All the tournaments that are part of the Mixed Poker Championship are, as expected, a Mix of Multiple Game Variants. If you are ever unsure about what game you are currently playing there will be plaques on the table that show the name of the current game of the rotation. If in doubt you can always ask the dealer and maybe some friendly table mates will help you out too.

In all the tournaments available the game will change based on a certain number of hands. This will usually be the equivalent to playing 1 orbit at a full table (6 or 7 hands; tournament dependant). Dealers will have tokens that they use to count the number of hands that have been played of the game so far. You can always check these to see how many hands you may have left of the game. Dealers will also let you know when there is a change of game and turn the plaques to the new game accordingly.

In variants that use a dealer button action will proceed starting from the left of the dealer with the button being the last person to take action. This is the same for every street with the exception of pre-flop/pre-draw where the big blind will be last to act.
In stud variants (Razz, Stud, Stud Hi/Lo) it is the person with the best face up hand for that game that will act first across the streets. This means that in Stud and Stud Hi/Lo it is the strongest board (the face up cards) that acts first whereas in Razz it is the lowest board that acts first.

There is an exception to this and that would be at the very opening of the hand otherwise known as 3rd Street, where the first player to act is known as the Bring-In; which leads to…

In the stud variants there is a forced bet known as the Bring-In. The Bring-In will be the first player to act after the initial deal and is based on the players card that is face-up. The person who has to act first via Bringing In (or completing/raising) will be the player with the ‘worst’ face up card. In Razz this will be the highest-ranking card visible e.g. King, In Stud and Stud Hi/Lo this is the lowest-ranking card visible e.g. 2

When there are multiple face up cards of the same value; Bring-In is determined by suit. The order of the suits from best to worst is: Spades -> Hearts -> Diamonds -> Clubs

There are some games where there is no button in play (the stud variants) and when this is the case you may be asked to hold the button, to denote the fact that it is not in play. It will remain in position in the given seat for the duration of that game. When the game is switched to one that requires a button, it will be brought forward again and move clockwise around the table as expected.

Mixed games operate the same way as any other live poker tournament. There will be screens around the floor that indicate what Level you are on, what the blinds are, how much time there is left etc… You can always check these screens to see what your current blinds and limits are. The dealers will also be able to inform you.

For games that are played in fixed Limit you place your bets in limit increments. There are 2 different limit increments known as the small bet and the big bet. If you need an indication of whether you are on a small betting street or a big betting street, you can look at the number of burn cards that there are in the middle of the table. Two or more burn cards and you are on a big bet street; this works for every game variant!

In some games you will be dealt as many as 5 cards! to look at and remember. Some people may struggle to look at all these cards in one go or even remember their entire holding whilst they are mid hand. You may wish to look at the cards as they are dealt to you, peel them all at once, look at them 2 or 3 at a time. Whichever way you choose it is fine! Just make sure you always protect your hand from being visible to your opponents. And don’t worry about looking at your card’s multiple times in hand. We’ve all been there and done that, sometimes you just forget what you were dealt, misremember one card or just want to double check your hand before taking your action. You are allowed to do so and rather check twice than make a costly decision!

There are some poker variants known as draw games where you can swap any number of cards in your hand and receive new cards. If you are unsure about how many drawing rounds there are it will often be given in the variant name, or you can ask the dealer to clarify. Drawing rounds happen in between betting rounds. Players will take turns (from left of the button clockwise) announcing how many cards they wish to switch; once all the players have made their decision of how many cards to swap, the dealer will proceed to muck your discarded cards and give you your new ones. If you do not wish to draw any cards you can say so, or an action like tapping the table, signalling none with your hand gesture will indicate so and action will move on. This is known as standing pat. A card is burned for every drawing round, so if you need to know how many draws there might be left, you can look at the burn cards in the middle of the table.

If you are new to mixed games (and sometimes even if you’ve been playing for a while) it can sometimes be difficult to quickly see or figure out who has won the hand at showdown; particularly in split pot games (Stud Hi/Lo, Omaha Hi/Lo, Badacey, Badeucy etc…). When you have navigated your way to showdown and the cards are revealed and you’re not sure who wins the pot, you can ask the dealer to clarify; they will be able to tell you what your best hand is, for both parts of the pot if necessary, and let you know which hand won in this situation.

Now if you think all of this is going to be difficult to remember do not fret. The dealers at the tables will always be able to help answer any queries you may have if you are unsure of what the process is or whose turn it is to act. They will be able to help with all of the questions posed here and will be able to remind you to post your antes/blinds or if its your turn. Don’t be afraid to ask about the things you don’t know or understand and remember always treat your dealers with respect!