Players will soon be able to hit the tables again in one of the biggest poker rooms in Texas.
The Lodge Card Club, located in Round Rock, Texas, will reopen after almost two months of closure.
The card room co-owner, Doug Polk, took to social media to share the good news.
This provided much-needed reassurance to both poker players facing wagering losses and employees dealing with job loss and financial hardship due to the closure.
BREAKING: All charges against myself, my partners, and the Lodge have been officially rejected.
The seized money and equipment will be returned and we will reopen as quickly as possible, hopefully within a few weeks.
The Grand Jury in Williamson county heard the allegations… pic.twitter.com/giEFXKzq6N
— Doug Polk (Code Doug) (@DougPolkVids) April 28, 2026
BREAKING: All charges against myself, my partners, and the Lodge have been officially rejected.
The seized money and equipment will be returned and we will reopen as quickly as possible, hopefully within a few weeks.
The Grand Jury in Williamson county heard the allegations… pic.twitter.com/giEFXKzq6N
What Led to the Shutdown in March
In March 2026, the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission (TABC) conducted a raid of The Lodge.
TABC seized cash, equipment, and property from the poker room and closed the Poker Room at the casino indefinitely.
According to law enforcement reports, The Lodge's Poker Room was involved in both money laundering and illegal gambling.
While the TABC has allegedly completed its investigation, it cannot charge individuals with a crime directly; it must conduct an investigation and turn the results over to the prosecutor's office.
When completing their investigation, the TABC failed to take any action against the Lodge or the players at the poker room.
Therefore, many are questioning whether or not there is sufficient evidence for the prosecutor's office to file charges against the Lodge or its patrons.
Furthermore, the TBC was unable to provide any of the frozen funds or assets of The Lodge after having had 30 days to present the results of their investigation to the appropriate authorities for release of the funds and assets.
Players experienced considerable stress because they could not cash out in either casino chips or tournament cash.
Charges Dropped and Funds Returned
After an investigation into repeated money laundering allegations against The Lodge, authorities decided to drop all charges against them.
Doug Polk reported that the Williamson County Grand Jury investigated the allegations against The Lodge.
The grand jury decided not to pursue any legal action against it. This decision found The Lodge and its owners innocent of all allegations.
As a result, the State of Texas returned the seized funds and equipment, allowing the club to pay its bills, including player chips and tournament payouts.
The Lodge had recently completed their tournament series just before the raid, with the main event alone winning $200,000+.
All payouts related to these events were frozen until the cases were resolved, but now the Lodge may pay them and regain the trust of its players.
A Big Win for Texas Poker Rooms
This case does not limit itself to just one card club.
Many in the poker community, including those who would regularly participate, as well as many individuals from the card club itself, see it as a test case regarding the entire system of poker in Texas.
Some of the examples of clubs operating in this manner include:
Poker clubs in Texas routinely use a "social club" business model.
Memberships and fees for seating are collected rather than taking a portion of the pot as a rake.
This structure permits poker clubs to operate while also complying with state gambling law.
However, many have been investigated for being a front for illegal gambling establishments.
If charges were filed against The Lodge and those alleging their operations' legitimacy were upheld, there would likely have been increased scrutiny of these similar poker establishments, potentially leading to their closing.
The decision not to bring charges now is somewhat of a relief to these other establishments.
It reassures owners and operators that their current method of operation will, at least for now, avoid substantial legal changes.
For now, they can continue operating without the immediate threat of major legal shifts.
The current level of poker activity in Texas has not diminished despite the issues raised by this situation.
There is currently an event taking place at Texas Card House Austin as part of the World Series of Poker Circuit.
It appears that everyone is following and properly adhering to all rules and laws.
Therefore, it is safe to say that the poker market in Texas continues to remain very active.
Poker Community Reaction
Shortly after releasing the news about the legal case, the world of poker turned to social media to celebrate and support The Lodge’s team.
@GmanPoker:
When you come at the king, you best not miss.
— Garrett Adelstein (@GmanPoker) April 28, 2026
Good things tend to happen to hard workers who do things the right way. Now go get those Lodge employees their paper.
@BenbaLamb:
Congrats is a weird word to say here, but congratulations. Very happy for you and the staff and look forward to coming down again sometime this year to lose some more money!
— Ben Lamb (@BenbaLamb) April 28, 2026
@BuffaloHanks:
Fantastic news!!
— 🦬 Hanks (@BuffaloHanks) April 29, 2026
@AndreasFroehli:
Great news! Hope these attacks become a rare thing at some point for legitimate clubs
— Andreas Froehli (@AndreasFroehli) April 29, 2026
Bluffaces
