The most popular poker variant may have been named after Texas, but the state itself is far from being welcoming towards card players. In the land where some of the game pioneers and legends, such as Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, or “Amarillo Slim” Preston, came from, it’s often difficult to find a card game. The latest news about the Texas Card House Dallas from Lone Star State further confirms this claim.
Dallas City Attorney Orders Local Card Room to Shut Down
One of the most popular card rooms in Dallas has recently received a notice from the city officials, revoking its license to operate. This perhaps wouldn’t be surprising if the same establishment hasn’t been approved the license only months ago. The poker room in question is the Texas Card house and its CEO, Ryan Crow, said that he received a letter noting that he was running a gambling place and will have to shut down. The card room has received support from Omar Narvaez who is the representative of the neighborhood in the City Council. He said that Dallas City Attorney Chris Caso has decided on his own to change the rules of what are the card playing rules according to the law. Dallas also has two other active poker rooms. At this time, it’s still unclear whether they have also received a similar notice.
Legal Card Games in Texas are Hard to Come By
Despite all the poker history and legendary local card players, legal card games in Texas are not easy to find. Not so long ago, the only place where locals could play poker legally was the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino. It’s a casino situated on the Kickapoo reservation, way down on the south of the state, next to the Rio Grande border with Mexico.
It’s the only real casino legally operating in the whole state.
Interestingly, two other tribes are working on developing casino establishments of their own. However, a number of Texas poker rooms were open across the state. These facilities sprung up in Dallas, Lubbock, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and elsewhere. In many cases, these card rooms operate in the gray legislative area. Still, the Texas Card House and its operators believed that they had been running a legitimate business as they received approval from the city. According to their CEO, they have met repeatedly with the city officials in 2020 before receiving their license. They worked more than two years on finding the location that would be acceptable to the city.
Most Texas Poker Room And Card rooms in the state are taking advantage of the legal loophole found in Chapter 47 of the Texas Penal Code.
It says, poker games are legal as long as no one receives any economic benefit other than personal winnings. Furthermore, the card clubs avoid raking in the pot, or acting as a “house”. Instead, they only charge players by the hour to just be at the venue. Some city officials believe that this still constitutes making money off of gambling. Moreover, they feel these establishments should be illegal.
The Texas Card House has appealed the decision and the Texas poker room remains open for the time being.
