Local authorities in Fort Worth and Dallas raided the Watauga Social Lounge Poker Club last Sunday and arrested at least six employees who were then booked in the county jail. Several customers were fined.
There are approximately three dozen card rooms in Texas. Most operate as social clubs and charge membership fees instead of taking rakes.
An anonymous employee spoke with PokerNews about the raid on Oct. 9.
“I thought it was security actually because we asked two security to come in, but I guess they didn’t realize we started the tournament at 1 p.m. as they usually come in at 6 p.m. But when they told me to raise my hands, I realized it wasn’t security.”
The card room, which opened in January, had hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Watauga Mayor Arthur L. Miner. It was a stop on PokerNews Texas Road Trip back in March.
Professionals confiscate every thing
PokerNews was able to obtain the warrant issued to the card room, authorizing the search of a gambling establishment.
According to the warrant, Tarrant County authorities were authorized to seize currency, gambling proceeds, financial records, and other valuable items related to obtaining, transferring, concealing, or spending large sums of money derived from specified illegal activities.
In addition to the items mentioned, the warrant also allowed for the seizure of tickets, documents, bank bags, receipts, cash, gift certificates, coupons, credit card receipts, and other records showing documentation of entries, additional plays, dealers/staff appreciation, management fees, payoffs, and checks cashed by players.
Judge George Gallagher of the Texas 396th District Court issued the warrant on Oct. 8, two days before the raid took place.
Describing the venue, the warrant stated:
“All of the windows to the poker room are covered, preventing anyone from seeing inside. On either side of the entrance are large pictures or images of playing cards, along with black, blue, and white poker-style playing chips.”
According to the warrant, authorities also searched for non-poker-related gambling paraphernalia that may violate Texas Penal Code, Chapter 47, including equipment such as dice, roulette wheels, and video gambling devices.
Although the card room housed various gambling games, authorities decided to remove tables, chairs, and other equipment, which were then loaded onto county trucks.
Tournament damaged, players fined
It was during the second day of the venue’s Fall Classic Poker $420 buy-in, $100K GTD Main Event that Tarrant County officials swooped in. The tournament also featured a $20 optional dealer add-on, offered six starting flights, and intended to live-stream the final table.
The competition drew 369 entries, totaling an impressive $132,840 prize pool. Fifty-three players returned to compete on Day 2, with Randi Repertorier (942,000), Ethan Pat (676,000), and Ashton Marlow (626,000) holding the most chips.
When the poker game reached Level 16 (3,000/6,000/6,000) with 49 players remaining, that’s when the raid occurred. Authorities confiscated the prize pool as well as an undisclosed amount of cash on hand. All the players remaining in the game were fined a hefty amount of $360.
To gain a better understanding of the operation, authorities posed the following questions to players:
- How long have you played here?
- Are you a member (daily, weekly, yearly)?
- How much did you pay for the tournament?
- What was the breakdown of the entry fee?
- Did you tip the dealer $20 to receive an additional 15,000 chips for the tournament?
What does this mean to find card areas in Arizona?
Texas has seen numerous gambling poker rooms raided in recent years; however, Watauga is arguably the state’s largest and most prominent. It’s remarkable to know that such a card room has experienced its fair share of controversies in the past.
Last year, a poker player complained about what he alleged was a hidden rake on add-ons. He called the card room a “rathole” and was subsequently banned from the establishment.
Poker social clubs operate throughout the state and are subject to local and county authorities. Typically, law enforcement tends to leave these rooms alone, although occasional raids in certain jurisdictions do occur.
The timing of the raid at the Watauga Social Lounge Poker Club is interesting, given that a Dallas lawsuit challenging the operations of Texas Card House is expected to make its way to the state’s Supreme Court.
It’s hard to imagine that the Watauga Social Lounge Poker Club will be able to continue operations anytime soon, especially considering the recent seizure of the $132K in prize money and assets, including multiple poker tables. The venue’s owners plan to provide an update to the public in the next few days once they have more information about the charges.
Rashid Mohamed is an international journalist with a specific interest in sports writing. He contributes regularly to PlayTexas, focusing on the pathway to gaming legalization and the underground market in the state. He is a Poli-Sci graduate of Ohio University and holds an A.A.S. in Journalism. He has worked in various countries and has extensive experience in the United Nations and other local, national, and international organizations. Rashid resides and writes out of Colorado, Colorado.
