We spoke with Robbie Strazynski, founder of Cardplayer Lifestyle and the Mixed Game Festival, to discuss his journey from poker enthusiast to industry figure. During our conversation, he shared his passion for poker, how he began with a blog as a side project, and how that evolved into a respected platform.
He also shared the inspiration behind launching the Mixed Game Festival, which returns to Las Vegas from November 3-7 as part of the North American Poker Tour.
Key Highlights
- Strazynski founded CardPlayer Lifestyle as a side project in 2009, which later became his full-time career in 2017.
- The Mixed Game Festival was born from Strazynski’s passion for mixed poker games and desire to create a community-centered event.
- Mixed Game Festival IX, taking place in Las Vegas, is partnering with PokerStars as part of the North American Poker Tour (NAPT).
- The festival prioritizes cash games over tournaments, setting it apart from typical poker festivals.
Interview with Robbie Strazynski: Beginnings, Friendships, and Poker Journey
Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Strazynski’s journey through the poker world.
Robbie Strazynski is a well-known figure in the poker media. He’s done a little bit of everything, but he is best known for Cardplayer Lifestyle with his insightful articles that cover all areas of the poker universe.
Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get involved in poker, podcasts, and article writing?
I’m 42 years old and married with three kids. I was born in Los Angeles and moved to Israel after high school, just before turning 17. I have a life-long love for poker, having learned the game as a child and having been playing home games recreationally for over 20 years.
I founded Cardplayer Lifestyle in November 2009 on a whim as a ‘nights and weekends’ side gig pursuit. I liked poker and knew how to write.
—Robbie Strazynski
Getting involved in poker media came about gradually. I founded Cardplayer Lifestyle in November 2009 on a whim as a “nights and weekends” side gig pursuit. I liked poker and knew how to write. I stuck with it and, over time, was fortunate enough to have gained and grown an audience.
I decided to quit my job in March 2017 and make a go at being self-employed in the industry, which thankfully led to other opportunities such as hosting poker podcasts, etc.
Thankfully, I haven’t looked back since and am grateful to be doing something I love so much for a living.
When did you create Cardplayerlifestyle.com? How is it different from other poker sites?
While the site was founded in November 2009, I feel like it took a couple years until “I hit my stride with it.”
It was at that point that I started understanding my audience better and producing content more regularly. Naturally, things ramped up significantly in March 2017 once running the site became my full-time pursuit.
Cardplayer Lifestyle has always been independently owned and operated. While I work with many freelance contributors, I don’t have any employees.
I also have the ability to employ a somewhat different, unconventional revenue model than most other poker media sites (as I only need to support myself and my family).
While that all, by definition, means I run a smaller operation, I think the site “punches above its weight” and, through having consistently produced high-quality content, enjoys a positive reception in the industry and among poker fans.
You seem to connect deeply with poker players through your podcasts and writing. Is there one in particular that you developed a friendship with?
Well, the short answer is that I am fortunate to be able to call Poker Hall of Famers Eli Elezra and Linda Johnson, as well as Women in Poker Hall of Famer Jan Fisher, three of my closest friends who I first met through poker.
The longer answer is that I’m a natural extrovert who enjoys meeting and speaking with people.
Traveling to a variety of stops around the world to cover live events has given me the opportunity to meet tons of poker players, and having hosted poker podcasts for a decade has given me the chance to get to know so many of them on a deeper level.
I’m lucky to count hundreds of poker players among my friends.
You translated Eli Elezra’s biography. What curious thing did you learn?
As mentioned, Eli has become one of my closest friends. Our relationship first truly flourished while I was working on translating his biography.
Having spent so much time with him over the last few years, I’ve been most inspired by his temperament at and away from the poker tables.
I can’t ever remember seeing Eli lose his cool while playing; that’s the mark of a true professional poker player, never letting his emotions get the best of him and continuing to play his ‘A game’ regardless of how the cards play out.
Away from the felt, Eli is one of the most joyous people I know.
Quite literally, his WhatsApp status is “always happy.” That’s an incredible way to live life and a quality that I try hard to emulate both on and off the felt.
Mixed Game Festival: What’s New and How to Participate
The ninth installment of the Mixed Game Festival is about to kick off in early November. We spoke with Robbie about how it differs from your standard poker series.
