On Saturday, the televised Main Event of the L.A. Poker Classic will kick off from the Commerce Casino in the West Coast city. The $10,000 buy-in tournament will air as part of the seventh season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on Fox Sports Net and names a winner on February 26th.
The L.A. Poker Classic will start at High Noon on Saturday. It’s actually the 35th event of the tournament series, which began on January 22nd. Already throwing their hats into the ring in Los Angeles are several of poker’s top players, including Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu, Allen Cunningham, Todd Brunson, Erik Seidel, 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event Champion John Juanda, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Joe Hachem, and Scotty Nguyen. The tournament has been a staple of the WPT schedule and is one of the only events to be held in each of its seven seasons.
The 2003 L.A. Poker Classic, which aired as part of the first WPT season, was won by the “Great Dane,” Gus Hansen. The field was comparatively small by today’s standards, boasting just 136 entrants and a $1.3 million prize pool. Hansen took full advantage of his poker skills and logged his second Season I WPT win; the other came at the Bellagio in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $556,000. Also at the Commerce Casino final table that year were Andy Bloch, David “The Dragon” Pham, and casino mogul Bob Stupak.
Season II at the L.A. Poker Classic saw “The Magician” Antonio Esfandiari best the 382 player field, triple the turnout from Season I. Esfandiari logged his first (and only) WPT win for $1.4 million. He defeated Vinny Vinh heads-up in a star-studded final table that also included Bill Gazes, Adam Schoenfeld, and David Benyamine.
Another household name took down the marquee tournament during Season III. Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi blazed through 537 opponents en route to $1.8 million, or three and a half times the payday of Hansen in Season I. He was joined at the final table by Ted Forrest and Erick Lindgren. The latter won a pair of events during the previous season (the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic and PartyPoker Million).
The Season IV edition of the L.A. Poker Classic, which took place in 2006, saw Alan Goehring triumph over the nearly 700 player field. It marked Goehring’s second WPT title, having also taken down the prestigious WPT Championship during Season I for $1 million. Season V World Poker Challenge winner J.C. Tran was also at the final table at the Commerce Casino, taking fifth place.
During Season V, Tran was back in the spotlight, this time finishing second at the L.A. Poker Classic to Eric Hershler, who bested the nearly 800 player field for $2.4 million. The runner up in the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, Paul Wasicka, also reached the final table and finished fourth. Behind him was high-stakes cash game guru and Full Tilt Poker pro Chau Giang.
Last year’s L.A. Poker Classic was one for the ages. Fan favorite Phil Ivey emerged victorious from the 665 player field, winning $1.6 million. Heads-up, he defeated WSOP bracelet winner and Asian Poker Tour ambassador Quinn Do. Also at the final table were Nam Le, 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, and “November Nine” member Scott Montgomery.
Matt Savage, the Tournament Director for the event, commented in a press release, “The L.A. Poker Classic is a proving ground for those who are ready for the spotlight. All you have to do is look at past winners Antonio Esfandiari and Michael Mizrachi. For every Phil Ivey that wins the LAPC, there’s another up-and-comer who starts his legacy here.”
The WPT Celebrity Invitational immediately follows the L.A. Poker Classic from the Commerce Casino. Educational assistance charity The Vine Group will be the beneficiaries of the tournament that has previously featured such stars as Vince Vaughn, Paris Hilton, Mekhi Phifer, Don Cheadle, and Jennifer Tilly.
