is one of the best mixed players in the world, regularly playing in the highest-stakes games in Vegas, so to see him play $4/$8 is something entirely different. And yet, at some point Eli exclaimed that “I’ve never played a poker variant with three boards before” — so even poker legends still learn a little something at the Mixed Game Festival.
There were three tables running pretty much from the get-go, with two spreading $4/8 and one $9/18, so there was certainly no lack of action for those who were looking to put their chips to work.
Chilling With Eli
Players who attend Mixed Game Festivals don’t need any particular assistance to create a fun atmosphere at the tables. Having fun and enjoying some good-natured banter is exactly what keeps most of them coming back, and it’s why new players who happen to come across one of the tables fall in love with the concept.
That said, having a big-name player join the ranks and sit down for some hands certainly adds to the excitement. Eli Elezra is one of Festival’s biggest friends and supporters — having attended them ever since the inaugural event five years ago — and he once again found some time in his packed schedule to join the action for a little while.
Welcome back to the Mixed Game Festival, Poker Hall of Famer @elielezra1 🥳
As always, thanks for enhancing our experience! ❤️ https://t.co/5sybdHWVcV
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) October 8, 2026
Players were thrilled to have him in the room, asking questions, taking photos, and, of course, trying to win some Eli dollars (he played Robbie’s stack, but that’s besides the point). Winning a pot or two off of a legend such as Elezra is the kind of story that one certainly can (and will) take back to their home game.
Plus, Eric “basebaldy” Baldwin decided it was time to see what all the hype was about, so he sat down for his very first Mixed Game Festival experience. With about $10 million in live tournament earnings and two WSOP bracelets, Eric certainly fits in the “poker celebrity” category.
Storming out of the gates here at @BellagioPoker for Day 4 of Mixed Game Festival XV!
Two $4/8 and one $9/18 dealer’s choice cash games running, plus a @basebaldy sighting (attending his first festival 😁)
Join us for all the fun! https://t.co/Colv3qTPdq
— Cardplayer Lifestyle (@PokerLifeMedia) October 8, 2026
Beyond this, players were spoiled with plenty more free stuff, courtesy of numerous Festival friends and sponsors. From swag to poker books to high-quality poker decks, pretty much everyone who attends a Mixed Game Festival gets something to take home with them.
Big thanks to @ThePokerBoss for spoiling our $4/8 mix players with some sweet @BellagioPoker swag!
🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢
There’s nothing like a Mixed Game Festival 🥳 https://t.co/rOyvUWiQY9
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) October 9, 2026
Fun times, friendly faces, and @FadedSpadeBrand cards for lucky winners 🥳
Mixed Game Festival XV Day 4 rolls on at @BellagioPoker bringing the smiles and poker action! https://t.co/DEhWaZzJPs
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) October 9, 2026
Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day: Andy Law
Andy Law, today’s pick for the Pokercoaching.com Player of the Day, is attending his first Mixed Game Festival. Originally from Scotland, Andy has been living in Houston, Texas, for 14 years now, involved in software work for the oil and natural gas industry.
Like many, Andy picked up poker during the Moneymaker Boom. When he moved to Texas, there wasn’t much official poker happening in the state, but he found some home games to keep him busy. Eventually, poker rooms started opening there, and he started coming to Las Vegas in 2019 as well.
Over time, he warmed up to mixed games, as they started to introduce some of the variations into their home game rotations. When he saw an announcement for MGF XV on social media, Andy decided it was time to finally take the trip.
Having spent a couple of days at Bellagio, his experience has been largely positive, although he admits that some games that players pull out of nowhere throw him off, and he has to figure it out as he goes. Thankfully, other players are usually very understanding and happy to help, so he doesn’t have to sweat it too much.
Andy’s interest in mixed games has grown over the years, and he’s been working on his game, primarily expanding his knowledge by reading poker books on the topic. One that really helped him grow was Dylan Linde’s Mastering Mixed Games.
He tells us that the Festival has certainly inspired him to try to introduce a few new variations to his home game, although he admits that a few players may require some convincing.
In general, Andy believes mixed games are more fun and more exciting, and beginners can get started at low stakes, where they don’t have to risk a lot of money. Unlike Hold’em, where you can lose a bundle in a single hand, mixed games are usually more chill, and a couple of hundred bucks can last you a while.
His overall goal in poker is to continue improving year on year, however, he admits that some nice results along the way help keep the motivation up, and he’s proud of cashing the last couple of tournaments he played at the World Series of Poker.
Away from the felt, Andy enjoys reading, watching movies, and, more than anything, spending time with his nine-year-old daughter, playing video games and going to the park.
RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day: Corey Silver
Taking the spotlight as the RunGoodGear Dealer of the Day is Corey Silver, a man who’s spent the last four years working at Bellagio but has about 15 years of experience in the industry.
He started off working at the Garden City Casino in San Jose, California. Then, he got a job dealing for Live at the Bike! When that show moved to the Tropicana, Corey moved with it, and that’s how he ended up in Las Vegas.
Once Tropicana was no more, he found his new home at Bellagio, and he admits that getting the job here was a dream come true.
Like many in the industry, Corey actually started as a poker player, playing a lot of online poker back in the day. It came pretty naturally to him as well, as he used to visit his grandparents in Las Vegas as a kid, and he already had a love for the cards.
Despite all the love, playing poker for a living turned out quite difficult, so he shifted his interest to the industry side of things. This allowed him to keep in touch with his passion while avoiding the variance.
Corey is currently dual rate, working both as a dealer and a floor, picking shifts up as needed, and he tells us he is happy in his current roles, as he enjoys the customer-facing side of things and dealing with and to the players.
In his career, he’s had many interesting moments, and he shared with us one that really stands out.
He was dealing a $200/$400 game at Live at the Bike! after the stream, and one player told him that, if he won the hand, he’d give him half the pot as a tip. It was a double-board bomb pot, and everyone was sitting about $100,000 deep, so he was looking at potentially life-changing money.
The hand got down to heads-up, with a $1,000 flop bet, $3,000 on the turn, and another $5,000 going in on the river. It ended up being a $16,000 pot, and it ended in a chop. As Corey started to move $8,000 to the player who promised the tip, he waved it away and told him to keep it.
Corey was over the moon, and he admits that, at that moment, he genuinely wanted to get up and give that player a hug. Instead, though, he kept his composure, thanked them for the tip, and then proceeded to deal the rest of his down.
To this day, this remains one of the favorite moments of his career, not only because of the big tip, but because of the sheer generosity, especially given the fact that the player in question didn’t actually win any money on that hand.
Beyond poker, Corey enjoys playing golf as much as possible, and he admits that he’s picked up a passion for sports cards as of late, buying and selling them on E-bay.
Heading into Mixed Game Festival XV’s Final Day
Mixed Game Festival XV is approaching the finish line, but there is still a full day of action left, and those seats will be open from noon. And if history is any indication, there will be at least one table tomorrow that will play through the night, squeezing every last second out of the experience.
As for the special appearances, 7x WSOP bracelet winner Josh Arieh will be making his first ever MGF appearance and joining us for the final day. So it’s another opportunity to take some photos, hear some great stories, and, of course, try to win a bit of money from a big-name pro. He may not care, but those who manage to pull in a pot or two certainly do.
If you want to be sure that you’re in the action right from the start, you can (and should) reserve your spot by calling (702) 693-7290.
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