What makes this event different from other poker tournaments?
Most festivals and series you’ll find on the yearly poker calendar are comprised exclusively of a slate of tournaments. While we sometimes incorporate a tournament or two into our schedule, the Mixed Game Festival’s main attraction is cash games.
Aside from that, the overwhelming majority of poker played is Texas Hold’em, whereas we cater to mixed game lovers and offer dealer’s choice poker and non-Hold’em tournaments.
Our goal is to grow non-Hold’em poker variants organically by offering a super low price point of entry, with $4/8 fixed limit cash games.
I have no intention of stopping to organize and host Mixed Game Festivals, and I’ll continue working to improve what’s on offer with each new edition.
—Robbie Strazynski
Plus, many well-known poker pros and industry personalities often stop by to splash around and support the initiative. It gives all players who attend the chance to play with “poker celebs” for low stakes and enjoy and capture special shared experiences together.
In addition, we call ourselves a “festival” because there’s plenty more than “just” poker on offer.
Typically, we’ll include pizza parties, book signings, poker trivia competitions, instructional seminars, merchandise giveaways, and more as part of our schedule of events. Those are the kinds of elements that make an event truly feel festive!
How can people participate? Is it open to anyone?
Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us at our Mixed Game Festivals! Our $4/8 dealer’s choice tables are full of super-friendly people who are more than happy to welcome new players and explain all the game variants being played.
Just grab yourself a $100 rack of $1 chips and get ready to have the time of your life!
And rather than have to worry about instantly losing your entire stack of chips if you make a mistake, get unlucky, or get outplayed, like in Hold’em, fixed limit poker is much more forgiving, and you’ll typically get a lot more “bang for your buck” at our tables.
How has the event evolved, and what makes this year’s festival stand out from previous ones?
When we held our first one three years ago at Westgate Las Vegas, it was basically the manifestation of an idea I had.
I had never hosted a live poker event before and didn’t know if it would work. Fortunately, tons of people came out to show their support!
We attracted dozens of people over three days, then 124 people for our first HORSE tournament with a PokerStars Platinum Pass for the winner. That winner ended up being 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, which was pretty much the best possible outcome from a marketing perspective, haha.
We’ve since run the Mixed Game Festivals at two other Las Vegas venues, the Bellagio and Resorts World, as well as one stop internationally at Malta’s Portomaso Casino.
Our “core product” remains the low-stakes dealer’s choice cash games.
However, now we typically have 5 days of action (instead of 4), along with a stalwart group of secondary sponsors —such as Pokercoaching.com, D&B Poker, RunGood Gear, and PokerGO. Their support enables us to provide lots of extra value, prizes and merchandise to the players.
It’s clear that “the idea has legs,” and I hope to run many more Mixed Game Festivals in the years to come, with them continuing to grow bigger and better with each new incarnation.
Our ninth festival primarily stands out from previous editions as it represents the first time we’re officially partnered with PokerStars and their NAPT (North American Poker Tour), which I’ll elaborate on below.
What does the partnership with PokerStars and the NAPT add to the experience?
For starters, it creates the potential for more new players to try mixed games and join us for the first time. That large group of poker lovers coming in to play at the NAPT will be the “passersby foot traffic” that gets firsthand exposure to what the Mixed Game Festival is all about.
I imagine that some folks will be plenty intrigued by the loud, fun-filled, friendly atmosphere at our tables and want to give our dealer’s choice games a try.
Moreover, we’ll have three co-branded mixed game tournaments incorporated into the NAPT schedule at Resorts World Las Vegas: $550 H.E.R.O.S on November 7, $5,300 8-Game on November 8, and $550 8-Game on November 9.
We’ve had players come from Canada, Mexico, Israel, the UK, Japan, Malta, and many other European countries join us (the Mixed Game Festival).
—Robbie Strazynski
Naturally, many folks who would’ve “just” come out for the cash game play from November 3-7 will happily stick around a bit longer so as to partake in the tournaments as well. Plus, I imagine some of them will likely take a shot at some of the other tournaments on the NAPT schedule, too.
Similarly, some players may be intrigued by the mixed game tournaments on the NAPT schedule but hesitant about making the trip. The first few days of dealer’s choice cash games might serve as an extra attraction, convincing them to book their flight and accommodation.
