Located in the suburbs of Los Angeles in Commerce, California, the Commerce Casino is the largest card-room in the world, with an astounding 243 tables.
With nearly 200 dedicated poker tables and some of the highest stakes games in the world, the Commerce Casino is widely considered one of the top poker destinations, and has become synonymous with California poker since the Poker Boom.
History of the Commerce Casino
The Commerce Casino came into being in 1983, and along with contemporaries like the Bicycle Casino, Commerce helped usher in the California Poker Boom that exploded in the 1990’s.
Initially Commerce was just another card-room in a state dotted by dozens of them, but over the years the casino has grown to legendary status, and the name Commerce has become the model for poker in California and around the world—if your card-room is compared to Commerce you’re in good company.
Commerce has continued to grow over the years, adding more and more gaming options and amenities for visitors to take advantage of. The largest and most significant expansion took place in 2001 when Commerce underwent a major renovation with the addition of a 200 room hotel to the property, turning the Commerce into not just a card-room, but a destination card-room.
In 2009, Commerce made a smaller but still significant addition, adding to their already sizable list of gambling options with an off-track racebook, and inching Commerce closer and closer to a full resort-style casino.
While it’s not quite there yet (Commerce is still considered a card casino), this is something online poker and gambling expansion in California would help to achieve, and something the area would also appreciate as the Commerce Casino accounts for a full 38% of the town’s yearly revenue according to Wikipedia, making the Commerce Casino a vital cog of the local economy and a source of pride for local residents.
The Commerce Casino today
The Commerce Casino is a non-smoking poker room and offers their patrons table-side food and beverage service. The Commerce Casino also offers jackpots, discounted hotel rates for players and free wi-fi.
Even though the property technically isn’t considered a full casino, Commerce has everything players have come to expect from resort casinos, including the aforementioned hotel, a shopping center, a number of different spa services, fine dining options, private pool and sundeck, and even on-site entertainment options such as boxing and MMA matches.
Where They Stand Now in the Poker World
The Commerce Casino is hands down the best card-room in California, and one of the best card-rooms in the entire world.
In addition to having the largest card-room in the world, the Commerce also boasts one of the best management staffs in the world, with Tournament Director extraordinaire Matt Savage leading the Commerce staff. Savage is widely considered to be the best Tournament Director in the industry and is often mentioned as a potential Poker Hall of Famer for all of his work in the industry.
Commerce also hosts a number of major poker tournaments and events throughout the year:
- Los Angeles Poker Classic
- California State Poker Championship
- Commerce Poker Series
- LA Poker Open
- Free poker lessons on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the hotel
- Bring your home game to Commerce Casino
Here is a look at the Commerce Casino’s daily tournament schedule.
You can follow Commerce on Social Media: Facebook; Twitter; and YouTube.
Rewards Program
Commerce Casino offers a full reward program to their guests. As a member of the Commerce Player’s Club you’ll receive comp points for the time you spend at the Commerce tables as well as the following offers:
- Exclusive promotional offers
- Advance Tournament news
- Exclusive admission to Carded Members Only tournaments and more
Players Club points can also be exchanged for everything from dining and hotel stays to merchandise in Commerce shops and even car washes.
Handicapping Their Chances for Online Poker
If California passes online poker or online gambling legislation you can be certain that the Commerce Casino will be heavily involved in the effort, and that they will be at the forefront of California online gambling.
Commerce Casino was a member of COPA (California Online Poker Association) a group of pro-online gambling casinos and tribes that disbanded back in 2012—infighting led to the dissolving of COPA—as well as the California Gaming Association, which has also come out in favor of online gambling on behalf of its members. The Commerce Casino has publicly come out in favor of online poker in California.
As the largest card-room in the world, Commerce will certainly looking to be at the forefront of online gaming in California, and while they are fighting for online poker in the state, The Commerce Casino is also fighting to make sure they get a favorable deal if a deal is made—which is essentially where the factions have drawn their lines in the sand.