Poker Social Club Austin
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Austin's newest social club. Palms Social offers poker games including No-limit Hold'em, Omaha, & Mixed Games. OFC, Spades, Bridge, Big-Deuce and any other game are available. SHUFFLE 512 operates as a private club entity that works within the Texas State Legislature’s rules for card rooms in order to provide you a safe, legal, and conveniently located option to play the game we all love. We specialize in Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Big O, but will deal alternative games if there is enough interest. Lucky Card Club, formerly known as Cowboys Card Club and The Lodge Austin, is now under a new management. We'll be coming very soon with loads of poker entertainment in October. Specialties: We are Austin's Premiere Poker Social Club! We professional dealers on staff and offer a wide variety of poker games including, NL Hold'em, Omaha PLO8 Hi/Low, Crazy Pineapple, etc. We offer a professional security staff for safety and a private parking area for added protection. The Austin Poker Club 3,547 Poker Players Lets Play Bridge Austin. Lets Play Bridge Austin. 828 Social Geeks.
Its name might be attached to the most popular form of poker, and the game’s greatest early practitioners all called the Lone Star State home, but the state of Texas has always looked at poker as an illegal activity.For decades, if you wanted to find a game of poker in Texas you’d have to locate an underground game or card room.
Thanks to a loophole in Texas law, and a group of enterprising businessmen that is beginning change.
A handful of “legal” poker rooms have begun to pop up in Texas. Whether they remain open is anyone’s guess.
The Texas gambling laws
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Texas law seemingly forbids poker, and outside of charity games and unraked home games, no one has challenged Texas’s ban on for-profit poker games.
Section 47.02 of the Texas Penal Code states, it’s an offense if a person:
(3) plays and bets for money or other things of value at any game played with cards, dice, balls, or any other gambling device.
But it also states:
(b) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that:
(1) the actor engaged in gambling in a private place;
(2) no person received any economic benefit other than personal winnings; and
(3) except for the advantage of skill or luck, the risks of losing and the chances of winning were the same for all participants.
A literal reading of the law would lead you to believe, poker is a-ok, so long as:
- you’re in a private building;
- no one is profiting from hosting the game; and
- the game is fair.
How the legal card rooms work
Poker Social Club Austin
The card rooms that are popping up in Texas are private clubs that provide rake-free poker games, as well as bridge, backgammon, chess, and beyond. Instead of a rake, which would make the game illegal per the Texas Penal Code cited above, the clubs charge membership fees, and in some cases seat rentals. The latter seems to be pushing the legality envelope even further.
Michael Eakman’s club, Mint Poker in Southeast Houston is one such example.
“In our conversations with the city attorney here in our jurisdiction, we made everyone aware of what we were doing before we even signed the lease,” Eakman told the Houston Chronicle. “I certainly don’t want to challenge anyone to bring a court case, but I think at the end of the day we’re handling this by being proactive instead of reactive is the way to do this … There are no regulations and guidelines other than the narrow scope of a very vague law.”
Of course, in addition to rake or a seat charge, the sentence, “no person received any economic benefit other than personal winnings,” could cover membership fees.
Will they stay legal?
The million dollar question is: How will the Texas Legislature react to these rooms?
Another owner of a private card club, Sam VonKennel, helped create the Texas Association of Social Card Clubs to lobby the legislature.
“The Legislature hasn’t really seen it yet because it hasn’t really existed,” VonKennel told the local press. “As they pop up, I want to make sure the [legislature] is aware of them. What I would really like to do is get these guys to become licensed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and that way they’re absolutely certain they’re on the right side of the law.”
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The problem is, the card rooms are new enough that they haven’t landed on the legislature’s radar yet, but like Daily Fantasy Sports, their success, and proliferation may end up being their undoing. Right now there are about a half dozen such clubs, but if they prove successful they’ll likely be popping up across the state.
University of Houston political science Professor Brandon Rottinghaus was quick to point out that being “technically legal” may not be a good enough argument, particularly in the conservative, and historically anti-gambling Texas legislature.
“It probably violates the spirit, if not the letter of the law,” Rottinghaus told the Houston Chronicle. “… in instances like that, there will definitely be a push back where the Attorney General and local law enforcement might take offense to the idea that there might be this illicit expansion of gambling, even if it’s not technically speaking illegal gambling.
“Trying to get around the law on this issue is never profitable. I think that’s the real danger that the people running these clubs have.
You may technically be in the right, but this issue is so fraught with politics and morality that you’re unlikely to succeed.”
Even if they’re deemed legal, I would expect the legislature to look at imposing regulations and taxation/licensing fees.
SHUFFLE 512 operates as a private social club that includes playing poker games, tournaments, and watching your favorite sporting events on our large screen TV’s throughout the club. We offer complimentary water and coffee for all of our members.
Q: Do I have to be a member to visit SHUFFLE 512?
A: Membership is required. In order to stay compliant with state regulations, all individuals, groups, corporate or charity events must become members at SHUFFLE 512. There are no exceptions to this rule. We are offer several memberships options:
Daily: $10/day
Monthly: $30/month
Annual: $200/year
Q: Where is SHUFFLE 512 located?
A: We are conveniently located at 6501 South Congress #1-104 Austin, TX 78745, with plenty of parking. We are located between Stassney and William Cannon, off South Congress Ave.
Q: How does SHUFFLE 512 charge for activities?
A: SHUFFLE 512 requires all individuals to first become club members and/or verify their existing membership at the lobby. Once a member, before entering the club, members must check in at the front lobby which allows members access to the club and all amenities/activities. We utilize Poker Atlas as our member platform and issue players’ cards to each member. For Cash Games, prepaid time is purchased by members and loaded onto their account. When a player enters a Cash Game they present their players card to the dealer and are “clocked in” at the table. When a cash game player is finished for the day, they simply tell the dealer to “clock me out”. The Poker Atlas platform is accurate to the minute and is the most state of the art system in Texas poker rooms.
For Tournaments we charge a flat tournament access fee that varies per tournament. There are NO hourly fees assessed based on the amount of time seated in a tournament. This setup is most similar to greens fees assessed at a private golf club.
Q: I want to become a SHUFFLE 512 member, how do I do so?
A: Stop by the club and fill out the SHUFFLE 512 Club Membership Agreement and pay the membership fee associated with your term of membership (Daily/Monthly/Annual). Periodically SHUFFLE 512 management may meet to discuss alteration of membership eligibility.
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Q: Can my membership be revoked?
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A: Yes, SHUFFLE 512 management reserves the right to revoke membership for violations of club rules, breaches of etiquette, negative review of criminal background checks, or other reasons.