L.A. POKER OPEN
Over$2 Million Guaranteed Over 19 Events

COMMERCE, CA - More than $2 million will be up for grabs over the course of 19 events in the inaugural L.A. Poker Open, Nov. 5 to Nov. 20, at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, starting with buy-ins as low as $120. This new series replaces the annual Commerce Casino Holiday Bonus tournament and continues offering the new and innovative formats that have proven so popular under Tournament Director Matt Savage. The LA Poker Open caps Savage's stellar first year at the helm of Commerce's tournament schedule, attracting record turnouts throughout 2009. 

The L.A. Poker Open will kickoff Nov. 5 with the enormously popular $220-buy-in No Limit Hold'em, three-day-start tourney featuring a whopping $500,000 guarantee. This event allows players to buy back into the action on subsequent days if they bust out early. A similar event held in September during the Commerce Casino Hold'em Series drew a record-breaking 3,967 players and resulted in a total prize pool of $753,730 divided between 369 people finishing in the money. The winner, Moshe Mashiah, walked away with $164,627 for his efforts.

Savage notes: "The Hold'em Series $220-buy-in event with $500,000 guaranteed was a huge success.  Poker players sent a message that this is exactly the kind of event they're looking for, so Commerce Casino felt compelled to add it to the L.A. Poker Open schedule, as well.  As the world's largest poker room, we are excited to have the biggest guarantees for small buy-in events."

Making another appearance on the Commerce Casino schedule will be the Nov. 17 $335-buy-in No Limit Hold'em Knockout Bounty Tournament with $100,000 guarantee. This event includes $100 cash bonuses for those players who eliminate others from the tournament.

Additional events of interest include the Nov. 13/Nov. 14 $220-buy-in No Limit Hold'em game with $250,000 guarantee, a Nov. 11 $335-buy-in No Limit Hold'em event with $100,000 guarantee, and the Nov. 15 $120-buy-in No Limit Hold'em with $100 re-buys and $100,000 guaranteed.  Also, a Heads Up No Limit Hold'em event, featuring the double elimination format, is slated for Nov. 17 with a $545-buy-in. 

The final L.A. Poker Open event is set to begin Nov. 20 with the $2,075-buy-in No Limit Hold'em Championship. There are five events throughout the L.A. Poker Open where $2,075 Championship seats will be awarded to winners, as well as a Mega Satellite Day on Nov. 19 where Championship seats will be up for grabs.

In addition to No Limit and Limit Hold'em games, players will also have the opportunity to participate in Omaha 8 or Better, Stud 8 or Better, H.O.R.S.E, and Seven Card Stud events throughout the month -- all with $335 buy-ins.

Starting time for most events is either 2 PM or 5 PM. The full event schedule and overview for Commerce Casino's L.A. Poker Open can be found at www.CommerceCasino.com or by calling (323) 721-2100