TABC raided the Lodge Card Club last week, shocking the poker world. Doug Polk, a co-owner of the poker room, quickly addressed the situation.
Polk posted on X and was categorical, stating that he had “no knowledge of any money laundering” linked to his poker room.
This latest revelation comes at a time when the poker room's staff are worried about their jobs and players are still uncertain about their funds, putting the poker room's future in limbo.
I did not participate in, and still have no knowledge of, any money laundering in the operation of the Lodge.
— Doug Polk (Code Doug) (@DougPolkVids) March 16, 2026
I understand that some people assume that because there was a search warrant, a crime must have been committed, but that’s not really how the process works. A search…
What Happened at The Lodge Card Club?
Officials from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) recently obtained a search warrant for the Lodge Card Club. As a result, the poker club in Austin was quickly shut down after the raid.
There are no official charges or release of the statement from the police yet. A great deal has changed since the poker room closed.
There are no more games or events, and players can't get to their money right now.
The Lodge's closure has made things challenging for workers and members who relied on the revenue it generated or frequent play.
Doug Polk Responds to Allegations
Doug Polk's comment was meant to reassure people and calm their growing concerns. In response to rumours going around online, he said:
Polk says that most people don't know how investigations work. He said a search warrant is just the first step and not proof of a crime.
He stressed that the club and the public still don't have access to the paper that backed up the order.
This means that many important facts are still unknown. In addition, Polk said that he is fully cooperating with the police to help with the probe.
His law team told him to be ready to answer questions from the police and help clear things up.
Polk's speech was also mostly about the player cash. Polk says that players who have chip amounts or event wins that haven't been paid will be paid.
He said that players would be "made whole" and that he would make sure it happened the right way.
Impact on Employees and Players
Over 200 workers depend on the club for their livelihoods. At the moment, these employees are facing uncertainty and could lose their jobs.
In his statement, Polk noted that he was aware of the situation and was worried about the staff, calling them "good, hard-working people."
And he's taken action to help by sharing a Facebook group where Lodge workers can find gigs or extra work during this tough time.
The shutdown has also had an effect on players. Currently, tournament payouts can't be handled, and some players' money is stuck in chips.
People who played poker often and trusted the poker room and the poker community as a whole about what happened.
Polk's promise that all players who lost money will get it back has made some people feel better, but it's still unclear when.
Oh our staff have a group going to find work, can find it here if you can help:https://t.co/N7h5GOCrRf
— Doug Polk (Code Doug) (@DougPolkVids) March 16, 2026
What Happens Next?
The Lodge Card Club investigation still has a lot of important information that is not publicly available.
There has been no official charge or release of the document that led to the search order. In other words, things could still go several different ways.
When Polk's lawyers have finished looking into the case and he has additional information, he will issue another statement.
Poker Community Reaction
The poker community had different thoughts about Polk's recent statement:
@EdBetzel:
It's not legally your responsibility Doug. But if you'd give your employees maybe $5k each to stabilize their life and cover their bills. Now they can hustle more with a little piece of mind while this works itself out. I don't know if you're a believer in Karma but if so...
— Ǝddie From The D (@EdBetzel) March 16, 2026
@bhadden329:
I thought you would be paying them, no?? No unemployment insurance?? pic.twitter.com/O4XlQnd8dI
— bhadden329 (@bhadden329) March 16, 2026
@ThePokerKaren:
Give each and every employee 10k each!
— ThePokerKaren (@ThePokerKaren) March 16, 2026
Ridiculously disingenuous to be worth 50 Milly and you can't slice off 4% of that to look after your loyal employees.
Absolute disgrace telling them they have nothing coming and to go get your side hustle on.
Have some fricken integrity! pic.twitter.com/WR44B3E0iw
@Ziggy348916:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…no owners/employees should be allowed to play at the lodge against other customers. It looks bad. It smells bad. A lot of casinos (not all but most) don’t allow a dealer to play in their own house. It’s a bad idea and Doug should end it.
— Ziggy (@Ziggy348916) March 16, 2026
@derek8poker:
Written by the lawyers.
— TheOchoShow (@derek8poker) March 16, 2026
Doug will stay out of prison but the card room is cooked..
The spirit of the club is to run a few 1-2 tables.
Not play 400k pots all night & have Texans go home -45k playing 10-20.
Karma comes around quick. These games are meant for La-Vegas
Bluffaces
