Cardplayer Lifestyle's Mixed Game Festival will return this summer, with action moving to a new but very prominent Las Vegas poker venue. The Mixed Game Festival VIII, according to Cardplayer Lifestyle founder Robbie Strazynski, is set to take place at the Bellagio over five days, June 16-20, 2024.
Recent editions of the Mixed Game Festival have taken place at the Westgate, an excellent room in its own right, but the shift to the Bellagio for MGF VIII drops the gathering into the heart of the Vegas summer-poker scene. The festival is likely to enjoy a spike in attendance, since it will take place across Las Vegas Boulevard from the WSOP at Paris/Horseshoe, with several other poker series and rooms at nearby casinos within walking distance.
Where and when the latest edition of the Mixed Games Festival would occur had been a mystery for some time. According to Strazynski, "For months, now, I’ve been getting approached by dozens upon dozens of mixed-game players wondering 'if it’ll happen'. Well, folks, the answer is a resounding YES! Let’s all show up in droves and enjoy everything mixed-game poker has to offer at the Bellagio, one of the world’s premier poker destinations!"
The Bellagio, which just turned 25, also expressed its enthusiasm at being able to host a different sort of poker gathering. “Bellagio Poker is thrilled to team with the Mixed Game Festival this summer. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to introduce Bellagio and Bellagio poker to a new level of mixed game players. We see mixed game players as a growing and welcome group of guests, and look forward to hosting the festival in June,” said Craig Larson, Director at Bellagio Poker.
Moneymaker Tour signs on as festival's grand-prize sponsor
Strazynski had teased the festival's June return for a few days before the formal announcement, and when that was released, it included an addition, with the Moneymaker Tour joining in as a sponsor:
The Moneymaker Tour's sponsorship will include giveaways of several seats to side events in the tour's upcoming series at MGM Grand in June, just a short walk down the Vegas Strip. That series, which also marks the Moneymaker Tour's Las Vegas debut, will begin soon after the CardPlayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival concludes.
Moneymaker Tour Executive Manager Tony Burns congratulated Cardplayer Lifestyle on securing the Bellagio venue for the June festival. “Chris and the Moneymaker Tour share a passion for the growth of mixed games in our industry. What better way to help that growth than through supporting the Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival at the Bellagio this summer.”
PokerOrg will also be on hand for the festival's five days of fun, providing our own flavor of interactive coverage, including videos, pictures, and player interviews, and more via our "Instant Live" feed.
Other poker entities supporting or sponsoring Mixed Games Festival VIII include Pokercoaching.com, PokerGO, RunGoodGear, D&B Poker Publishing, BBO Poker Tables, and Faded Spade Playing Cards.
Strazynski among contingent pushing mixed-games growth
Count Strazynski among the poker-industry people who are heavily invested in the overall growth of poker's mixed-games segment. In January, he spoke with PokerOrg about his love for mixed games and for poker in general. As with so many other poker concepts, Strazynski's series endured a blip through the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's since become an occasional staple of the Vegas poker scene.
Many details on thje Cardplayer Lifestyle Mixed Game Festival VIII have been released. Besides several tables of mixed-games cash action, beginning at $4/$8, the festival will offer numerous giveaways and appearances by noted pros, plus the welcoming pizza party that's becoming something of a Mixed Game Festival tradition.
