Mercier Gets First Tournament Win in 4 Years at PGT Mixed Games Festival
Jason Mercier hadn't ever played inside the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas when he registered this week's $25,500 10-Game Championship as part of the inaugural PokerGO Tour (PGT) Mixed Games festival. The Florida poker legend made it a debut to remember as he took down the event for $367,500 after a heads-up deal with Daniel Zack.
The victory brings Mercier up to $20.5 million in Hendon Mob earnings and gives him his first tournament victory since August 2019, when he took down the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $50,000 Super High Roller for $715,860.
Many of the best mixed game players in the world have spent the beginning of February inside the PokerGO Studio competing in the inaugural PGT Mixed Games festival, which got underway on Feb. 4 and consisted of eight mixed game events involving poker variants like H.O.R.S.E., 8 Game and Dealer's Choice.
Several established mixed game specialists proved their chops and scored titles, including Shaun Deeb, who started off the series by taking down Event #1: $10,300 H.O.R.S.E. for $208,800, as well as John Monnette, who won Event #2: $10,300 8-Game for $211,200.
Other players who earned mixed game titles this month include Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra (Event #3: $10,300 Triple Stud Mix - $155,000), Nick Guagenti (Event #5: $10,300 Triple Draw Mix - $171,075) and Scott Abrams (Event #6: $10,300 Dealer's Choice - $179,200).
Mercier took down the $25,500 10-Game Championship the series after getting through a field of 57 runners that included David "ODB" Baker, Jeremy Ausmus, Daniel Negreanu and recent PokerStars Players Championship fourth-place finisher Nacho Barbero, all of whom made deep runs in the event.
"This tournament was so much fun to play," Mercier told PokerGO after the victory. "It was my first time in the PokerGO Studio. I felt good playing. I played cash for two days before coming here, so I felt like my mixed games were oiled up and ready to go. I played well. I was never all in except for one time in no-limit deuce where I had the guy dead. That was the only time I was all in and at risk during the whole tournament, so I feel like I played really well, ran well, and am super happy to get the W and nice payday."
PGT Mixed Games $25,500 10-Game Championship Full Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | COUNTRY | PRIZE (IN USD) | PGT POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jason Mercier | United States | $367,500* | 257 |
| 2nd | Daniel Zack | United States | $345,000* | 171 |
| 3rd | David "ODB" Baker | United States | $199,500 | 120 |
| 4th | Maxx Coleman | United States | $142,500 | 86 |
| 5th | Jeremy Ausmus | United States | $114,000 | 68 |
| 6th | Daniel Negreanu | Canada | $85,500 | 51 |
| 7th | Andrew Kelsall | United States | $71,250 | 43 |
| 8th | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | $57,000 | 34 |
| 9th | Mike Wattel | United States | $42,750 | 26 |
*Denotes heads-up deal
Listen to Jason Mercier on the PokerNews Podcast!
Mixed Game Royalty
There were surely no easy table draws as dozens of the world's best mixed game players battled it out on the PokerGO felt, including Adam Friedman, Steve Zolotow and Phil Hellmuth, according to PokerGO live updates.
Deeb is no stranger to mixed game success as four of his five World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets were earned in mixed events, including a victory in 2016's Event #49: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud for $111,101 and most recently a win 2021's Event #53: High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed) for $1.3 million.
The same in true of Monnette, a mixed game cash specialist who has four bracelets from mixed events including 2017's Event #22: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship ($256,610) and 2021's Event #16: Limit Hold'em Championship ($245,680).
Elezra won his fifth WSOP bracelet last summer bracelet in Event #63: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship and showed he could handle other formats as he took down the PokerGO Triple Stud Mix event. Elezra struck a heads-up deal with Yuval Bronshtein, who crushes Florida mixed games and holds a half dozen Seminole Hard Rock Poker mixed game titles.
Read about Eli Elezra's fifth bracelet victory!
Like Deeb, four of Mercier's five WSOP bracelets were won in mixed game events, including the 2016 Event #24: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $422,874 and the Event #16: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship the same year for $273,335.
There were also some entertaining side bets at play as Deeb bet "Crazy" Mike Thorpe 100:1 that Thorpe wouldn't win the Triple Draw Mix event. It ended up being a sweat as Thorpe made the final table but bowed out in third place before Guagenti and Alex Livingston struck a heads-up deal.
In Event #8: $5,300 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw, the final event of the series, PokerGO founder and recent PokerGO cup champion Cary Katz walked away with the trophy and $83,200 after defeating Johannes Becker during heads-up play.
One event still needs to play out as Ben Lamb and Maxx Coleman have their heads-up match in Event #4: $10,300 Big Bet Mix on pause and will return to play it out on Feb. 13.
Despite not picking up any victories, Zack earned 352 points to make him the PGT Mixed Games Series overall winner ahead of Monnette (316 points), Guagenti (290 points), Baker (268 points) and Mercier (257 points).
A full list of winners at the inaugural PGT Mixed Games festival is available in the table below.
PGT Mixed Games Festival Winners
| DATE | EVENT | ENTRIES | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 5 | Event #1: $10,300 H.O.R.S.E. | 87 | $870,000 | Shaun Deeb | $208,800 | |
| Feb. 6 | Event #2: $10,300 8-Game | 88 | $880,000 | John Monnette | $211,200 | |
| Feb. 7 | Event #3: $10,300 Triple Stud Mix | 60 | $600,000 | Eli Elezra | $155,000* | |
| Feb. 8 | Event #4: $10,300 Big Bet Mix | 69 | $690,000 | TBD | $186,300 | |
| Feb. 9 | Event #5: $10,300 Triple Draw Mix | 69 | $690,000 | Nick Guagenti | $171,075 | |
| Feb. 10 | Event #6: $10,300 Dealer's Choice | 56 | $560,000 | Scott Abrams | $179,200 | |
| Feb. 11 | Event #7: $25,500 10-Game Championship | 57 | $1,425,000 | Jason Mercier | $367,500* | |
| Feb. 12 | Event #8: $5,300 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw | 44 | $220,000 | Cary Katz | $83,200 |
*Denotes final table deal
Lead image courtesy of PokerGO
