Results & Blog

Melbourne Mix 2026 is loading… and the satellites start now ♠️

January 13, 2026 Shannon VDB
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MGA Events, The Melbourne Mix

If you’ve been waiting for a clean runway into the $10K H.O.R.S.E. Championship, this is it. January is Satellite Season, built in the Cruise Pool format (two buy-in tiers, one field, two prize pools), and it rolls straight into The Melbourne Mix at PlayLive from 3–8 Feb 2026.

January: Milestone Satellites (Cruise Pool

Same tournament. Same stack. Same structure. Same opponents.
Pick your deck:

  • Wed 14 Jan, 6:15pm – H.O.R.S.E.

  • Sun 18 Jan, 2:00pm – Triple Stud

  • Wed 21 Jan, 6:15pm – 2-7 Triple Draw

  • Sun 25 Jan, 2:00pm – Omaha 8 & Stud 8

  • Wed 28 Jan, 6:15pm – Drawmaha (5CD / 5 Card Omaha split)

Cruise Pool buy-ins

  • Main Deck: $280 ($230 + $50 fee)

  • Upper Deck: $580 ($530 + $50 fee)

Milestone payouts: think “level-up poker”. You’re aiming to accumulate 5x starting stack.
And payouts are based on 1 in 5:

  • Main Deck: 1 in 5 get a $1,150 Golden Ticket to the $10K H.O.R.S.E. Satty (Tue 3 Feb, 12pm)

  • Upper Deck: 1 in 5 get the Golden Ticket + a $1,500 MGA Passport (credit usable across Melbourne Mix buy-ins)

PlayLive’s optional admin/hospitality (yes, it’s real)

No other operator in the country offers this properly.
If you opt out at rego, you get:

  • 50% of the advertised start stack

  • no hospitality (food/snacks/non-alcoholic drinks)

It’s transparent, player-choice driven, and it keeps the structure honest. Love it.

milestone cruise pool explained
HORSE Structure milestone
Triple Stud structure
2-7 TD
O8 _ stud 8 structure
Drawmaha structure

The Melbourne Mix (Feb 3–8) at a glance

You’ll see the full structures in the graphics (click here), but here’s the spine:

Tue Feb 3

  • 12pm: H.O.R.S.E. Milestone Satellite $1,150 (1,050+100)

  • 6:15pm: The Octagon (8-Game Mix) $650 (540+110)

Wed Feb 4

  • 12pm: $10K H.O.R.S.E. Championship Day 1 $10,500 (10,000+500)

  • 6:15pm: The Shetland Pony (Mini H.O.R.S.E.) $650 (540+110)

Thu Feb 5

  • 6:15pm: The Split Mix $650 (540+110)

Fri Feb 6

  • 12pm: Main Event (10-Game Mix) $1,500 (1,300+200)

Sat Feb 7

  • 2pm: The Switch (24+ Game Dealer’s Choice) $500 (400+100)

  • 7pm: Drawmaha Rotation $500 (400+100)

Sun Feb 8

  • 11am: The Big Game (9-Game Mix, 1 Day 3K) $3,000 (2,800+200)

  • 6pm: The Hitman (Big Bet Bounty Rotation) $750 (500 +150 bounty +100 fee)

Schedule 2
HORSE Satty
The Octagon
10k HORSE
Mini HORSE
The Split Mix
The Main Event
Dealers Choice
Drawmaha Rotation
The Big Game
The Hitman

You’ll notice the schedule lists buy-ins, not the admin split. That’s not us “hiding” anything, it’s us keeping the schedule readable for humans. The admin is standard, published, and shown on the structure sheets (and at the desk) because that’s where the details live. The schedule is a map, not the tax return.

Single-ante system (because we’re not here to waste hands)

Stud games use a single-ante system: one player posts the ante each hand.
It speeds the game up, keeps pots moving, and reduces the “everyone antes, nobody plays” dead zone.

And yes, this is what “specialists” looks like. We’ve forgotten more about mixed structures than most rooms have ever had to learn. 😇

Admin maths, the honest version (plus the “pub maths” version)

Here are three simple metrics you can share without starting a Facebook civil war:

  • ETR (Effective Take Rate) = Fee ÷ Total buy-in

  • PPH (Player Pool Hit) = (Money back to players ÷ Total buy-in)

  • FPR (Fee-to-Prize Ratio) = Fee ÷ Prize Pool (the misleading one some people insist on using)

Cruise Pool example (Satellites)

  • Main Deck ($230+$50): ETR 17.86% | PPH 82.14% | FPR 21.74%

  • Upper Deck ($530+$50): ETR 8.62% | PPH 91.38% | FPR 9.43%

Melbourne Mix events (ETR | PPH | FPR)

  • $650 events (540+110): 16.92% | 83.08% | 20.37%

  • Main Event $1,500 (1,300+200): 13.33% | 86.67% | 15.38%

  • Dealer’s Choice $500 (400+100): 20.00% | 80.00% | 25.00%

  • Drawmaha Rotation $500 (400+100): 20.00% | 80.00% | 25.00%

  • Big Game $3,000 (2,800+200): 6.67% | 93.33% | 7.14%

  • Hitman $750 (500+150 bounty +100 fee): ETR 13.33% | PPH 86.67% (incl bounty pool) | FPR 15.38% (fee ÷ prize pool + bounty pool)

  • H.O.R.S.E. Satty $1,150 (1,050+100): 8.70% | 91.30% | 9.52%

  • 10K H.O.R.S.E. $10,500 (10,000+500): 4.76% | 95.24% | 5.00%

  • 10K H.O.R.S.E. re-entry $10,250 (10,000+250): 2.44% | 97.56% | 2.50%

Trophy Contribution + Cock of the Walk 🏆👑😈

Quick housekeeping, before the maths police arrive.

For every Melbourne Mix event except the Satellites and the $10K H.O.R.S.E. Championship, there’s a flat $180 Trophy Contribution deducted from the total prize pool.

It’s $180 once per event (not per entry, not per bullet, not “$180 each”… breathe).

Why? Because trophies and series polish don’t appear by magic, and I’d rather give you a proper Melbourne Mix experience than a laminated certificate and a handshake.

And for the record: the Cock of the Walk (Player of the Series) is being thrown in by yours truly. No deduction. No fine print. Just me, paying for the privilege of watching you lot fight over it.
You’re welcome. 😌👑

Quick closer

If you want a seat in the biggest H.O.R.S.E. buy-in Australia’s ever run, you don’t have to free-roll your bankroll into it. Win your way in, one milestone at a time.
See you at PlayLive. Bring a hoodie. Bring patience. Bring range. 🐎♠️

MGA Events
MGA Events

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