LAPC Main Event’s fall from grace as just 50 entries take on poker classic
The L.A. Poker Classic Main Event used to be a prestigious event won for millions of dollars but its recent slide saw just 50 players take part in Los Angeles this week
Former winners of the Los Angeles Poker Classic (LAPC) Main Event include David ‘ODB’ Baker, Daniel Strelitz and Dennis Blieden, all of whom won over a million dollars for taking down the million-plus top prize tournament.
In recent years, total entries of around 500 have plummeted, and this week just 50 entries completed the field in the $5,000-entry event, meaning a top prize of $158,030 is being competed for in the City of Angels.
The L.A. Poker Classic Main Event has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for top pros, with many big names wining since its inception in 1993. Back then, the event took place at the Parkwest Bicycle Casino, otherwise known as ‘The Bike’. Won by John Esposito for $101,500, the event had just 45, only five fewer than it did this week.
Here is how the LAPC Main Event has developed over the years, with its rise under the banner of the World Poker Tour and fall thereafter plain to see.
L.A. Poker Classic Main Event Attendances (WPT Events in Bold)
| Year | Buy-In | Winner | Top Prize | Total Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | $5,000 | John Esposito | $101,500 | 45 |
| 1996 | $5,000 | Jamie Ligator | $102,250 | 41 |
| 2000 | $2,500 | Johnny Chan | $90,000* | 107 |
| 2001 | $5,000 | Young Phan | $186,850 | 101 |
| 2002 | $7,000 | Meng La | $380,000 | 133 |
| 2003 | $10,000 | Gus Hansen | $532,490 | 136 |
| 2004 | $10,000 | Antonio Esfandiari | $1,399,135 | 382 |
| 2005 | $10,000 | Michael Mizrachi | $1,859,909 | 538 |
| 2006 | $10,000 | Alan Goehring | $2,391,550 | 692 |
| 2007 | $10,000 | Eric Hershler | $2,429,970 | 791 |
| 2008 | $10,000 | Phil Ivey | $1,596,100 | 665 |
| 2009 | $10,000 | Cornel Cimpan | $1,686,760 | 696 |
| 2010 | $10,000 | Andras Koroknai | $1,788,040 | 745 |
| 2011 | $10,000 | Gregory Brooks | $1,654,120 | 681 |
| 2012 | $10,000 | Sean Jazayeri | $1,370,240 | 549 |
| 2013 | $10,000 | Paul Klann | $1,004,090 | 517 |
| 2014 | $10,000 | Chris Moorman | $1,015,460 | 534 |
| 2017 | $10,000 | Daniel Strelitz | $1,001,110 | 521 |
| 2018 | $10,000 | Dennis Blieden | $1,000,000 | 493 |
| 2019 | $10,000 | David ‘ODB’ Baker | $1,015,000 | 546 |
| 2020 | $10,000 | Balakrishna Patur | $1,015,000 | 490 |
| 2021 | $10,000 | Michael Liang | $175,300 | 69 |
| 2022 | $10,000 | Huy Lam | $300,280 | 119 |
| 2023 | $10,000 | Alex Petrosian | $401,650 | 181 |
| 2024 | $10,000 | Wesley Haymond | $279,450 | 139 |
| 2025 | $10,000 | Michael Nia | $308,270** | 145 |
| 2026 | $10,000 | TBC | $158,030 | 50 |
* estimated top prize
** after heads-up deal
One reason for the dwindling attendance in such a previously well-populated event could be the gambling tax that has yet to be repealed. When Donald Trump announced his ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’, casino operators were clear in their message that this would hurt attendances. The same reason means that the WSOP Main Event field could drop this summer compared to previous years if our analysis of the data is correct.
Previous winners now just a distant memory
The history of the LAPC is a long and distinguished one, dating back to 1993, a cool decade before The Moneymaker Effect changed poker forever.
Wins for legends of the game such as Gus Hansen (2003), Michael Mizrachi (2005) and Phil Ivey (2008) in the glory years where the WPT were associated with the brand meant a $10,000 entry fee and a million up top virtually guaranteed. In later years of affiliation with the WPT, numbers were just as strong, with the four-time bracelet winner David ‘ODB’ Baker (pictured above right) taking home the biggest single score of his poker career in 2019, winning $1,015,000.
The loss of the WPT as a brand partner critically harmed the LAPC, seeing the attendances drop from 490 in 2020 to just 69 entries in 2021, though this maybe have been affected by COVID. The L.A. Poker Classic Main Event used to be a staple on the United States poker calendar, with the event on the same platform as anything other than the WSOP Main Event stateside.
With the advent of the WPT World Championships every December, the LAPC Main Event has been a major victim of success elsewhere and the new tax laws. Whether it can ever recapture the glory it enjoyed in the poker boom years looks a question asked and answered this week.
