Recapping the Most Star-Studded Mixed Game Finals

The most star-studded mixed game finals in poker history have produced legendary champions, devastating bad beats, and prize pools exceeding $5 million. Michael Mizrachi stands alone as the only four-time Poker Players Championship winner, claiming his record-breaking fourth title in 2025 for $1,331,322, while the inaugural $100,000 Super High Roller Bowl Mixed Games that same year established the highest buy-in mixed game tournament ever played.

The World Series of Poker’s $50,000 Poker Players Championship, featuring the prestigious Chip Reese Memorial Trophy, has attracted poker’s greatest players since 2006. The tournament evolved from the original H.O.R.S.E. format (Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, Stud Hi-Lo) to an 8-game mix in 2010, briefly expanded to 10 games in 2015, and currently runs as a 9-game format. This premier event consistently draws fields of 80-110 players with prize pools ranging from $3 million to $5.4 million, creating final tables packed with Hall of Famers and bracelet winners competing for poker’s most coveted mixed-game title.

The Championship Dynasty Years

Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi’s unprecedented dominance began with his first Poker Players Championship victory in 2010 ($1,559,046), followed by titles in 2012 ($1,451,527), 2018 ($1,239,126), and his historic fourth in 2025 ($1,331,322). His 2025 victory included a commanding 15:1 chip lead in the heads-up finale against Bryn Kenney, completing the match in just 15 minutes. Mizrachi’s achievement prompted immediate Hall of Fame induction chants from the rail, solidifying his status as the greatest mixed game tournament player in history.

Brian Rast emerged as Mizrachi’s closest competitor with three PPC titles (2011, 2016, 2023), earning $1,720,328, $1,296,097, and $1,324,747 respectively. His 2023 victory featured one of the shortest heads-up battles in PPC history – just five hands against Talal Shakerchi – and led to his Poker Hall of Fame induction that same year. The only other player to win multiple championships is Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, who captured back-to-back titles in 2021 ($954,020) and 2022 ($1,449,103), the first and only player to win consecutive PPC crowns.

The tournament’s most star-studded final table occurred in 2009, featuring Hall of Famers Erik Seidel and Huck Seed alongside multiple bracelet winners Chau Giang, Ville Wahlbeck, and eventual champion David Bach. This legendary lineup engaged in an 18-hour and 44-minute marathon spanning 492 hands, including a seven-hour heads-up battle between Bach and John Hanson that remains the second-longest final table in WSOP history.

Breaking New Ground with Historic Buy-ins

March 2025 marked a watershed moment for mixed games with the inaugural $100,000 Super High Roller Bowl Mixed Games at the PokerGO Studio. Chad Eveslage conquered the 29-player field to claim $1,200,000, defeating a final table including Daniel Negreanu ($300,000 for fourth), Benny Glaser ($225,000 for fifth), and runner-up Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek ($725,000). The tournament’s $2.9 million prize pool established new benchmarks for mixed game events, with the 10-game rotation testing players across No-Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud, No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw, Limit Hold’em, Badugi, Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo, Pot-Limit Omaha, Limit 2-7 Triple Draw, and Razz.

The $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. High Roller events have consistently attracted elite fields, with Chad Eveslage’s 2025 victory earning him $883,841 and his fourth WSOP bracelet. The 150-entry field represented a record for this buy-in level, with Phil Ivey, John Hennigan, and Poker Hall of Famer David Oppenheim among those making the final table. Josh Arieh captured the 2023 edition for $711,313, adding a sixth bracelet to his collection.

The Worst Bad Beat in Poker History

The 2019 Poker Players Championship produced what Nick Schulman called “the bad beat to end all bad beats” when Bryce Yockey lost a 99.843% hand to Josh Arieh in 2-7 Triple Draw. Yockey held the second-strongest possible starting hand (occurring once in 2,548 deals) and stood pat, while Arieh needed three perfect draws with only a 0.16% chance to win. The only path to victory required Arieh to first make a straight, then draw to a perfect 7-5 low – which impossibly materialized, eliminating Yockey in fourth place for $325,989.

Phil Ivey’s 2025 PLO High Roller elimination ranks among the most brutal sequences in recent memory. Leading with 10 players remaining, Ivey lost consecutive all-ins to Michael Duek despite being a 62% favorite with a nut wrap and flush draw in the first hand, then a 66% favorite with a flopped set in the second, ultimately finishing sixth for $394,531. These devastating coolers exemplify the variance inherent in mixed game formats where skill meets fortune across multiple poker disciplines.

Emotional Triumphs and Redemption Stories

Daniel Negreanu’s 2024 PPC victory delivered one of poker’s most emotional moments, ending his 11-year WSOP bracelet drought and earning $1,178,703. Negreanu overcame near-elimination to defeat Bryce Yockey heads-up, hitting a one-outer straight flush against Yockey’s full house in a crucial pot. With over 150 fans on his rail, Negreanu channeled Rocky Balboa, shouting “Yo Adrian, we did it!” to his wife Amanda. The victory moved him to first place on the WSOP all-time money list with over $24 million in earnings.

