Recently ran into this website today.

http://mintpokerclubs.com/

My initial reaction was excitement. Finally a California style poker room coming to Houston.

At first I thought they were already opened. So I visited google maps to see what their facility looked like from the exterior.

This was my first clue to something was off. The floor plans and photos they have listed on their above website do not match at all to any buildings google maps is showing for their listed address.

After googling the Owners name Michael Eakman, I was immediatley pointed towards a very old 2p2 thread listed here.

Michael Eakman scam thread by user bigruk (LINK)

So after a lot of reading I found several websites that stat Michael Eakman is a known scammer and owes people 5k on average.

Their website for Mint poker is selling seats and monthly memberships via a well done phone number and decently designed website.

My concern is they are just pocketing peoples money and have no intention of opening.

Their biggest brag on their website is being Texas's first registered "casino" their words.

Mind if you if this place opens and looks how they say it will look, I will be there as long as they are paying out immediately.

But I am also very nervous for a lot of people.

14 tables? Geez for a club that is skirting the law that's a lot. Not to mention in a pricey location. This has scam wriiten all over it. Like you, kind of hope I'm wrong.

From the old 2011 thread about Eakman...

'Forgot to mention another 'technique' of his was to advertise people who were going to be at the event without ever hearing back that they were actually going. For the Aces and Angels event he had Phil Hellmuth advertised as emceeing it yet when I spoke with Phil personally he said he had no idea what I was talking about.'

The 2017 advert has Hellmuth listed as 'Host' again, with a huge pic of him. Have just tweeted Hellmuth about it, but if anyone knows him personally it would be worth asking if he knows anything about this?!

I have been running a game for 20 years and frankly when you have been around this long.....you can smell when someone "farts"....i can clearly say i havent heard of it...and dont know of anyone that is opening a game in that area nor have i heard anyone talk about it....word gets around fast and that has not reached my ears....or nose...yet

lol @ that typical office building with a mint poker logo shopped on.

scammers gonna scam

it obvious that everyone in the ad is photoshopped in...

Well considering I highly doubt PH knows of his appearance, the crappy photoshopped pictures and the fact that it seems Minteractive LLC or Mint Poker Clubs returns no information I would believe it's a scam.

The paypal button takes you to paypal and it shows Minteractive, LLC. If you try and buy one of the memberships it uses google forms and I never got to a checkout.

Just contact Paypal and tell them he's selling memberships to a poker room and they will probably shut it down.

This is Texas , where the polticians make a mint from border state casinos to keep in state casinos from operating. Doubt this is even close to a real deal.

Maybe make a lcprc Houston if there isnt one already

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Whole thing looks pretty shady. From the obvious photoshops/artists impressions to the mentioning of Phils 14 bracelets turning into 15 shortly thereafter, and the $100 initiation fee that for some reason gets waived for any level of membership.
Unlimited privileges does sound pretty amazing tho so I might just go for an annual pass and reassess next year


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There is a ton of information on Michael Eackman, his business, and his business practices. F*** that guy.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/guns-n...500000-1291363

http://myreporternews.com/2016/11/09...st-responders/

http://gunsnhosespoker.com/pdf/Guns%...Invitation.pdf

http://aces-angels.com

Anyone do this?

the 10$/hr charge for the seat in a 60$ tournament seems well thought out.

Yesterday I drove to Clearlake to see if any signs or construction of the poker room was under way.

First of all the building they have advertised online is real. Ableit from the front of the building you wouldn't have guessed it. Kinda comes off a shady strip mall. But after entering the square and going to the backside its actually pretty nice suite.

But every single suite in this building was empty. Including the one Mint Poker has advertised.

I took a few pictures so you can see.







I then called the number the leasing office has listed in the above photo.

I inquired about the empty lot at that address. I was surprised that they informed me a poker room would be opening in that space soon.

So this may actually become a poker room.

But to be clear Michael Eakman is a known scammer

198 seats left. I just bought 2

I mean seriously, if this doesn't look shady as . . . then your blind

Good Luck Houston:

Lol!



PHIL HELLMUTH VIP EXPERIENCE (only 7 pkgs left)
$5000.00

$2.00
MORE INFO
PHIL HELLMUTH VIP EXPERIENCE (only 7 packages left)

You will join 13 time WSOP Champion and Aces & Angels emcee Phil Hellmuth and participate in the Aces & Angels Super Bowl 50l event. You will start off the tournament and play with Phil Hellmuth at his VIP table. A once in a lifetime opportunity. Make your donation to support the lifesaving work of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital today.

VIP TICKET TO ACES & ANGELS WITH POKER TOURNAMENT ENTRY
PRE EVENT RECEPTION WITH PHIL AND THE CELEBRITIES
GOURMET LUNCHEON WITH PHIL HELLMUTH
POKER COACHING FROM PHIL HELLMUTH
SPEND THE FIRST TWO HOURS OF THE EVENT AT PHIL'S TABLE
PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF YOU WITH PHIL HELLMUTH
ACCESS TO THE VIP CELEBRITY LOUNGE
ADDITIONAL AUTOGRAPH & PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

$2 seems more reasonable.

This location is in the city limits of a small community close to NASA called Webster. I called around various city departments to see if this is on the up and up. Here's what I learned:

1. They haven't received or applied for any permits yet. So the claim that "our club is certified legal and the only city approved poker club in the state of Texas" appears false.

2. No off-duty police officers have registered with the city to work security at this location...which they are apparently required to do. So the claim that "onsite security provided by off-duty police officers" appears false...though maybe it's too early for this given the opening is still a few months off.

3. No one in economic development has heard of this effort...so they don't appear to be working with the city at all. Given the number of tables/employees they're talking about hiring and the claimed legality, that's pretty weird.

4. The police detective I spoke with hadn't heard of this and said, "There's no way this is legal, and I wouldn't give them a penny." He also seemed VERY interested in the website, the location, who's running it...so sorry about that Michael. I assumed, given the website content, that you'd already talked with these guys. It's a small town.

This post was amusing to me. Clive, don't you use the exact same business model that this guy wants to use?

This seat rental/membership model is not legal, of course. It's already been tried and busted multiple times.

This looks like a mock-up you often see from an architect/designer. I don't think it's intended to be a real photo...the place isn't open yet.

Why is the dealer so relaxed?

Maybe this is a player-dealt game based on location of the deck...

Thank you for your additional work.

PLUS, as an added bonus, you will get a tramp-stamp tattoo of Phil Hellmuth's new, personal logo, tattooed personally by Phil Hellmuth, on your body part of your own choosing. A multi-color tattoo will cost $20 extra.

Celebrity VIPS in attendance may include one or more of Amarillo Slim, Johnny "F****ng" Chan, Jerry Yang, a Vblogger or two, Scott Baio, David Hasselhoff, Phil Gordon, Daniel Tzvetikoff, and David Baazov.

Would need a micro biologist and a Quantum physicist if tattooed on certain body parts

Speaking of "This post was amusing to me."

This terrible photoshop looks absolutely NOTHING like any "architect/designer" mock up ever.

If a signed copy of "Play Poker Like the Pros" was included I would snap book this package.