Doug Polk Promises to Personally Pay Poker Players Back if The Lodge Cannot
Doug Polk, a popular content creator, released his first YouTube video since the Texas poker room he co-owns, The Lodge Card Club, was raided on March 10 over an illegal gambling and money laundering investigation, and he assured players with outstanding poker chips they will get paid.
The heads-up poker legend stood up for his poker club and defended the business model against accusations made by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). Gambling is illegal in Texas, but Texas Penal Code 47.04 opens up the possibility of hosting legal poker games so long as rake isn't collected. Rooms such as The Lodge Card Club in the Austin area charge membership and seat fees in place of rake.
Polk, an outspoken poker pro who has been silenced by his attorneys since the raid, released a brief statement on X two weeks ago, denying any involvement or knowledge of money laundering at The Lodge. But he opened up even further in his first pod-raid YouTube video.
Here's What Polk Had to Say
Polk, a three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, admitted making the video was a tricky situation given he's a subject in the investigation. He addressed having to lay off hundreds of employees and outstanding player chips.
"When I saw that we had let go of the employees, I did feel a little bit upset for our people. You know, I got to really know a lot of these guys over the course of the last few years, and these are good, hard-working people," Polk said.
The heads-up poker specialist began the 22-minute video explaining why he became interested in purchasing an established card room four years ago in Texas, a state that is strict against gambling. He explained the poker laws, most notably addressing the often debated law that states "no person receives any economic benefit other than personal winnings."
"As for economic benefit, really what that has boiled down to is there cannot be an ecomomic benefit within the hand itself," Polk said. "So, essentially, 100% of the gambling must go to the player."
The Lodge, a membership-based social club, does not collect rake out of any pots, and the revenue is generated through monthly membership fees that players pay to join the club, and the hourly seat fees the players are charged to enter a cash game.
Polk then expressed some frustration with many of the rooms in the state operating illegally, specifically Houston where numerous poker clubs openly collect rake without facing any prosecution from local authorities.
"What's particularly weird about this is that, of all the clubs in the state, I would view us as a top-tier, maybe even the most stringent club in terms of following all necessary procedures in order to comply with federal, state, and local law," Polk claims.
Polk then addressed the accusations authorities have made against The Lodge Card Club, including money laundering and organized crime, two crimes that seem quite serious on the surface.
"In this situation, I believe that what they're saying is that, because we think this is illegal gambling, all of the transactions are, thus, money laundering. It's suspicious to have this much money going into a bank account. The Lodge has basically the highest stakes games in the state of Texas and does a lot to try and protect the players. The Lodge offers wires for people to go in and out so they don't have to take cash," Polk explained.
The 22-page search and seizure affidavit mentioned wire transactions from players to The Lodge Card Club, which the TABC deems to be potentially suspicious activity. But, as Polk explained, that is common practice with high-stakes poker games for player safety, not just at The Lodge, but any card room.
"There's nothing suspicious about doing that from my perspective," Polk continued. "We are trying to operate in accordance with the law. When I saw my name next to money laundering, I was shocked. I didn't know what to do."
"And after thinking about it, I did what anyone would do in that situation, and I texted Ryan Feldman to book my next appearance on Hustler Casino Live," he joked.
Polk said that all of the financial transactions mentioned in the affidavit "are activity of a lawful business."
The warrant also brought up the legality of serving alcohol while hosting poker tournaments in Texas. But, as Polk stated, The Lodge was granted a new liquor license in 2024 from the TABC, and other card rooms such as Texas Card House, a direct competitor to The Lodge, have the same licenses and host tournaments.
The TABC's raid included taking possession of the company's financial assets. If charges aren't filed within 30 days of the raid — April 9 — it's likely the money seized would have to be returned to the business. Should that occur, The Lodge Card Club would likely reopen soon after. But if criminal charges are filed before that date, the money would remain in possession of the state.
Polk then shot down theories about why the raid took place, including a PokerNews Podcast discussion questioning if the federal government is involved. He also disputed any conspiracy theory about TCH, The Lodge's top competitor in Austin, somehow being involved.
The poker room co-owner reiterated that The Lodge Card Club is not permanently closed, and left open the possibility for the poker club to reopen despite the employees being laid off. He then addressed a concern among poker players who still have outstanding chips from The Lodge.
"If The Lodge does not make these people whole, I will," Polk said. "I'm taking on seven-figures in personal liability. Not because I have to, but because I want to and I don't want anyone that's involved with this to end up losing their money."
"I'm hoping The Lodge gets to reopen with its money back and pay people out themselves. But only time will tell."
