Commerce Casino: Largest Poker Room in California 2023

Commerce Casino is a suburban card room located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It’s the largest card room in the world with 270+ tables on-site.

In addition to its incredibly comprehensive poker card room complex, the casino features an attached hotel, dining establishments, and plenty of other entertainment venues — and with California sports betting off the table until the 2024 election at least, Commerce Casino provides one of the few legal in-person gambling options in the state.

Commerce Casino Poker Room Fact Table

Popular Card Room Events at Commerce Casino

Commerce Casino is a fantastic card room thanks to the variety of events that run throughout the year. To start, Commerce Casino provides free poker lessons on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This is the hotel attached to the casino. These classes run from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm for both beginners and intermediate poker players.

Furthermore, Commerce Casino hosts several poker tournaments throughout the year. The Los Angeles Poker Classic is an annual tournament from January to March. The California State Poker Championship is another annual event held in May. Other tournaments include the Commerce Hold ‘em Series, an annual tournament held in September with relatively small buy-ins, and the LA Poker Open, an annual tournament held in November.

All in all, there are usually plenty of poker events going on to draw in spectators and more serious players alike.

Beyond poker events, Commerce Casino also hosts live entertainment on Thursdays through Saturdays. These events include karaoke with Steven Williamson, karaoke with RC and Quando Jones, and DJ parties with Vicious Lee Spinning. Furthermore, the casino offers a late-night happy hour event on Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00 pm to 12:00 am.

Even though the legal California gambling age is 18, Commerce Casino is 21+ because it serves alcohol.

Poker Games at Commerce Casino

Commerce Casino offers a wide range of poker games across 270+ tables. The poker variations include:

• Hold ‘em
• No limit/pot-limit poker
• 7-card stud/7-card stud high or low split
• Lowball
• Razz
• Omaha/Omaha high or low
• Draw poker
• Pan
• 5-card stud
• 3-card poker

See our Complete Guide to California Card Rooms.

Even better, each of these games can be learned on-site thanks to educational materials from the casino. Dealers are also typically quite friendly and will offer to go over rules before play begins. In each category, a wide representation of monetary limits and skill levels are available.

Many of Commerce Casino’s games feature spreads as low as 2-3 or 2-4. Many others reach limits higher than 8-16. Buy-in limits can be as low as $40 but can also go significantly higher. In addition, Commerce Casino sometimes offers a $100,000 jackpot for various Hold ’em games or tournaments.

Poker Tournaments at Commerce Casino

Commerce Casino holds several daily California poker tournaments throughout most days of the year. These include:

• $65 NL Hold ‘em Deepstack, held Mondays through Fridays with a $2,500 guarantee. These tournaments feature 15-minute levels and 10,000 in starting chips.
• $125 NL Hold ’em Deepstack Tournament, held Mondays through Thursdays with a $2,500 guarantee. These tournaments include 15-minute levels and 15,000 in starting chips.
• $150 NL Hold ’em Megastack Tournament, held Saturdays at 1:00 pm with a $15,000 guarantee. This tournament type includes 15-minute levels and 15,000 starting chips.
• $150 NL Hold ‘em “Six Hours and Time’s Up” Tournament, held on Fridays with a $5,000 guarantee. These tournaments come with 30,000 in starting chips and 15-minute blinds, along with $50 bounties. Furthermore, this tournament’s 19th level, “will consist of 15 hands of each remaining table, with tables being balanced after hands 5 and 10”. Time is up after the 19th level.

Table Games at Commerce Casino

Players can enjoy a wide variety of modified table games. These include blackjack varieties like No Bust blackjack, along with other games including:

• Baccarat
• EZ baccarat
• Caribbean Stud
• Joker’s Wild Pai Gow Poker
• Pai Gow Tiles

These games benefit from promotions offered throughout the week. For instance, some blackjack games feature promotions for up to $10,000 for events like having a high hand with four aces of the same suit.

Poker Room Facility at Commerce Casino

Commerce Casino’s overall facility is quite nice. The main lobby features elegant lighting and a blended atmosphere that is both entertaining and luxurious.

There are several restaurants in addition to table-side dining options within the Commerce Casino facilities. Cuisines include American, bar and grill, on-the-go options, and more. Informal locations that serve coffee, such as a Starbucks bar, are also available.

Again, Commerce Casino is also attached to a 200-room hotel called the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This makes it easy to find lodging arrangements while you play.

Commerce Casino Card Room History

Established in 1983, Commerce Casino is nestled inside a sizable complex that includes a 200-room hotel, dining establishments, beauty salons, shops, entertainment venues, and more.

These days, Commerce Casino is a smoke-free facility. However, there are some designated smoking areas outside. It’s usually open 24/7 all year round (with some exceptions like the coronavirus pandemic).

As per California law, the casino does not feature slot machines and only allows card games. Recent California legislation has led some to wonder whether card rooms like it may eventually shut down. California’s Bureau of Gambling Control recently proposed new rules for card rooms. These rules would prohibit card rooms not located on Native American tribal lands from using real money stakes.

This is a big deal for card rooms like Commerce Casino, as the card room employees act as dealers and licensed banking representatives to some extent (i.e. the “house”).

The new legislation would require various players in the card room game to swap the position of the bank every few rounds. This would significantly drive away traffic from card rooms, potentially threatening the statewide industry. For now, however, Commerce Casino is continuing operation and the above legislation is still pending.

Commerce Casino in California FAQs