Sheriff in Smith County, Texas says "arrests are expected" with regard to the Top Shelf Poker Room, which got raided last week.

The room is doing a GoFundMe to raise money for legal defense.

https://brokefishpoker.com/news/f/ar...elf-poker-room

Is Doug Polk in jail?

Sounds like it was being run by some bottom shelf folks

What ever happened to the Poker Players' Alliance ?

Thread is pretty worthless without videos.


Here is a news story with words from an owner as well as excerpts from the Smith County sheriff's press conference about this:





Full 11 minute video of the Smith Co Sheriff's Press Conference:

https://www.kltv.com/2022/03/11/top-...by-das-office/

I grew up in Tyler and - but I have been gone for 40 years.

We still have family there and I have played in this Room about three years ago. It was a good game then.

This sounds like Smith County politics to me.....

Hope the owners can prevail and get the game back to running.

Just a few months ago Smith County had shut down an underground poker room:

https://www.kltv.com/2021/12/17/4-ac...-smith-county/

Feel bad for the owners...


But this has always been the the risk for the rooms all over Texas.

It takes one person within the City/County Council, Govt, School Board, anywhere, just one person from the religious right or anyone with anti-gambling view to raise their hand and pressure local DA.

Sadly this will give rise to other any-gambling voices in other local municipal govts to try to do the same. There is simply not enough or really any voice/lobby to oppose the anti-gambling people in these govts, so once the questions and calls for closure start, there is nothing to stop them.

Would something like this go to court? More likely that they settle, room agrees to close, DA agrees to drop criminal prosecution?
Has a case like this gone to trial yet where "promotion of gambling " from Section 47 is the rule on by a judge?

p.s. Tyler. Rose Capital of the World !

Presser was a bit confusing but my take is that there were two issues .. and really mainly one.

1) Promotion of gambling .. This is the loophole associated with NCAA brackets or Super Bowl squares as well. They can take any signage, Facebook posts or whatever and twist it if they want.

2) Cutting the pot .. Here's where they are in trouble IMO. That's rake and that's illegal. Of course the owners knew how the pot was being handled, but they were probably ignorant to it being a violation (perhaps).

It seems to me that the previous ownership maybe had a heads up and sold it off to these folks, telling them that they've been up and running for 4-5 years with no issues.

I think the statement that the membership is illegal is not true, but he didn't get a full night's sleep either by admission! GL

A GoFundMe for legal defense? The owners are pathetic.