A popular card room in the Houston area was raided late Thursday morning, but the reason hasn’t been revealed.
The 101 Poker Club in Katy, Texas was shut down by authorities at around 11:30 a.m. local time. According to PokerNews sources, guns were drawn and players were removed from the games. A video we obtained from outside the poker room shows police officers blocking the entrance.
This is a developing story that we will update as new information arises. PokerNews has reached out to the Houston Police Department, the department initiating the raid, and are awaiting response. But we’ve spoken to multiple sources who have played at 101 and claim the room doesn’t follow the standard Texas model of charging a seat fee based on time.
Collecting Rake the Issue?
Texas has strict anti-gambling laws, but Texas Penal Code Chapter 47 leaves open the possibility of spreading poker games legally so long as rake isn’t collected. The poker rooms in the Lone Star State that attempt to operate within the law charge membership and seat fees as opposed to rake.
But our sources indicate 101 Poker Club does charge memberships fees at the club, but has been taking chips out of pots. It’s unclear if that is the reason for the raid, however. That said, our source indicated that some players entering the building aren’t always checked to ensure they have a valid membership, a contention of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) when the organization raided The Lodge Card Club in March.
We are told that regulars often enter unchecked, whereas most unknown players are asked to show membership. But, apparently, if the floor is busy, some players who aren’t known in the poker room can just enter without proving membership.
The specific reason for the raid is unknown at this time. Players were immediately let go after police entered the room, but dealers and staff were detained. At least one staff member — not a dealer — was arrested during the raid.
101 Poker Club’s poker tables are often packed full on the weekends, with 8-10 games running on any random weekday. The poker club also has a full kitchen and is considered to have some of the best food among poker rooms in the state. Most poker games hosted at 101 are of the low to mid-stakes variety, mostly No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha.
It appears the city of Houston is beginning to crack down on illegal gambling, as many of the rooms in the city are illegally collecting rake. Lucky J Social Club in Houston was recently raided and has already reopened, and the card room is now offering additional non-poker table games, which is not legal in Texas.
Grand Jury Ruling Paves Way for Raided Texas Poker Room to Reopen Soon