'Great Day for Poker in Texas': Longhorn State to Host its First-Ever WSOP Event
PokerNews has learned that the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) is heading to Texas in the Spring, the first time any WSOP-branded event has taken place in the Lone Star State.
Texas Card House will play host to the first-ever Circuit series in Texas at its Austin location, TCH Social, one of the biggest and most popular card rooms in the state. The World Poker Tour (WPT) recently made its first trip to Texas with a WPT Prime Championship event at TCH's top competitor, The Lodge Card Club, another major room in the Austin area.
Further Details Coming Soon
The Spring 2026 WSOP Circuit series is a huge step for poker in the state of Texas, a state with a passionate poker community that has been forced to deal with all sorts of legal issues over the years. Poker rooms in Texas operate as membership clubs instead of traditional brick-and-mortar card rooms, due to the state's strict anti-gambling laws that don't permit rake to be collected out of pots.
Each room, at least the ones operating legally, instead of raking pots, charges membership and daily or hourly seat fees. The business model, for many of these clubs, has worked, and there is no better example than TCH, which operates six poker clubs across the state. But TCH, especially its Dallas location, has battled through some legal issues, fighting local politicians for the right to remain in operation. So, bringing the most well-known tournament brand to TCH and the state of Texas is an important hurdle for everyone involved.
"I am very excited about this opportunity," Texas Card House CEO Ryan Crow said. "This is something we have been working towards for a long time. It's a great day for poker in Texas."
Crow said that TCH has become the exclusive partner for WSOP Circuit events in Texas. The card room's first WSOP event will be hosted in the Spring, but the official dates and schedule of events won't be released for a couple of weeks.
Texas Card House won a never-ending major legal battle against the City of Dallas in September, and now the poker club is bringing the WSOP to Texas for the first time.
