Share 
Some of poker’s biggest names have made their mark by winning the WPT LA Poker Classic (LAPC). Finally, after a seven-year absence, one of the World Poker Tour’s premier events is back on the schedule.
The historic partnership is alive once again as the $10,000 buy-in LAPC will run under the World Poker Tour brand for the first time since 2020, just prior to the COVID pandemic. The tournament actually played down to six players but required 14 months for the final table to take place due to COVID.
The $10,000 2027 WPT LA Poker Classic Championship will take place February 26 to March 3 at the Commerce Casino. The Commerce will also host a series that will last nearly 2 months from January 15 to March 7.
“The LAPC holds an incredibly important place in the history of the World Poker Tour, ” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “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.”
What makes the LA Poker Classic so prestigious in the modern day is that, like the WSOP Main Event, it’s a freezeout. However, since the World Poker Tour left town, there has been no guarantee placed on the event. Furthermore, the prestige factor decreased heavily, with last year’s version only attracting 50 entries – far less than the record-setting 791-entry field in 2010. That year’s version was won by Eric Hershler, who took home a whopping $2,430,000 after beating JC Tran in heads-up play.
At the time, the LAPC was one of the charter members of the WPT, surviving all of the first 18 seasons of the World Poker Tour. It generated some of the biggest prize pools in the world, along with some of the top prizes long before high-roller series like Triton and the PokerGO Tour.
At the time, the LAPC was one of the charter members of the WPT, surviving all of the first 18 seasons of the World Poker Tour. It generated some of the biggest prize pools in the world, matching the massive player interest seen across major online casinos in the US and top live poker venues, long before high-roller series like Triton and the PokerGO Tour.
The legendary Gus Hansen won the first-ever LAPC, with “The Magician” Antonio Esfandiari taking it down the following year. Michael Mizrachi’s LAPC title put him on the map after he won the $1.86 million top prize.
Phil Ivey, Chris Moorman, Anthony Zinno, Dietrich Fast, Daniel Strelitz, and David “ODB” Baker have all won WPT LAPC titles, adding to the incredible lore this tournament provides.
$10,000 Los Angeles Poker Classic Championship History
| Year | Winner | Entries | Prize |
| 2003 | Gus Hansen | 136 | $507,190 |
| 2004 | Antonio Esfandiari | 382 | $1,400,000 |
| 2005 | Michael Mizrachi | 538 | $1,860,000 |
| 2006 | Alen Goehring | 692 | $2,392,000 |
| 2007 | Eric Hershler | 791 | $2,430,000 |
| 2008 | Phil Ivey | 665 | $1,596,000 |
| 2009 | Cornel Cimpan | 696 | $1,687,000 |
| 2010 | Andras Koroknai | 745 | $1,788,000 |
| 2011 | Gregory Brooks | 681 | $1,654,000 |
| 2012 | Sean Jazayeri | 549 | $1,370,000 |
| 2013 | Paul Klann | 517 | $1,004,000 |
| 2014 | Chris Moorman | 534 | $1,015,000 |
| 2015 | Anthony Zinno | 538 | $1,016,000 |
| 2016 | Dietrich Fast | 515 | $1,000,000 |
| 2017 | Daniel Strelitz | 521 | $1,001,110 |
| 2018 | Dennis Blieden | 493 | $1,000,000 |
| 2019 | David “ODB” Baker | 546 | $1,015,000 |
| 2020 | Balakrishna Patur | 490 | $1,015,000 |
| 2021* | Michael Liang | 69 | $175,300 |
| 2022* | Huy Lam | 119 | $300,280 |
| 2023* | Alex Petrosian | 181 | $401,650 |
| 2024* | Wesley Haymond | 139 | $279,450 |
| 2025* | Michael Nia | 145 | $308,270 |
| 2026* | Alex Massman | 50 | $158,030 |
