War in Iran Causes Cancellation of Mixed Game Poker Festival in Las Vegas
Mixed Game Festival XIII at Resorts World in Las Vegas, scheduled to begin next week, has been cancelled due to the conflict in Iran.
Southern Nevada is about 7,500 miles from Iran, and there isn't any military activity in Las Vegas. But the poker player who runs the popular celebration of mixed games — Robbie Strazynski — lives in Israel, a country deeply involved in the war with Iran.
Poker Event a Casualty of War
Strazynski, founder of the CardPlayerLifestyle blog, has written thousands of articles on poker. But he'd never been more disappointed to publish an article than the one he wrote on Monday. That is because the passionate mixed games player had to inform his audience of an unfortunate situation.
"I have very unfortunately had to make the decision to cancel Mixed Game Festival XIII," Strazynski wrote. "For those who don’t know, I live in Israel. As of this writing, our skies are closed 'indefinitely' due to the ongoing situation in this part of the world. British Airways cancelled my ticket almost immediately. Even our national carrier, El Al, which always flies (even during wartime), is not currently allowing people to purchase new tickets as it focuses its operations and resources on bringing citizens stranded abroad home to their families."
Strazynski told PokerNews he feels bad for the sponsors and players who love to come out and play in the festival that he's unable to make it happen this time around. He said he initially considered having someone local run the festival for him, but he's the face of the event, and it wouldn't be the same without him.
"At the end of the day, I set a type of standard and that's what the property, the sponsors, the players are expecting, and it just doesn't feel right to me when I've kind of given them, okay, this is what you kind of expect," he said.
Strazynski, who grew up in Los Angeles but moved to Israel in his teenage years, continued to explain that had he decided to have a Las Vegas local run the festival, he still would have felt pressure back home to ensure it was run to the standards the players and sponsors expect.
Mixed Game Festival has become a major event in Las Vegas for those who want to promote mixed games and play in a friendly environment among friends and fellow mixed game enthusiasts. The festival was scheduled to run from March 8-12 at Resorts World and then March 15-19. There were daily cash games and four tournaments on the itinerary.
The event often brings out some big name players and personalities, such as Poker Hall of Famers Linda Johnson and Eli Elezra, and World Series of Poker (WSOP) commentator Norman Chad, along with many of the PokerNews crew. Strazynski has hosted the festival at major Las Vegas poker rooms, such as Resorts World and Bellagio. But the next festival, due to the war in Iran, will have to wait until the host can travel to the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump coordinated a military strike on Iran on Feb. 28. The joint military operation has targeted Iranian nuclear, leadership, and military sites, and has resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian senior officials.
President Trump has told Americans that the conflict has just begun and, following the death of three U.S. soldiers, has warned that more casualties will likely occur. Strazynski is disappointed he can't host his planned poker festival, but he explained in his blog post that even if he could find a way to Las Vegas, it wouldn't be the right thing to do.
"But even if I could somehow manage to find a way out of Israel and make it to Las Vegas, the bottom line is that it would just be wrong to leave my family under these circumstances," Strazynski wrote.
Strazynski, as a longtime Israeli resident, has dealt with war. But this is the first time the passionate poker journalist has been forced to cancel his popular Mixed Game Festival.
