Balakrishna Patur won the 2020 LA Poker Classic Main Event for $1,015,000, beating out 490 entrants in what was arguably the most prestigious non-World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament in the U.S. at the time.
That was, however, the last year the World Poker Tour (WPT) partnered with Commerce Casino in Los Angeles to host the $10,000 buy-in major poker tournament. Since then, the event has seen such a rapid decline that registration in the 2026 edition closed on Monday with just 50 entries. Yes, 50. First place will be paid $158,030 of the $465,000 prize pool.