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The Lodge Poker Club in Round Rock TX Raided by TABC
Posted on 3/14/26 at 8:11 am
Posted on 3/14/26 at 8:11 am
LINK
Lodge Statement:
This is the largest poker room in Texas and co-owned by 3 internet poker celebrities: Doug Polk, Andrew Neme, and Brad Owen. Neme and Owen got big by creating poker content of playing live in casinos and showing their journey. Doug Polk is one of the best, if not the best, heads up player of all time. He owned a major training site and became one of the bigger content creators on Youtube when the 2nd poker boom happened a few years ago.
These rooms operate in a grey area, basically where gambling is illegal in TX but you can hold private games. In a normal poker game at a casino, the casino gets its money by taking money out of each pot (called the rake). This is 100% illegal in TX. The TX poker rooms took the "private room" loophole to the max by neve collecting rake, but instead charging a membership fee and a seat fee (so the rules for private games of people at homes became somewhat industrialized). This started in 2017 or 2018 across Texas, and the Lodge opened up a few years after based on the celebrity status of the 3 founders, and it has become a force.
There was a ruling recently by a major court in TX (I can't remember but could be their supreme court) that basically gave the green light for these rooms and removed the grey area, but it appears that localities are still going to try to attack them when they can.
Polk took no time to respond to Tom Dwan taking shots on Twitter
quote:
PokerOrg has received a statement from TABC Director of Communications Chris Porter following Tuesday’s raid on The Lodge Card Club.
The statement confirms an ongoing investigation into “suspected money laundering and illegal gambling.”
Porter said, "Agents of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s Financial Crimes Unit, along with members of the Special Investigations Unit and Operations Bureau, executed a search and seizure warrant at Lodge Card Club in Round Rock on March 10 in conjunction with an ongoing investigation into suspected money laundering and illegal gambling.
Lodge Statement:
This is the largest poker room in Texas and co-owned by 3 internet poker celebrities: Doug Polk, Andrew Neme, and Brad Owen. Neme and Owen got big by creating poker content of playing live in casinos and showing their journey. Doug Polk is one of the best, if not the best, heads up player of all time. He owned a major training site and became one of the bigger content creators on Youtube when the 2nd poker boom happened a few years ago.
These rooms operate in a grey area, basically where gambling is illegal in TX but you can hold private games. In a normal poker game at a casino, the casino gets its money by taking money out of each pot (called the rake). This is 100% illegal in TX. The TX poker rooms took the "private room" loophole to the max by neve collecting rake, but instead charging a membership fee and a seat fee (so the rules for private games of people at homes became somewhat industrialized). This started in 2017 or 2018 across Texas, and the Lodge opened up a few years after based on the celebrity status of the 3 founders, and it has become a force.
There was a ruling recently by a major court in TX (I can't remember but could be their supreme court) that basically gave the green light for these rooms and removed the grey area, but it appears that localities are still going to try to attack them when they can.
Polk took no time to respond to Tom Dwan taking shots on Twitter
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Posted on 3/14/26 at 8:14 am to SlowFlowPro
Seems about like the bingo halls around me that operated before casinos and live gambling were legal in louisiana.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 8:15 am to SlowFlowPro
TABC is filled with assholes.
The sellout lawmakers in Texas who won't legalize gambling are bitches.
The sellout lawmakers in Texas who won't legalize gambling are bitches.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 8:23 am to CR4090
From a freedom perspective, it upsets me
From a personal benefit perspective, if TX cracks down on these rooms, the big poker money will return to LC and make it profitable again
From a personal benefit perspective, if TX cracks down on these rooms, the big poker money will return to LC and make it profitable again
Posted on 3/14/26 at 8:37 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
The Lodge Poker Club in Round Rock TX Raided by TABC
Explain to me again why Texans think Texas is the "most free" state in the country?
Legislation of morality is anti-liberty, and Texas has a whole lot of laws regarding morality.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 9:03 am to SlowFlowPro
So dumb, just open legit casinos you backward Texas puritans
Posted on 3/14/26 at 9:05 am to CR4090
quote:
The sellout lawmakers in Texas who won't legalize gambling are bitches.
Thank the gambling lobbyists from literally every state surrounding Texas. If Texas legalized their gambling revenue would evaporate.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 9:21 am to SlowFlowPro
This happened a few days ago and no one has been arrested, they just shut down the Austin location. The San Antonio one is still running last I read.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 9:39 am to TheWalrus
quote:
, just open legit casinos
so the rake can go out of state and the casinos in the surrounding states can take a major hit.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 9:47 am to TulsaSooner78
quote:
Legislation of morality is anti-liberty, and Texas has a whole lot of laws regarding morality.
There is a school of thought that in a complete absence of legislating morality that human nature will eventually give in and create a bad situation that is hard to reverse, if at all.
So that leads to the question of "what is legislating morality?". If putting curbs on a card game is legislating morality, isn't limits on prostitution legislating morality as well? I sure don't want a brother next door to me.
I'm not making a personal position here, just pointing out that virtually any law is "morality". The vice laws, IE gambling, booze, sex... might be perceived as more personal choices than things like murder or theft. But at some point anything completely unregulated - vice or otherwise - leads to a problem.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 9:52 am to tadman
quote:
I sure don't want a brother next door to me.
Freudian slip much?
Posted on 3/14/26 at 9:54 am to tadman
quote:Freudian slip?
I sure don't want a brother next door to me.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 9:55 am to Gravitiger
Echo
Posted on 3/14/26 at 10:02 am to SlowFlowPro
Nothing better then government creating grey areas and being surprised when someone decides to live in it. Almost makes one think they knowingly entice people to force them to be needed..
Posted on 3/14/26 at 10:08 am to TulsaSooner78
quote:
Explain to me again why Texans think Texas is the "most free" state in the country? Legislation of morality is anti-liberty, and Texas has a whole lot of laws regarding morality.
When ever a Texan tells me they are the most free state; my reply has always been “dude you don’t even have casinos”
Posted on 3/14/26 at 10:13 am to SlowFlowPro
You’re free to piss away your bank account on lottery tickets and scratch offs in Texas but don’t you dare play poker or bet on sports.
There are rules around here.
There are rules around here.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 10:16 am to tadman
quote:
I sure don't want a brother next door to me.
(por Owlvistó!)
Posted on 3/14/26 at 10:26 am to SlowFlowPro
quote:
There was a ruling recently by a major court in TX (I can't remember but could be their supreme court) that basically gave the green light for these rooms
AI explains:
Judicial Outcomes: The Fifth District Court of Appeals previously ruled in favor of a poker house, and in 2025, the Texas Supreme Court declined to review the case, effectively allowing the Texas Card House to continue operating in Dallas, noted D Magazine and KERA News.
City Actions: Despite the court’s stance, some cities like Dallas have tried to revoke permits, causing ongoing legal battles. However, in some cases, the Board of Adjustment has overruled these revocations, notes KERA News.
Future Challenges: The debate continues, with some officials arguing that poker clubs still violate the law, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Posted on 3/14/26 at 10:35 am to SlowFlowPro
I started following Brad Owen, Doug Poll and Andrew Neeme during the pandemic. They seem like good dudes and really study the game at lengths. I hope nothing comes out of this to tarnish their image.
Posted on 3/14/26 at 10:41 am to SlowFlowPro
So TABC is saying Lodge is not running a straight business and is flushing money illegally? Hopefully this event will not draw a lengthy legal battle and the bad PR does cause a huge downswing in business for the club. It would break my heart.
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