Are Poker Clubs Legal in Texas?

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Wednesday, September 13th, 2017 | Written by Shane Larson

While Texas often leans more toward the conservative side of politics, poker players are intent on eliminating the idea that a conservative state cannot allow gambling to take place within its borders. Despite the stereotype of cowboys playing poker that stem from Texas, the Lone Star State has been one of the slowest regions in the US to adopt positive gambling laws, and currently there are only a few legal gambling related activities permitted in Texas, namely horse racing and the lottery.

Legal Efforts

In Texas, there have been many attempts to legalize land based card rooms. One of the biggest pushes occurred after Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, in the process sparking the poker boom and elevating coverage of the card game to mainstream television shows, as well as at online and land-based casinos everywhere. This also encouraged a few players to run their own individual private poker games, but a spate of police raids and armed robberies quickly discouraged these events from taking place.

Nevertheless, no matter what the motivation may be for the legalization of poker in Texas, there has never enough support shown in the legislature to get a bill signed into law. In both 2012 and 2013, Senator Rodney Ellis did support bills that would legalize poker in the state’s casinos, but there was never enough co-sponsorship to help push the bills through past the next stage.

Joe Barton, a US Representative of Texas, subsequently became one of the first legislators to promote legislation on a federal level to make online poker legal in America. In fact, it was Barton who proposed the Internet Poker Freedom Act in 2015 after earlier attempts in 2011 and again in 2013, but unfortunately these efforts never got off the ground.

Poker Clubs

Poker games for money are not legal in Texas, so to get around the law a number of private poker clubs have opened up for business in the state. One of the most recent venues to open in August of 2017 was the Post Oak Poker Club located in Houston. Running this poker club is similar to running a country club, except one that revolves around the game of poker, and with the club making money from membership and joining fees, and seat rental fees, rather than by by charging rake. It is the Post Oak Poker Club owner’s hope, as well as that of the other card rooms based in Texas, that they will eventually be seen in a more positive light, and regulated through licensing, thus enabling them to grow in size and number. Furthermore, it is hoped that one day these establishments will become full entertainment venues allowed to offer liquor, as well as poker.

Best Hope

Post Oak Poker Club owner Bill Heuer said that it is his hope to “take poker out of the back allies and the dark corners and bring it to the spotlight”. While poker clubs represent Texas’ best bet for advancing an acceptance of poker in the Lone Star State, however, these clubs are already coming under scrutiny from city council members who do not want to see criminal enterprises take over the games. With the Post Oak Poker Club operating in a way that adheres to Texas laws as much as possible, though, there is not much that wary politicians can to do at this point to halt their operations.

Nevertheless, local and state officials have been expressing their concerns about these operations, with Houston City Council Member Greg Travis stating:

“It doesn’t sound like it should be legal, I don’t like the fact that it’s in my district, I don’t like the fact it’s in my city and I certainly don’t like the fact that it’s in Post Oak.”

According to Travis, the club has the potential to attract crime elements attracted by the prospect of preying on people leaving the club in the early hours after drinking and gambling throughout the evening. Travis has also suggested that security guards employed by the club should ensure its patrons get safely into their cars or taxis. Elaborating further on his disdain for poker clubs, Travis commented:

“The fact is, they are trying to bring people in and make money off them, that’s their sole purpose, that’s no different than any other gambling establishment. They’re just trying to do it differently to get around the law, and if the law does allow it, the law needs to be changed,” before adding “I will do everything I can in my power to get them shut down.”