Introducing The Melbourne Mix
February 3–8, 2026 · PlayLive Melbourne
Melbourne, it’s time to stop pretending two-card poker is the whole story.
From Tuesday 3 February to Sunday 8 February 2026, Mixed Games Academy is taking over PlayLive Melbourne for a full week of proper poker: rotations, draw, stud, split pots, dealer’s choice, bounties and a 10K H.O.R.S.E. Championship to crown it all.
Welcome to The Melbourne Mix. Nine events plus a H.O.R.S.E. satellite. Countless decisions. One beautiful excuse to live at the table for six days.
When & where
Dates: Tuesday 3 February – Sunday 8 February 2026
Venue: PlayLive Melbourne
Host: Mixed Games Academy (MGA)
Format: Full mixed-game festival with structured events, not side-show gimmicks
The full 16-page booklet is now live, including every blind level, structure and tournament term you could possibly want. This blog is your guided tour.
The schedule at a glance
Here’s how the week plays out:
Tuesday 3 February – Warm-up with a bang
12 pm · H.O.R.S.E. Milestone Satellite – $1,150
Your shot at the $10K H.O.R.S.E. Championship for a fraction of the price. Milestone format, 50k starting stack, 20-minute levels and a clean, classic H.O.R.S.E. rotation. Packages and payouts are finalised once reg closes, with roughly 1 in 10 earning their seat into the big one.
6:15 pm · The Octagon – 8 Game Mix – $650
2-7 Triple Draw, Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud, Razz, Stud Hi/Lo, NLH and PLO in a single rotation. Fixed-limit in the mixed games, big-bet blinds for NLH/PLO, 50k starting stack, 20-minute levels. Think of it as your full-series diagnostic: this event will tell you exactly where the leaks are.
Wednesday 4 February – H.O.R.S.E. day
12 pm · 10K H.O.R.S.E. Championship – Day 1 – $10,500
This is the crown jewel. A $10,000 + $500 H.O.R.S.E. with a 200k starting stack and 40-minute levels on Day 1, stretching to 60 minutes on Day 2. Single re-entry available through the end of Level 9. This is where mixed-game resumes get printed.
6:15 pm · The Shetland Pony – Mini H.O.R.S.E. – $650
Same rotation, slightly smaller buy-in, still a proper structure. 50k stack, 20-minute levels, and a chance for players with more modest bankrolls to experience the full H.O.R.S.E. ride.
Thursday 5 February – Pure degeneracy
12 pm · 10K H.O.R.S.E. Championship – Day 2
Day 2 is for qualified players only. Longer levels, bigger bets, and the business end of a serious championship event.
6:15 pm · The Split Mix – Big Bet & Fixed Limit Fun Mix – $650
A playground for people who like their poker slightly unhinged in the best way. The Split Mix opens in big-bet territory (NL & PL games, including NL 2-7 Single Draw and PLO Hi/Lo) before transitioning into fixed-limit streets for the full mixed line-up. MGA’s blind rewind is on standby to ensure an average of at least 15 big bets after late reg. Translation: you actually get to play.
Friday 6 February – Main Event time
12 pm · The Main Event – 10 Game Mix – $1,500
The series centrepiece: a 10-game rotation featuring 2-7 Triple Draw, Omaha Hi/Lo, NLH, Stud, Razz, Stud Hi/Lo, NL 2-7 Single Draw, Badugi, Hold’em and PLO.
125k starting stack
Levels that extend from 20 to 24 to 30 minutes as the tournament progresses
Expectation to bag for Day 2 around ITM or final table, depending on entries
If you want one trophy photo from this series, this is probably the one.
