We are now less than three months away from the world’s biggest poker festival—the WSOP. Although each new year brings excitement, we all know what’s coming. Bracelets, final tables, and celebrations will be had by a select few, but the majority will go home with nothing but exhaustion, disappointment, and a few tales of where it all went wrong. Do this a few years in a row, and you’ll be questioning why you ever subjected yourself to such torture.
What if there were a way to navigate the summer where win or lose, you go home feeling like a true poker player? One where you’re not just a victim of variance but the one calling the shots.
What if, instead of needing a stiff drink and a month off to recover, you felt fired up, ready to level up before next year? Well, my friends, that option’s real—and it’s mixed games.
The Best Place to Start
Imagine feeling like you did when poker was new — curious, excited, trusting your gut instead of second-guessing every move. That’s what awaits when you dive into mixed games. Poker is poker, and if you’re the type who learns on the fly, we’ve got mixed games running as low as $0.50/$1 at Phenom Poker.
Grab a set of rules from a site like countingouts.com — it’s an inexpensive, easy way to see what the hype’s about. Want a front-row seat to the action? Catch my Twitch stream where I’m tackling mixed games live.
If you’re more the “study first, play later” type, you’ve got options. I recommend Dylan Linde’s Mastering Mixed Games for a deep dive, or the Mixed Games Beginner’s Course at BBZ Poker. Whatever you choose, get some hands in online first.
A Few Tips for Draw Games
We all know how powerful position can be in no-limit hold’em. Now multiply that by five and you’ve got an idea of how important it is in games like 2-7 Triple Draw, A-5 Triple Draw, and Badugi. You can’t hide how many cards you’re drawing — after each betting round, it’s out there. The in-position player sees that intel before acting, putting you at a disadvantage out of position.
The fix? Play disciplined and tight-aggressive from early spots and the blinds. Reraise pre-draw with strong starters, and don’t shy away from patting your hand to bluff when you draw poorly but hold good blockers—like pairing a low card in 2-7 with one of your weaker draws. A recipe for disaster is a lot of calling and drawing multiple cards out of position. The in-position player can pat a wide range of hands, keep the pressure on, and leave you clueless — unless you draw perfectly, you’re stuck in no man’s land.
Another tip: draw to hands you can confidently value bet later. It’s tough to make a hand every time, so when you do, make it count — think 8’s and 7’s in 2-7, not a shaky T-8. Marginal hands might complete more often, but you’ll be stuck bluff-catching, and that’s not where the money’s made in poker.
Mix It Up at Phenom Poker
The clock’s ticking — WSOP’s closing in. Why not skip the NLH rut this year? I’m grinding mixed games online that keep me sharp and engaged. It’s my go-to for WSOP prep.
I’m streaming it all on Twitch while breaking down hands, sharing my grind, and showing how mixed games can flip the script. Join me there, mix things up, and hit the summer feeling like a player — not a punching bag.
Eric Baldwin has won two WSOP bracelets, three Circuit rings, and over $9.3M in career earnings. Named CardPlayer Magazine’s 2009 Player of the Year, he’s now an ambassador for Phenom Poker. Follow him on X and catch his mixed game journey on Twitch.tv.