John Hennigan’s 2014 championship represented pure redemption after finishing third in 2013. His $1,517,767 victory came after a grueling 20-hour final table spanning five days, one of the longest in WSOP history. The 2014 final also marked history when Melissa Burr became the first woman to reach a PPC final table, finishing seventh for $165,435 and breaking new ground in the male-dominated event.

Evolution of Mixed Game Formats

The transformation from H.O.R.S.E. to today’s complex mixed formats reflects poker’s continuous innovation. The original 2006-2009 H.O.R.S.E. championships established the foundation with five games, while the 2010 transition to 8-game mix added No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw, dramatically increasing strategic complexity. The 2015 experiment with 10-game format proved too ambitious, leading to declining participation and a reversion to 8-game mix until 2021’s adoption of the current 9-game rotation.

Dealer’s Choice emerged in 2014 as another revolutionary format, allowing the button player to select from over 20 poker variants for each orbit. Adam Friedman dominated this format with three consecutive $10,000 championship victories (2018, 2019, 2021), while Chad Eveslage achieved the remarkable feat of winning both the $1,500 and $10,000 Dealer’s Choice events in 2023.

Masters of the Mixed Game Universe

The mixed game specialist hierarchy features an elite group holding multiple championships across various formats. Scott Seiver’s 2024 explosion included three bracelets in one summer – the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship ($426,744), $1,500 Razz ($141,374), and $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw ($411,041) – earning him Player of the Year honors. John “Johnny World” Hennigan’s seven bracelets span from his 2002 H.O.R.S.E. victory to his 2024 Mixed Games Dealer’s Choice triumph, establishing him as one of poker’s most versatile champions.

Robert Mizrachi, Michael’s brother, captured five bracelets including the inaugural 2014 Dealer’s Choice event and the 2024 $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship ($333,045). Eli Elezra, inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2021, continues competing at 62 with five mixed game bracelets and $5.7 million in career earnings. These specialists have mastered the intricate balance required across limit and no-limit formats, draw and stud games, high and low variants.

Recent Dominance and Emerging Stars

The 2024-2025 period showcased both established champions and rising talents. Daniel Cates’ consecutive PPC victories in 2021-2022 marked the first back-to-back championships in the event’s history, with the eccentric star wearing wrestling costumes during his triumphs. Ryan Hoenig emerged as a breakthrough talent, dominating the 2025 $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship for $354,444 while leading after every day of play.

The PokerGO Tour Mixed Games Series has become a crucial proving ground, with Chino Rheem capturing multiple series championships and Daniel Negreanu adding his 10th PGT title with a Dealer’s Choice victory worth $292,500. James Obst’s remarkable run included three tournament wins in his last four cashes, capturing both a 2024 WSOP bracelet and the 2025 PGT Mixed Games finale.

Legendary Cash Game Battlegrounds

Bobby’s Room at Bellagio, officially renamed the Legends Room but still universally known by its original moniker, remains poker’s most storied cash game venue. Regular stakes of $2,000/$4,000 mixed games routinely produce million-dollar pots, with games escalating to $8,000/$16,000 when Phil Ivey joins the action. The room’s legendary participants included the late Doyle Brunson (who played until his death in May 2023), Chip Reese (considered the greatest cash game player before his 2007 passing), and current regulars like Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, and Jennifer Harman.

The most famous cash game battle occurred when Texas billionaire Andy Beal challenged “The Corporation” – a consortium of elite pros including Brunson, Ivey, Reese, and Harman. Stakes reached an unprecedented $100,000/$200,000 limit hold’em, with Beal winning $11.7 million in a single day (May 13, 2004) before Phil Ivey reclaimed $16.6 million over three days in 2006. These sessions, chronicled in Michael Craig’s “The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King,” represent the highest-stakes mixed games ever publicly documented.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Mixed Game Championships

The evolution of mixed game championships from Chip Reese’s inaugural 2006 H.O.R.S.E. victory to Michael Mizrachi’s record fourth PPC title in 2025 demonstrates poker’s progression toward increasingly complex strategic challenges. With the establishment of $100,000 buy-in mixed events, the format has reached unprecedented heights in both prestige and prize money.

These tournaments represent poker in its purest form – requiring mastery across multiple disciplines rather than specialization in a single variant. As emerging talents challenge established champions and new formats continue developing, mixed game finals remain poker’s ultimate proving ground where true all-around excellence determines champions. The combination of strategic depth, historic rivalries, and life-changing prize pools ensures these star-studded finals will continue captivating poker enthusiasts for generations to come.

About the Author

Mixed Game Masters Editorial

Published: October 21, 2025 | Categories: Tournaments & Events, Draw & Lowball

Mixed Game Masters is the premier resource for non-Hold’em poker strategy, tournament coverage, and mixed game education. Our editorial team consists of experienced players and poker historians dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich history of poker’s most challenging variants.

We provide comprehensive coverage of stud games, lowball variants, and mixed game formats, helping players of all levels improve their skills beyond traditional No-Limit Hold’em.

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