Saturday 7 February – The creative day
2 pm · The Switch – 24+ Game Dealer’s Choice – $500
This one is for the true mixed-game nerds. A 24+ game Dealer’s Choice smorgasbord including Archie, Badeucey/Badacey family games, draw variants, Big O, Stud Razz, Stud Hi/Lo Regular, PLO, PLO8, Drawmaha, 2-7 Drawmaha and more. Six-handed, 50k start, 20-minute levels. Each chosen game runs for 6–7 hands before the next player picks from the ever-rotating menu. Once a game is picked for that orbit, it’s benched until the next.
7 pm · Drawmaha Rotation – Drawmaha & 2-7 Drawmaha – $500
Two games, infinite confusion for the unprepared. A pure Drawmaha / 2-7 Drawmaha rotation, six-handed with a clean big-bet structure. This is where people who love puzzles come to relax.
Sunday 8 February – Finale day
11 am · The Big Game – 9 Game Mix – $3,000
A one-day $3K 9-Game with a huge 300k starting stack, 30-minute levels and a rotation built for grinders who want meaningful bets without a multi-day commitment. If your idea of a good Sunday is fixed-limit streets and big-bet fireworks in equal measure, clear the calendar.
6 pm · The Hitman – Big Bet Bounty Rotation – $750
We close the series with a bounty carnival. Big-bet rotation across NL 2-7, NLH, PLO, PL 2-7 Double Draw, PLO8, Big O, NL 5-Card Draw and Drawmaha. Bounties come into play once the field hits 50% remaining, each worth $300 on top of whatever you’re doing to the prize pool. Perfect way to finish the festival: short-handed, aggressive, and absolutely not solved.
Hospitality, structures & terms (in human language)
A few important notes, minus the legal-speak:
Optional hospitality/admin fee
The “+ *” amount in each buy-in is an optional hospitality / admin component.
If you take it, you receive the full advertised starting stack plus hospitality (snacks & non-alcoholic drinks).
If you opt out, you play with 50% of the starting stack and no hospitality.
Prize pools
Prize pools are built only from the entry component of each buy-in.
For most events, MGA withholds $180 per tournament from the gross prize pool as a clearly stated operations / trophy fee. The exceptions are the $10K H.O.R.S.E. Championship and the H.O.R.S.E. Milestone Satellite, where there is no $180 withhold.
Rules & governance
All events run under TDA rules as adopted by MGA.
Where TDA and MGA differ, MGA rules win the flip.
For formats TDA doesn’t fully cover (draw, split-pot oddities, certain mixed structures), MGA house rules apply, with a focus on randomness, fairness and smart use of unseen cards.
Single ante systems
MGA uses streamlined single-ante systems for big-bet and stud variants, including big blind antes in some games and a dedicated stud ante system to keep things moving.
Conduct & decisions
Respect for staff and players isn’t optional. Penalties can escalate from missing hands to being removed from the event or series.
The Tournament Director’s decision is final, always with the integrity of the game front of mind.
For the full legal run-down, the Tournament Terms & Conditions pages in the booklet and on the MGA website have everything in black and white.
Who this series is for
The Melbourne Mix is designed for:
Mixed-game regulars who finally want a full festival programmed by someone who actually plays this stuff
Hold’em lifers who are brave enough to admit they’re bored and want to level up
Home-game heroes who run wild rotations and want to test their skills in a professional, structured environment
Anyone who enjoys thinking in ranges, counting outs in split pots, and arguing (politely) over whether that was a good draw decision
If you like your poker to be both fun and demanding, you’re in the right place.
How to get in the mix
Download the booklet and study the schedule & structures.
Lock in your dates from 3–8 February 2026.
Start brushing up on H.O.R.S.E., 8-Game, triple draw, Drawmaha and friends.
Bring a friend who still thinks poker is only NLH and let the week educate them kindly.
The Melbourne Mix is officially live.
The schedule is locked, the structures are built, the booklet is ready, and the games are waiting. Now it’s your turn to pick your events, plan your run, and come chase some trophies.
See you at PlayLive in February. Bring your A-game. And a spare brain for the Drawmaha. 🧠♠️
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