WPT LAPC returns to Los Angeles | Commerce returns in 2027, $10,000 Main Event revives the classic.

On September 28, 2026, the World Poker Tour (WPT) officially announced its renewed partnership with The Commerce Casino & Hotel in Los Angeles, with the classic LA Poker Classic (LAPC) set to return to the WPT schedule in 2027. The full WPT LAPC series is scheduled to run from January 15 to March 7, 2027, while the highlight $10,000 WPT LAPC Championship will be held from February 26 to March 3.

This will be the first time the WPT has partnered with Commerce again to host this historic Los Angeles Main Event since the COVID-19 pandemic. For the LAPC, whose participation has declined significantly in recent years, the return of the WPT brand brings this once-representative high-stakes North American tournament back into the market spotlight.

WPT re-partners with Commerce, LAPC joins Season 25

According to official information released by WPT, the buy-in for the 2027 WPT LAPC Championship will remain at $10,000, and will adopt...FreezeoutThe competition format means that once a player is eliminated, they cannot re-enter the competition.

Commerce also plans to give away hundreds of $10,000 WPT LAPC Championship slots through a series of events, prizes, and satellite tournaments. The full schedule and further details on how to qualify for the LAPC series have not yet been announced.

In an official statement, WPT CEO Adam Pliska said that LAPC holds an important place in the history of the World Poker Tour, and that WPT's past partnership with Commerce has created many important moments, which will continue in Season 25.

LAPC appeared on the WPT schedule for 18 consecutive seasons.

The history of LA Poker Classic and WPT dates back to the inception of the tour.

The LAPC was featured every year for the first 18 seasons of the WPT, making it one of the most iconic regular events in the early days of the tour. In 2003, Gus “The Great Dane” Hansen won the inaugural WPT LAPC title, and subsequently, world-class players including Antonio Esfandiari, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Phil Ivey, and Chris Moorman all won the championship in Commerce.

The names of these champions were also engraved on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup, making LAPC one of the most recognizable championship tournaments in WPT history.

Balakrishna Patur is the previous WPT LAPC champion.

The last time WPT and LAPC partnered on a main event was in 2020.

The $10,000 main event attracted 490 participants. The tournament reached its final six in Los Angeles in March 2020. The final table was originally scheduled to be held in Las Vegas a month later, but due to the pandemic, the final was postponed for more than a year.

The final table wasn't completed until May 2021. Balakrishna Patur ultimately defeated Matas Cimbolas heads-up to win the $1,015,000 first-place prize, becoming the most recent WPT LAPC Championship winner.

During the WPT partnership, the LAPC champion prize money exceeded $1 million multiple times. PokerNews statistics show that in the four WPT LAPC events from 2017 to 2020, the champion prize money reached or exceeded $1 million.

The number of participants has continued to decline since leaving the WPT.

After the pandemic, the LA Poker Classic continued to be held, but it was no longer branded as WPT, and the scale of the main event was significantly smaller than before.

The main event attracted only 69 participants in 2021, rebounded to 119 in 2022, and reached 181 in 2023, but then declined again. There were 139 participants in 2024, 145 in 2025, and only 50 in 2026, setting a new low in the event's history.

2026 champion Alex Massman ultimately won $158,030. In comparison, the 2020 WPT had nearly ten times the number of participants (490) compared to 2026, with the champion receiving over $1 million.

Results of the last ten LA Poker Classic Main Events

*2017 to 2020 are the years of WPT cooperation.

The data clearly shows that during the WPT era, the number of participants in the last four editions was close to or exceeded 500, and the prize money for the champion remained above $1 million. After the WPT was withdrawn from the schedule, the number of participants and the highest prize money for the LAPC Main Event both changed significantly.

2027 WPT LAPC Tournament Information

The 2027 WPT LAPC Festival will be held on [date to be inserted].January 15 to March 7The location remains The Commerce Casino & Hotel in Los Angeles.

The focus will be on the WPT LAPC Championship.February 26 to March 3To proceed, buy for$10,000,PickFreezeoutCompetition format. Commerce also confirmed that it will give away hundreds of main event slots through satellite tournaments, promotions and other activities.

The Commerce Casino & Hotel, which has been operating since 1983, currently boasts over 320 poker tables and is described by the WPT as one of the world's largest poker rooms. This Los Angeles poker landmark has also long been inextricably linked to the history of the LAPC.

With the return of the WPT, the size of the competition has become the biggest indicator to observe.

From Gus Hansen's first championship win in 2003 to the subsequent victories by renowned players such as Phil Ivey, Michael Mizrachi, and Chris Moorman, the LAPC was once one of the most representative American events in the WPT's annual schedule.

With the WPT now back in Commerce for Season 25, the primary focus for 2027 will be whether the $10,000 Main Event can once again attract top pro players and a wider field of entries.

WPT and Commerce have not yet released further information regarding the full series schedule and the main event's guaranteed prize pool. With the series kicking off on January 15, 2027, approaching, satellite tournament arrangements, the full side event schedule, and the participating lineups will be the focus of attention in the next phase.

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