As a poker enthusiast I truly hope these places remain viable and continue to thrive and expand.
Unfortunately they are fighting two fronts:
1) The people who want tell us grown men and women that we cannot spend our hard earned money on a hobby that we enjoy because they find it objectionable.
2) The underground game runners who have been filling a void illegally and charging exorbitant prices for an in demand service.
Specifically to Mint Poker in Clear Lake:
- I have played there about 4 times now and find the place to be great. It beats any underground game that I have ever played at and rivals cross border casinos for Texas Holdem action.
- The times I have played I have found the staff and dealers to be very polite and professional.
- I have never felt unsafe and have observed off duty uniformed police officers providing security. I have never felt unsafe, even leaving the place at 3:00 am after cashing out.
- The action is fantastic with 3-5 tables of 1/3 (and sometimes a wait list running) with very decent sized stacks on the table.
- I have seen many players that I have run into at local underground card rooms and to a person they have said they will not play in an underground game as long as Mint (and others like it) are open and viable. I feel this, more than anything else, is the source of some comments found in this thread and others like it.
We finally have a model that can potentially allow us to enjoy our hobby with our money and not have to drive 2-3 hours each way or pay extortion level prices to a truly illegal underground game runner. I believe that we as a poker community need to support these types of establishments and do everything we can to ensure that they can remain viable, deliver a value added service to the player community, and remain on the right side of the law.