Champions Club Texas in Houston is already one of the prominent places to play poker in Texas.
The poker club co-owned by Phil Hellmuth offers some of the best tournaments in the state, including the upcoming RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) later this month. But the card room is continually working hard to keep poker players coming back.
PokerNews spoke with Mike Traylor, the brand-new Poker Director at Champions Club. Traylor, who as you’ll learn has experience in a similar role in Texas, has big plans for the poker club he now runs.
Traylor said he got his introduction to poker in 2011 dealing low-stakes games at a small poker club.
“As I gained experience, the opportunities grew with it. I was elevated from dealer, to game runner, to General Manager of one of the larger, private clubs in 2015. Then, in 2022, I joined Texas Card House Spring,” Traylor said.
Traylor then moved on to Texas Card House Spring (Houston area) in 2022 where he became the Assistant General Manager before being hired as the General Manager a year later. He left that position in July to take on the poker director role at Champions.
Growing an Establised Card Room
Champions Club, which has a new sister property in Dallas, is the only Texas poker club with an attached hotel. The building was previously a Hampton Inn, and it gives traveling players a place to stay on-site when they come to Houston for tournaments.
“Champions Club already offers the absolute best amenities of any club in Houston,” Traylor said. “A hotel that is immaculate, comfortable, warm and inviting with a pool and fitness center. A food menu that is second to none. And the poker room is designed with a purpose, from main gaming to VIP, and the best live stream set up in town.”
Traylor speaks highly of the poker room he’s taken over, but believes “every business has room to improve.” After spending “a lot of time just observing” during his first month on the job, additional training and development programs were made available to dealers and staff.
“Poker isn’t just about money when it comes to this type of business. It’s about entertainment. We want our guests to have a great time even if they lose,” he said.
Traylor and his team have made a major change since he took over, and that is with the prop player program, which has been fully eliminated. And he did that because he wants Champions to have the best action in town.
“The spirit of the program was always sound with the goal to get games running, but the negatives of limited action and otherwise poor player experience came to outweigh the positives,” Traylor explained.
Traylor’s vision for the poker room he now runs is to “reintroduce Champions Club to the city and state as a premier destination for both tournaments and cash games. This means creating an environment that is conducive to all skill levels, as well as all stakes.”
The new poker director admits Champions Club has long been more seen as a destination for tournaments and that the “average recreational player doesn’t see us as the club for the ‘leisurely player.'” But his staff is working to change that reputation to make the poker club a top spot for cash games and tournaments.
Champions Club, along with the RGPS series starting Oct. 12, has launched its largest promotion ever with the Rebirth of Champions campaign, which started Oct. 1. This promo, which runs into the beginning of 2027, features more than $150,000 in prizes given away.
The changes Traylor and his staff are making will only make this established poker club better.
RGPS to Make a Trip to Champions Club Houston in October
