Commerce Casino Hosts the 2009 California State Poker Championships

The California State Poker Championships, which usually takes place during the fall, has been move up this year to happen during the final weeks before the 2009 world series of poker Main Event (WSOP). The Poker Championships, hosted at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, California, will begin on April 13th, 2009 until May 22nd, 2009.

A total of twenty-four poker event fill the busy tournament schedule, leading up to the $5,100 buy-in cost No Limit Holdem Championship that starts on Friday, May 22nd, 2009. Several new poker events have been added to the gaming line-up this year, including two H.O.R.S.E. poker events (one with a $545 buy-in cost, the other $1,065), a $200 no limit holdem event with rebuys and a $545 double-elimination, NLHE heads-up poker tournament.

Aside from the other NLHE poker tournaments on the schedule, the series also includes poker events in Omaha 8-or-better, stud and stud 8-or-better. Matt Savage, fresh from helping run the world poker tour L.A. Poker Classic, will be the tournament director for the California State Poker Championships. Savage said that he is very excited and happy to be back at Commerce Casino to give poker player with interesting tournament structures and different poker games.

The championship event will have a guaranteed cash pool of $1 million. The $5,100 buy-in cost for the championship marks an important change in the buy-in cost from last fall's $1,580. Commerce Casino spokesperson John Griffo said that the higher buy-in cost was established to increase the profile of the event, changing its status to a major poker tournament.

The shift to a spring series was made with eye toward giving players a good and challenging warm-up as they get ready for the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Griffo said that they have decided to make some changes to the California State Poker Championships to give players an opportunity to polish their skills and improve their bankroll before the 2009 WSOP Event.

April 19, 2009
Brian Nelson