If I were to ask you the names of the two longest tournament series of the year, could you name them? The first one is easy, and I'd be shocked if "World Series of Poker" weren't the first words on your brain before you finished reading this sentence. After all, the six weeks of 61 bracelet events are the pinnacle of the poker calendar. The poker world flies into Las Vegas for the lengthy stint, and dutifully chronicled by all sorts of reporters.

The second is often overlooked, as there are few reporters filing on its progress. The L.A. Poker Classic is a six-week, 50-event tournament series held at the Commerce Casino and is filled with a combination of tournaments you won't see anywhere else. With hundreds of tournament series around the world, there's still something specific that sets the LAPC apart from the rest.

"It's all about variety," said tournament director Matt Savage. "I know there's a lot of players out there playing no-limit, but there are some other games that need to be played. I want people to learn the new games and have some fun as they're doing it."

From the Ironman tournament, to all-in or fold events, to a customary World Poker Tour main event, the schedule intrigues players of all types. Buy-ins range from $65 to $25,100, and it's no surprise that the most popular players in the game spend at least a few weeks in Los Angeles at this event each year.

The $1,100 Ironman tournament this year attracted a field of 99 and was won by Californian Eric Chhor after 21 hours of continuous play. Savage, who admitted to taking a three-hour nap during play, said he always enjoys holding the Ironman event.

"About the 16 to 17 hour mark, the players ask why they are doing it," said Savage of the Ironman event where action continues until a champion is crowned. "The camaraderie is much more exciting because people get delirious and it then becomes funny. Everyone is having a good time during the event."

Adam Levy ($340 Doublestack, won $12,735), Michael Chow ($1,070 HORSE, won $31,330) and Jordan Young ($1,070 no-limit hold 'em, won $52,275) were among the champions during the first few weeks, and with the main event beginning on Friday, another familiar face earned a big victory.

The $5,100 no-limit hold 'em event title went to Vanessa Selbst, who defeated a field of 98 players. Selbst made a deal with 2010 WSOP main event champion Jonathan Duhamel to earn $140,295 for the victory. Duhamel earned $121,115 for his fourth six-figure score of 2012.

The final table of the $5,100 event also included Josh Brikis (third), Stephen Chidwick (fourth), Faraz Jaka (fifth), Yuri Siniak (sixth), Matt Stout (seventh), McLean Karr (eighth) and Jonathan Poche (ninth). This was Brikis' second third-place finish of the year (worth $61,790). Jaka, who finished third at the PCA main event, has now made three cashes and three final tables in 2012 for $867,539 in earnings.

All players now set their sights on the main event where a year ago, Greg Brooks defeated a field of 681 players to win a career-best $1.6 million.

Savage expects about 600 players to enter the main event after a strong turnout for most of the preliminary events. He understands that while the LAPC doesn't get the hype of many of other events, the series definitely has its place in the poker world.

"The WSOP is the biggest and the best, and must continue to be. It's part of poker history. I love the tradition," he said. "The LAPC has its own place. It's been around 20 years, has a list of great World Poker Tour champions, and many others in a lot of different events. I think it has its own niche, but it's tough. When you run a series this long, 44 days, there are a lot of events that go over the top [and run simultaneously]."

It's a challenge to the LAPC to continue to build the series, and in the newer poker economy with many intriguing venues on the calendar each week, the fight to bring players to one's event will continue to get tougher. Savage knows what he has to do to compete and players now wait for next year's schedule to be released to see what new tournament format will be found at the Commerce.

Small blinds:

The first Deepstacks Poker Tour title went to Billy Vogel, who defeated a field of 217 players to win $71,827. … Keith Ferrera rebounded from a sixth-place finish at the WPT Lucky Hearts to win the $2,500 Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza main event. He earned $139,720 for the victory over a field of 254 players. Will Failla finished fourth for $41,334. … Daniele Nestola won the LAPT Grand Final in Sao Paolo, Brazil, to win $289,300. Daniel Negreanu finished sixth in the event for $48,730. … HogWildPokerLeagues.com is a free-to-play poker site that's giving away a WSOP seat and a number of other staking opportunities. Interesting that more of these type of sites haven't popped up in a post-Black Friday world. … The Bluff Mid-States Poker Tour held its first event of the year, with Rodger Johnson earning $79,185 by capturing the title in the $1,100 311-player event. … Bally Technologies bought the iGaming Platform in preparation of regulation in the United States. … The focus of online poker regulation has shifted from the federal approach to the states and Mississippi and Iowa are two states currently pushing iPoker legislation. … The Chicago Poker Classic began on Thursday and will run until March 5. The 11-event series will feature a $3,125 main event with $60,000 added to the prize pool and a $750,000 guarantee. The player of the series will earn $50,000 and a 2012 Chevy Camaro. … Everleaf Gaming exited the U.S. market a few weeks ago and has come forward with a statement saying that they received a cease and desist order from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They also said the accounts in which players funds were held were seized by U.S. authorities. … In addition to the LAPC, main events this weekend include the Heartland Poker Tour in Oklahoma at the Downstream Casino Resort and the WSOP Circuit main event at the Palm Beach Kennel Club in Florida (which has already seen record turnouts). … Turnout at EPT Copenhagen fell from 4491 in 2011 to 299 in 2012. … The World Poker Tour has formed the WPT Foundation, a charitable arm that hopes to "support nonprofit programs in the areas of environment, human rights, hunger, and poverty." The first $500 charity event will be held March 11 at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills. … WSOP Africa has crowned Greg Ronaldson its first champion. Ronaldson outlasted a field of 324 players to win the $350 buy-in no-limit hold 'em event.