Regarding more seasoned players, the fact of the matter is that it’s still relatively rare to find mixed games being spread in a poker room.
Our festival brings together players from all over the United States and beyond (we’ve had players come from Canada, Mexico, Israel, the UK, Japan, Malta, and many other European countries join us).
With multiple cash game tables running at various stakes levels (up to $20/40), it creates the perfect storm of elements for mixed game lovers to enjoy.
During the festival, there are some unique prize giveaways, including the opportunity to earn NAPT seats through cash game play. Can you tell us more about these prizes and how they enhance player engagement?
PokerStars is giving us the opportunity to give away a seat in the $550 H.E.R.O.S. and a seat in the $550 8-Game. For every hour of mixed cash game play someone logs from November 3-6, they’ll get an entry into the drawings, which will take place at 7 pm on November 6.
This promotion thus serves as a direct tie-in to give our cash game players extra value as well as help fill a couple seats on the NAPT tournament schedule. Plus, by definition, the more hours someone logs at the cash game tables, the better their chances of potentially winning one of the tournament seats!
Poker is often associated with Texas Hold’em. What do you think needs to be done to encourage more players to try out mixed games?
Texas Hold’em notably takes “5 minutes to learn and a lifetime to master”. There are dozens of non-Hold’em poker variants, and each of them takes a little time to learn.
It can be intimidating to sit down at a table and have to learn a dozen new games (or more) if you’ve never played them before.
At the Mixed Game Festival, we lower the barrier to entry by hosting the lowest-stakes cash games possible. You can comfortably sit for hours on the same $100-$200 chips stack. And, again, all our players are incredibly welcoming. We’re happy to answer any questions new players might have.
Plus, we have a free extensive Mixed Game Poker Guide available on Cardplayer Lifestyle, replete with a detailed listing of additional resources via which to learn all the games. Everyone is welcome to read up and do a little learning ahead of coming out to attend our events.
At the end of the day, there’s no substitute for experience. Folks just have to be willing to make the effort to learn and to practice. Quickly enough, the magic of mixed games will help you fall in love with and want to play them every chance you get.
—Robbie Strazynski
Finally, we’re grateful that our hosting venues are happily willing to spread the mixed games in the first place. All their dealers are highly trained across all the variants and help make the games enjoyable for all the players in attendance.
At the end of the day, there’s no substitute for experience. Folks just have to be willing to make the effort to learn and to practice. Quickly enough, the magic of mixed games will help you fall in love with and want to play them every chance you get.
Where do you see the Mixed Game Festival heading in the next few years? Do you plan to expand internationally or collaborate with other poker tours?
If you had told me at our first Mixed Game Festival that three years on, we’d be running our ninth one, partnering with the PokerStars NAPT and occupying a growing, beloved little niche in the poker world, that would make me positively swoon with joy!
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and I’m just so grateful that our events continue growing and attracting players to the felt. I have no intention of stopping to organize and host Mixed Game Festivals, and I’ll continue working to improve what’s on offer with each new edition.
Las Vegas has been the site of all but one festival, as that’s where it’s thus far been easiest for all the necessary elements and components to come together naturally and offer players the best possible festival experience.
I certainly hope to be able to “take the show on the road” to other destinations around the US and the rest of the world. Slowly, but surely, I believe we’ll get there.
Support Mixed Games by Supporting the Mixed Game Festival
I’ve known Robbie for several years, and I was working with him at PokerUpdate when he decided to make Cardplayer LifeStyle his career. What he’s been able to accomplish is remarkable and the fruits of a dedicated and driven media professional.
The success of the Mixed Game Festival is a further testament to Robbie’s dedication to poker and his love of both the game and its players. I have no doubt the series will continue to be successful.
If you enjoy mixed games or want to give them a try, the Mixed Game Festival IX is the perfect way to get your start. With low-stakes cash games, low buy-in tournaments, and fabulous prizes, it is the perfect mix of fun and value. And you never know which pros may show up to rub elbows.
Sources
1 Cardplayer Lifestyle Website: https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/
2 Mixed Game Festival IX Announcement: https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/poker-news-2/mixed-game-festival-ix-announcement/
3 Mixed Games Poker Guide: https://cardplayerlifestyle.com/poker-tips-strategy/mixed-games-poker-guide-an-overview/
