Houston Poker Clubs Legal

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Become a member of the best poker club in the RGV and enjoy our daily tournaments, cash game in a great environment.

How it All Started

Founded by Judy & Robert Espericueta The House Club, LLC is designed to bring the much needed class as well as comfort to poker players in the Rio Grand Valley. THC is a poker enthusiasts social club. Where our members can come to sharpen their poker playing skill to prep for our seasonal tournaments.

THC is proud to be the first poker club in the RGV to offer PokerAtlas “Poker table captain” in all our tables.
Our tables are well equipped with a touchscreen pad FOR THE DEALERS use only, to log our members time, rankings, comps and much more.
Become a member and start playing today!

There are 27 poker rooms in the Texas area, and we at PokerAtlas provide complete and up-to-date information about every room in every location including Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Edinburg, Houston, Katy, Midland, San Antonio, Spring, and Webster. Cash game poker is available at blind levels of $1/$3 and $5/$5 for NLHE and $5/$5 for PLO. Multi-table tournament buyins run from $80 to $200, and the club holds $10,000 guaranteed tourneys on Saturdays. This venue augments its income through the sale of food and beverages. Post Oak Poker Club in Houston, Texas. University of Houston political science Professor Brandon Rottinghaus said he believes the membership poker club business model is legal, but may still face an uphill battle to grow and succeed in.

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Legal

Post Oak Poker Club Houston

Founded by Judy & Robert Espericueta The House Club, LLC is designed to bring the much needed class as well as comfort to poker players in the Rio Grand Valley. THC is a poker enthusiasts social club. Where our members can come to sharpen their poker playing skill to prep for our seasonal tournaments. Houston Poker Club. SUN — WED from Noon to 2:00AM. THU — SAT from Noon to 4:00AM. Location 11460 Fuqua Street #300 Houston, TX.

On Wednesday, the law came down hard on a pair of Texas poker rooms.

Around 11 a.m., Houston's Post Oak Poker Club and Prime Social Poker Club were raided by authorities and nine people arrested. Prime Social owner Dean Maddox and General Manager Brent Pollack were both led out in handcuffs just before a five-day, $150K GTD tournament was about to take place at their establishment. Also arrested were assistant GM Steven Farshid and comptroller Mary Switzer.

Over at the Post Oak Poker club, co-owners Daniel Kebort, Alan Chodrow, Kevin Chodrow, Sergio Cabrera, and William Heuer were all arrested.

Charges levied against them include money laundering, gambling promotion, and engaging in organized criminal activity.

'We got two of the bigger ones today and this is just the beginning. We need to shut them down.'

'Poker rooms are illegal in Texas,' District Attorney Kim Oggsaid in a written statement. 'We are changing the paradigm regarding illegal gambling by moving up the criminal chain and pursuing felony money laundering and engaging in organized crime charges against owners and operators.'

According to reports, the raids were the results of a two-year investigation that included undercover police officers posing as players. The Houston Chronicle reports that documents state undercover officers 'were asked to pay a membership fee, a door fee and a fee to play at a poker table.'

Texas poker rooms have operated in a gray area where they function in a similar fashion to a country club on a membership model. Players simply play a fee and play. The club doesn't take a rake, instead driving revenue throughout memberships and hourly fees.

Poker Clubs In London

According to Texas law, poker is only allowed if it meets the following requirements:

  • No person received economic benefits other than personal winnings.
  • Gambling must be in a private place.
  • Except for the advantage of skill or luck, the risks of losing and the chances of winning were the same for all participants.

That said, the rapid rise of the rooms, and the problems that came along with it including a lawsuit between Austin and San Antonio clubs, as well as a high-profile shooting, were sure to catch the attention of authorities.

'We cannot allow illegal gambling to go on,' Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a written statement. 'It drives organized crime and fuels other criminal activity.'

He continued: 'We're not going to tolerate it. We got two of the bigger ones today and this is just the beginning. We need to shut them down. If you want to have these kind of establishments, the legislature needs to authorize it, otherwise we're going to do our job and shut them down.'

Since 2017, authorities claim $10 million in bank deposits have been made by the clubs. Those funds are now frozen and face seizure.

Poker Players Left Hanging

The raids came at an inopportune time for Prime Social players, many of whom had registered for that day's tournament. Their buy-ins, as well as all chips in play, became worthless when authorities entered and froze all assets.

'Nobody seems to know anything right now, so that's kind of why I came over here to try to find out,' said poker player Sean Maggio. 'I feel shocked like they took something away from me.'

One thing authorities did make clear was that players were not being targeted, rather they were after the owner and operators.

Wayne Dolcefino, a consultant for Prime Social, believes the raid was unnecessary given the club operates above the board and has done charity work for the community.

'They don't take a penny out of that money,' he said according to Click2Houston. 'I just don't believe the guys that I know have done anything wrong. And I believe they've been very, very meticulous about the way they keep records.'

Several other clubs operate around the state, and while it's business as usual for them as of now, the recent crackdown at Post Oak and Prime Social are sure to have consequences for the entire Texas poker-playing community.

Lead image: Post Oak Poker Club Facebook.