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LOS ANGELES - (Gambling911.com) - The state of California is hosting an abundance of live poker tournaments during the month of October 2026.
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California Live Poker Tournaments
Stones Gambling Hall: Autumn Gold/Autumn Poker Series, Oct. 10–18, including a $125K GTD $400 Main Event.
The centerpiece tournament is a $400 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event with a $125,000 guarantee.
The Main Event offers six starting flights from Oct. 14–17, followed by Day 2 on Sunday, Oct. 18. Players receive 30,000 chips, levels are 30 minutes, registration runs until Level 7, and 13% of each starting field advances to Day 2 already in the money. Of the $400 entry, $325 goes to the prize pool and $75 is the entry fee.
Bay 101: Shooting Star runs from Oct. 16 to Nov. 1.
The World Poker Tour is returning to Bay 101 in San Jose, with a 17-day festival culminating in the $5,300 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Championship, Oct. 23–27. World Poker Tour.
The Championship has 50,000 starting chips, 60-minute levels and two starting flights, Oct. 23 and 24. It also brings back the famous Shooting Star bounty format.
More Tournaments
Sycuan: SoCal Classic, Oct. 16–25.
Thunder Valley's WSOP Circuit also ran through Oct. 6 while Parkwest Bicycle Casino: Big Poker Oktober kicked off Oct. 2 and runs through Nov. 8
Top Ranked Poker Rooms in California for the Month of October
1. The Commerce Casino & Hotel — Commerce/Los Angeles remains the state's signature poker venue. It has an enormous card-game operation, runs tournaments throughout the year and offers Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud and other variants. Its tournament history and sheer volume of action make it the most recognizable California poker room nationally.
2. Parkwest Bicycle Casino — Bell Gardens - Also known as "The Bike", this LA-area poker room features a combination of cash games and frequent tournaments.
3. Bay 101 in San Jose will be hosting the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star. The Oct. 16-Nov. 1 festival includes the famous $5,300 Shooting Star Championship. Bay 101 is open around the clock and remains one of Northern California's best-known poker rooms.
4. Thunder Valley Casino Resort in the Lincoln/Sacramento area is a known commodity here at Gambling911.com having paid out numerous jackpots in over the past year. The resort features a dedicated room comprised of 28 tables that can be expanded to 48.
5. The Gardens Casino — Hawaiian Gardens - The Gardens is another enormous Southern California cardroom. It's open 24/7 and offers Hold'em, Omaha, Stud and regular tournament action.
6. Hustler Live - Hustler itself says it has 50+ dedicated poker tables. The Gardena-based poker venue is known for its live streaming events.
Gambling911.com's Top Ranked Tournament Players From the State
1. Brian Rast, originally from Colorado, Is a Poker Hall of Famer with seven bracelets and nearly $30 million in live earnings. In February 2026 he won the $26,000 PGT Mixed Games Championship for $480,000, and he added a fourth-place finish in the WSOP $10K Eight Game event for $132,880 in July.
2. Markus Gonsalves from San Diego won the 2026 WSOP $5,000 6-Max NLH bracelet on July 1 for $979,655. CardPlayer currently lists him with about $3.52 million in recorded tournament earnings.
3. Chad Lipton ranks among the hottest players on the live circuit from California over the past 12 months. The San Diego-based poker pro finished fourth in the 2025 WPT World Championship for $940,000, then took third in the 2026 WSOP $10,000 GGMillion$ for $503,997 and fourth in the $5,000 Seniors event for another $223,439. His recorded career earnings are approaching $3 million.
4. Brayden Lou of San Diego is making waves in recent months having won the 2026 WSOP $500 Freezeout NLH for $190,066 and his first bracelet.
5. Nicholas Elder of Sacramento became the first NorCal Poker Championship Main Event champion at Graton in August, taking $47,205 following a seven-way deal. The $1,100 event attracted 582 entries and generated a $567,450 pool.
Poker in California
There was a significant 2026 legal fight over player-dealer games at the state's licensed card rooms. California DOJ regulations concerning blackjack-style games and rotation of the player-dealer position took effect April 1, but in July a San Francisco Superior Court ruled that the Bureau lacked statutory authority to issue them.
A commercial cardroom cannot simply act as the bank in a traditional casino-banked game. California cardrooms primarily offer poker and other approved controlled games; this distinction is why some California table games use a player-dealer or third-party proposition-player arrangement.
California DOJ expressly classifies poker as a “controlled game.” Poker games, tournaments, jackpots and promotions at cardrooms must receive Bureau of Gambling Control approval and comply with local ordinances. California's card room operate under a different legal framework than the tribal casinos. The latter involves tribal-state compacts and federal Indian gaming law.
AB 341 generally prevents establishment of new cardrooms and major expansion of existing gambling through January 1, 2043, although certain smaller cardrooms can receive limited additional tables under the statute.
Real money online poker, while available at internationally licensed websites accessible to California residents, is not yet regulated by the state despite a near decade of trying.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
