The year was 2001. The limit holdem scene in Los Angeles was bustling. One casino clearly dominated with the action of 20-40 and above. However, this room had become arrogant, dismissive, and unresponsive to player concerns. Players started moving to another room which was attempting to take the mid-high stakes limit holdem action. Within about 2 years, the deed was done. Hollywood Park, the former king of mid-high stakes limit holdem, lost all of that action, and Commerce was the new king.
Commerce built a new high limit structure, with a room upstairs for tournaments. Also constructed was a new Crowne Plaza hotel attached to the property. It was the far superior option to the very ghetto Hollywood Park, which was in a terrible neighborhood, was run down, and was player unfriendly.
Despite lots of dysfunction over the next two decades, Commerce continued to reign supreme.
In the late 2010s, the second biggest LA cardroom -- The Bicycle Club -- attempted to take Commerce's mid-high stakes limit holdem games. They even hired hosts to do so, who were empowered to give away comps such as rooms at their (brand new) hotel.
The action started to move, and The Bike was poised to take Commerce's games. Then, for whatever reason, The Bike also became player-hostile, and these games started to slip. Commerce looked like it was going to hold onto these games.
But then early 2020 came, and COVID hit, closing all cardrooms. When they reopened, somehow Bike regrouped and made a second attempt to capture the action.
This time it was a success. It was the perfect moment for Bike to strike, as all cardrooms were attempting to build post-COVID action. Commerce, instead of responding with aggressive moves of their own to keep their business, just sat by and let things happen.
Here's an example:
Can you believe this shit? People are coming back from a year off live poker, probably lost their card, and Commerce is going to charge them $5 to get one back? And all while Bike is taking Commerce's action? This couldn't be worse timing for such a stupid nickel-and-dime move.
I called both places tonight.
Commerce had no games above 8-16 limit holdem.
The Bike had two 20-40s, two 40-80s, one 60-120, and one 200-400.
Game over, man. Commerce, you did this to yourself.
RIP