http://austinot.com/texas-card-house...tin#more-16703

Is it possible?

wow so cheap. way to cheap. this must be a gold mine for players.

There was already another thread on this. OP is this your place? Thinking you posted in that thread as well.

I wouldn't want to hold out much hope. The way I read the Texas codes house can't give or get anything of value related to the card game for it to be legal.

If this looks like a country club with a golf course, tennis court, pool, dinning room etc and a poker table in the men's locker room - that is one thing.

If this is a 1,500 square foot rented hall with six tables, a buffet and paid dealers - it is an underground card room.

Austin has not been aggressive about closing card rooms if they did not have other reasons to act but a lack of pressure by the police doesn't make things legal either.

IANAL but I have been around the block -=- DrStrange

No way they won't be raided. Governments (state,city,local or fed) never let people shoot angles like this

I'm not a lawyer, but it doesn't seem like this is legal.

A. The poker games are not taking place in a private setting, as it takes place at a business.
B. The business receives economic benefit through membership fees, the law only allows money to be made in private poker games by players keeping personal winnings.

As previous posters have stated.. It's only a matter of time before this place is shut down IMO.

Our newly electern governor just took a $10k bribe, er donation, at his inauguration from oklahoma Indian tribes to keep gambling illegal in Texas. Love the idea but if they'll shut down a breast cancer tournament this won't last long.

those membership fees seem incredibly cheap to me

FYI, I believe the club gets around it being a public place with the membership angle. In effect, as with a country club, the general public cannot walk in the door to use the services of the place. Therefore, it meets the test.

As to the economic benefit, the same issue applies to the money received as with a country club. Although the country club can earn money from providing services to its members, playing poker is legal in a country club because the money is not directly earned from the hands dealt. In effect, the club is going to earn the same membership fees even if no poker hands are played or if 1,000 poker hands are played. Therefore, the money is not connected to the poker activity.

As to the charity comment by sdwhitt, I believe the foundation was trying to use a place open to the public for the event. Therefore, it was an easy answer that it did not qualify.

+1 pretty insane to pay only $100/month in rake let alone with free drinks etc.

Anyone who plays more than 10 hours a month imo will be much better off with this system.

Suppose its not that great a deal if the clubs gonna get shut down asap...

Finally some Texas holdem in Texas

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local...stin/25125795/

AUSTIN -- A brand-new card house for poker enthusiasts has opened in South Austin and the owner says he's found a way to make it legal.

Texas Card House, located off Manchaca Road near FM 1626, opened in February. Owner Sam Von Kennel tells KVUE he wanted to open the business out of his love of cards.

"It's just kind of been my passion to play cards and get people on the card table," said Von Kennel.

Von Kennel says they went over the Texas penal code for gambling and found a way to make sure their business is legal.

"The restaurants have their poker nights, country clubs have poker, so it was kind of like what are they doing right and what are other people doing wrong and that's how we crafted what we've got going on right now," he said.

Von Kennel says what they're doing right is making the club rake-free.

"100 percent of the money that comes in with the players leaves with the winners at the end of the night," said Von Kennel.

The house only makes money on membership fees.

"As long as you're not out with any games with economic advantage or house advantage like blackjack or roulette, it's a legal game," said Von Kennel.

Von Kennel has experience with the penal code. He previously worked in the Texas House of Representatives for the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee.

"Watching people try to craft the destination casino bill but recognizing that major casino gaming is not going to come around to this state anytime soon, I decided to take a look at what can we do?"

To play you must be a member of the Texas Card House. Von Kennel says members go through a short interview process before they are allowed to join.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29...texas-1518035/

Only 'casino' and I say that loosely that has poker rooms is Eagle Pass, and I'm not sure that's in Texas as it's an Indian casino. Due to the remoteness of their location, I hear it's not very busy even on the weekends so I doubt anybody would raise a fuss which would explain why they been there forever.

http://luckyeagletexas.com/

Hmm...No Texas Hold'em in Texas. Seems kinda odd.

Dealers would have to be 100% tips or portions of the "memberships" would go towards their salary?

1) It's in Texas.

2) I was last there a couple of years ago and there were two 3/6 lhe games going on a Thursday(?) afternoon.

3) When Cornyn was Attorney General he did shut down two Indian casinos in the state (East Texas/Alabama-Coushatta and El Paso/Tiguas). He and Abbott both tried to shut down Lucky Eagle but haven't been able to because it is governed by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, not the more restrictive Restoration Act that applied to the others.

Why cant they just be club employees?

Theirs no tipping allowed

Used to live outside dallas.everyone just went to winstar casino. Its literally the 1st exit across the border to Oklahoma and its HUGE.then more casinos started popping up on outskirt edges of border towns.like with internet poker I always wonderd why the hell a state wouldn't want all that tax money.just seems idiotic...ESPECIALLY when the state ALREADY has a legal lottery system.how the hell can you say that buying scratch off tickets and betting on random numbers in powerball is legal but you can't bet random numbers on a roulette wheel? Umm...???ok.any pea brain can see it's the exact same thing.hell...granny's csn play church bingo...but not casino bingo.why? Um- yeah.end rant.

At the Governor's inauguration ball, the Oklahoma Indian tribes gave him $10k with the understanding that there will be no gaming in Texas. I live in Houston and it's 3 hours to Coushata or Lake Charles. Not too bad. I saw the amount of tables that are active at Winstar and I might make the drive up.
If not there are buttloads of games to be found locally.

10 grand doesn't seem like much of a bribe.they make hand over fist.

Definitely go to winstar- most tables of the tribe casinos round there...and access to Dallas business men and denton college kids.denton is less than 30 minutes away.

Thought this was " funny "... here's the 100 LEGAL bingo halls in and around dallas...

http://www.nationwidebingo.com/searc...TX&city=Denton

Like I said- how is that and the lottery gambling legal and other gambling not?

Wanna go to 7-11 and bet on 5 numbers.ok fine.
wanna go to another building and bet on 5 numbers- not fine.

Um? I asked my grandma this question when I was like 10.
She used to put scratch offs in my stocking and drag me to bingo.
Kids understand these things.so,what's the excuse?

lame that our governors and ag's in Texas claim moral objections to gambling, but yet we can play the lottery and have our tv filled with commercials for out of state casinos.

lmfao!!

Don't believe any politician when he uses moral or religious grounds for opposing casinos or card rooms or anything actually. It's always about money/bribery in the end. I am shocked that it actually took $10,00 for a Gov or AG. They usually go a lot cheaper!