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Casinos form an underground billion-dollar industry that operates in a murky realm and engages in a perpetual cat-and-mouse game with the authorities. Hundreds opened in Houston’s Harris. Despite multiple arrests, doors remain open at arcades all over town. The recent federal ruling is limited to a specific device. Poker Room Reviews, Underground Rooms, Houston Poker Rooms November 28, 2008. Money gambling online, Stevens Point Online Gambling Ordinances, Producing.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Authorities raided an underground casino near the Texas border that had been concealed in a private home in a quiet neighborhood. The raid is part of the ongoing Operation Bishop which as previously reported by Breitbart Texas is an effort by law enforcement to kick out underground casinos. These casinos are not only a magnet for criminal activity, but have also been used as a way to launder money by Mexican cartels operating in the U.S.
Breitbart Texas was present when members of the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office, along with the help of federal agents, stormed the building which at first glance appeared to be a regular house.
Authorities found an underground casino inside this average looking home.
Authorities went in quickly arresting the casino owners and detaining the players who covered their faces to avoid being photographed. Once that was done, they began to gather the evidence and dismantle the gaming devices so they could take them and seize them.
Individuals who has been inside the underground casino covered their faces to avoid being photographed while authorities carried out the raid
Two people running the casino ended up in handcuffs while eight individuals who were gambling received misdemeanor citations for taking part in the illegal activity.
In Texas, while coin-operated video gaming machines are legal, taxed and licensed; the practice becomes illegal when the establishment pays out cash for their winnings or gives out prices higher than a certain established value.
Poker table that had been previously used in the underground casino
This case began two weeks ago when DA’s office investigators received information about the gaming establishment in this city’ Country Club neighborhood. An investigation confirmed the establishment was in fact paying out in cash, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the CCDA’s office revealed.
“I’m glad they got them,” one of the neighbors who did not want to be identified by name said in Spanish. “At first they had a lot of people coming at night but then it was at all hours people kept coming and going.”
The neighbor stated that while most of the players appeared harmless, other individuals who associated with the people running the casino did not look like upstanding citizens.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
Underground Gambling Houston Mississippi
In less than two weeks, the Prime Social Club in Houston, Texas will play host to the inaugural Lonestar Poker Series, which will run October 23-November 1. PokerNews will be offering daily live updates from the series, and you can see the full schedule at the bottom of this article.
In the meantime, I wanted to take a look at the rise of poker in my hometown as the aptly-named Texas hold’em has changed so much in Texas over the past 15 years. While I currently live in Las Vegas and love to frequent rooms on and off the Strip, I grew up and fell in love with poker in Houston.
One day, my dad and I were driving down West Gray in the River Oaks area of Houston when we passed a bar called “The Tavern”. They had a large vinyl sign out front that said “Free Weekly Poker Games on Tuesdays and Thursdays!” That was enough to get us to stop and check it out.
Bar Leagues & Underground Poker
National Pub Poker League (NPPL) was the company partnered with the bar hosting these weekly events. You didn’t have to buy-in but they suggested purchasing food or beverage from the venue and if you did, you were rewarded with extra chips for the nightly tournament. The last man or woman standing was awarded a card protector (I still have one that I won) or a branded t-shirt. It was here where I made my first friends in poker and really grew to love the game.
Underground Gambling Houston Astros
“If you had accidentally walked in, you would be immediately escorted out.”
Before long, I ventured into the underground poker scene. One room I remember well was the “Ring Room” in downtown Houston. This room was blocks away from the Toyota Center where the Rockets play basketball. What appeared to be a boxing gym with a small parking lot had a second door that opened to a basement room.
Cameras were on the parking lot and faced the door to view anyone approaching this unmarked door. Once the remote locked door was open to you, you found yourself inside a large cage. A room full of poker tables and big-screen TVs were able to be seen but you could not access them until someone from management came over and spoke with you. If you had accidentally walked in, you would be immediately escorted out.
Otherwise, you had to have someone on the inside speak up for you and bring you into the game. This was my first experience with a room like this and it was my favorite of the underground venues I’d come to visit occasionally. Boxing matches or MMA fights would frequently be on the televisions and the games were pretty serious.
Becoming a Legitimate Enterprise
Today, poker has a new life in Houston and it’s in the sunlight instead of being in the shadows. Prime Social is one of many poker clubs in the city that offer Houstonians the opportunity to play the game they love without having to stress out about the fears that once enveloped the game there just a few years ago.
Gambling isn’t illegal in a private establishment if there is no rake taken from each dealt hand of poker. With this information, these private poker clubs have produced a unique transaction. You are able to purchase a membership and rent a seat at the poker table in the game of your choice. Once there, you can play without having any money taken from the hands.
Prime Social is in a great situation with confident leadership in Brent Pollack, who has been in Houston for three years but built a strong reputation in the industry while living and working in Las Vegas for over a decade. Starting at the Gold Coast, Pollack’s career took him to Stations Casinopoker rooms and Caesars Palace as well. Pollack and his team have worked hard to create a “VegasCasino Experience” for their customers.
“My goal was to get the procedures correct. I wanted our room to be completely transparent and offer true professionalism to show our players what was available,” Pollack told PokerNews.
With Prime Social in a good position, they’ve decided to expand their offerings. Pollack and well-respected player Kim Stone have teamed up to create the inaugural Lone Star Poker Series, which offers over $300K in guarantees and 16 tournaments including NLH, Omaha, HORSE, and a “Triple Triple Draw” event featuring a mix of 2-7TD, A-5TD, and Badugi.
Catching Up with Kim Stone
Last year, as Houston poker was growing, Stone was surprised by how backwards things were in the tournament area. They were available but didn’t seem to focus on the right things. She wanted an established tour like Run It Up Reno or the Run Good Poker Series to come to town because they offered such a fun experience. However, because of the vague Texas laws, the tours wanted to wait.
Stone, having been in the business for 16+ years, decided not to wait but instead create the experience on her own. The Lone Star Poker Series will be geared towards bringing a professional tournament environment with great structures, and seasoned tournament staff like Tournament Director Justin Hammer.
“I just want to show that we can offer a series in a market that doesn’t have any kind of real professionally run poker events and I can bring it on a professional level while bringing in additional pieces that will make it fun,” said Stone.
Lone Star Poker Series will have 16 “Lone Star Champions” who will be awarded engraved handmade money clips featuring the name of the tournament they won. In addition to these prizes, the Kickoff Event and PLO Championship Event will step up and include a unique Trophy Buckle while the Lone Star Main Event will award a sterling silver Trophy Buckle.
Houston has had a unique experience when it comes to poker but with rooms like Prime Social and events like Lone Star Poker Series, the future of poker in Texas looks bright.
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