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Gambling may be illegal in Texas, but over a hundred poker houses are using a loophole to open businesses across the state, particularly in Austin and Dallas.
The classic game of poker is finally being played for real money in the Lone Star State thanks to an exception to the Texas gambling ban that allows poker games to be played in private homes. Instead of taking part of the pot as traditional gambling companies do, private poker houses do not make money from the results of a game; Instead, they get their income from membership and hourly fees.
It’s a business strategy that has (mostly) gone unchallenged by Texas politicians, especially as the industry heats up.
Austin may now have around 20 poker houses in town, but it wasn’t long ago that one stood alone like a small town saloon. The city’s first poker house, Texas Card House, was founded in 2015 and has since grown into a YouTube channel with over 30,000 subscribers, a wide range of games and regular visits from well-known poker gurus such as Brad Owen and Doug Pope.
David Lagana, a content creator who has worked in college sports and Hollywood, was brought onto the scene in May when the house’s live streams began to explode. He said the live streaming battlefield is just beginning.
“The space is growing all the time,” said Lagana. “It was interesting trying to find a lead that everyone can be successful. It’s about finding something that people want to see at night.”
Carolyn Hapgood, who has been with Texas Card House for three years, has made a name for herself within the company as a livestream producer, dealer and player. She has seen Texas Card House evolve from a two-room house of cards to the most famous poker room in Austin with another branch in Dallas.
“It was a tiny little house with five tables and that was the first legal house of cards in the state,” said Hapgood. “And since then it has been blown up.”
Texas Card House Dealer Carolyn Hapgood has been working with Austin’s leading poker house since 2018. (Texas Poker House Austin / Facebook)
From $ 100 pots to buy-ins of $ 15,000 or more, Texas Card House has it all, especially as players in the states learn more about the game. Hapgood said there isn’t really a typical poker player in the house – instead, the poker table forms an “interesting little ecosystem” that includes college students, a 93-year-old Vietnam War veteran, online gamblers, old-school players, and everyone else in between. The diversity at the table has been further enhanced by COVID as people demand to return to face-to-face events.
But Texas Card House no longer has a royal flush in Austin’s poker culture. The Round Rock-based lodge is now growing to over 60 tables, the largest in Texas, while the Palms Social Club, owned by original Texas Card House owner Sam Von Kennel, brought service staff and a sophisticated atmosphere to the Austin scene.
Hapgood said the poker player base is very large and continues to grow and community as players make friends on and off the table.
“My favorite part of the poker community is how much fun we have,” said Hapgood. “You sit around the table with eight of your friends, everyone is just having fun. There are a lot of players who call or text each other after they finish playing and they end up inviting everyone.” other barbecues, going out to eat with their families and things like that … these are my favorite people I love to hang out with. “
Getting into the poker scene is as easy as turning on a live stream, and Lagana hopes that more underdogs like him will be inspired by poker in the future.
“It’s a bit like life,” said Lagana. “Life is not just about playing a hand … you are only in control of what you have in hand (and) you can’t play the card that you haven’t dealt. So it was a really fascinating life lesson for me.”
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