WPT Partners with Commerce Casino to Revive LA Poker Classic in 2027
WPT returns to Commerce Casino for the LA Poker Classic, with the main event set for Feb. 26-Mar. 3, 2027 and full series Jan. 15-Mar. 7. The partnership follows a drop to 50 entrants this year from 490 in the prior WPT edition. It targets revival of a freezeout event with $1M+ top prizes in its history.
SCCG Take — This move leverages WPT branding to rebuild field sizes and purses at a key California venue, offering operators a model for reviving post-COVID live poker assets without regulatory expansion.
The World Poker Tour is returning to Commerce Casino in Los Angeles for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The historic $10,000 buy-in LA Poker Classic, which attracted just 50 entrants in its latest non-WPT edition, will operate under a new partnership with the tour. The 2026 WPT LA Poker Classic Championship will take place Feb. 26 to March 3, 2027, with the full series running January 15 through March 7.
WPT CEO Adam Pliska highlighted the event’s significance. “The LAPC holds an incredibly important place in the history of the World Poker Tour,” Pliska said. “Our partnership with The Commerce Hotel & Casino helped create countless memorable moments over the years, and we are proud to return in Season 25 and build upon that remarkable legacy together.”
Legacy and Results Under Prior WPT Branding
The LA Poker Classic is rare in modern poker as a freezeout event. Balakrishna Patur claimed the last WPT edition in May 2021, earning $1,015,000 after a 490-entrant field that required more than a year to conclude its final table due to pandemic delays. That total stands in contrast to Alex Massman winning it in 2026 for $158,030, a typical sixth-place finish during the WPT LAPC days.
Under WPT assistance, first-place prizes routinely exceeded $1 million. None have topped $402,000 since the tour last hosted the event. The LA Poker Classic formed part of the WPT schedule across its initial 18 years, with early winners including Gus Hansen in 2003, Phil Ivey, and Michael Mizrachi. According to reporting by PokerNews, the WPT branding drove both larger fields and higher payouts during that span.
What the Partnership Signals for Live Tournament Circuits
The return aligns the WPT’s brand strength with an iconic but diminished West Coast event. Exact details of the full series schedule remain pending. How participation responds to the WPT overlay will determine whether the collaboration restores the scale last seen in 2021 or marks a more measured reset for legacy live stops.
Reporting: PokerNews
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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