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The World Poker Tour is returning to Commerce Casino in Los Angeles to relaunch its partnership with the LA Poker Classic, a tournament that has struggled since losing WPT branding after the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s edition of the $10,000 buy-in event drew only 50 entrants, a steep decline from its glory days.
The 2026 WPT LA Poker Classic Championship is scheduled for Feb. 26 through March 3, 2027. Commerce Casino will also host a broader WPT LAPC series running from Jan. 15 to March 7, though full details of that schedule have not yet been announced.
WPT CEO Adam Pliska emphasized the tournament’s historical significance to the tour, noting that the partnership with Commerce produced many memorable moments over the years and expressing pride in returning for Season 25.
The LAPC is notable for remaining a freezeout format, a rarity in today’s tournament landscape. Balakrishna Patur was the last champion under WPT’s banner, winning $1,015,000 in May 2021 after defeating Matas Cimbolas heads-up. That final table was delayed over a year due to the pandemic, with play originally set to conclude in Las Vegas before rescheduling issues intervened.
Patur’s win came from a field of 490 players, nearly ten times the size of this year’s edition. Alex Massman won the 2026 non-WPT event for $158,030, an amount comparable to a sixth-place finish in past WPT-run years.
Since the WPT departed, no champion has earned more than $402,000, a stark contrast to previous years when winners often topped $1 million. The LAPC was part of the WPT schedule for its first 18 seasons, with champions including Phil Ivey, Michael Mizrachi, and inaugural winner Gus Hansen in 2003.
