2006 LA POKER CLASSIC

Tunica is undeniably the home of poker in January, but once all the dust settles and the World Poker Open and WSOP Circuit crown their champions there will be only one poker destination for the month of February. That destination is Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, home of the venerable LA Poker Classic.

The LAPC is the flagship event of the world's largest poker room, a cavernous building featuring over 200 poker tables and almost every game of poker known to mankind. In its many years of operation, the LAPC has become a player favorite. The variety of games available is one of the best at any tournament in the world, and this year several new events have been added. There's a Ladies Event for the the first time at this year's LAPC, as well as a Tag-Team tournament where two players trade out every tme the blinds go up. In addition to the long list of events played throughout the tournament's duration, there is a $50,000 prize for the Best All-Around Player over the entire month's worth of tournaments. In the past that honor has been claimed by players such as Chip Jett, Ted Forrest, and Daniel Negreanu.

This year's main event is expected to draw over 600 players. That means a $6 million prize pool, with $2 million guaranteed to 1st place and $1 million to 2nd. The last two champions, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari, are two of the highest-profile young players around today - it remains to be seen whether another young player will claim this year's crown, or whether a veteran player will step up. As always, the World Poker Tour film crew will be on hand for the final table, and the coverage will be aired as part of the WPT's Season 4, beginning in March.

At the conclusion of the championship event, the LAPC will continue to run for three more days as it plays host to the WPT Invitational. This popular tournament pits 200 world-class professional poker players against 50 television and sports celebrities. The $200,000 prize pool is provided entirely by Commerce Casino, and the celebrities are competing for a $25,000 seat in the WPT Championship at Bellagio as well as $10,000 for charity. Celebrities who have played in the WPT Invitational in the past include James Woods, Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire, Ray Romano, Don Cheadle, Ron Livingston, Mimi Rogers, Stephen Collins, Ed Asner, Jennifer Tilly, Jon Favreau, Sharon Lawrence, David Sutcliff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Norm McDonald, Dean Cain, Camryn Manheim, Jennifer Tilly, Sara Rue, Richard Karn, Willie Garson, Krista Allen and Lolita Davidovich.

The complete tournament schedule for the 2006 LA Poker Classic is as follows. Unless otherwise specified, all tournaments are freezeout format.