Authorities Raid The Lodge Card Club, Texas' Largest Poker Room
PokerNews has confirmed that The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas, co-owned by Doug Polk, Andrew Neeme, and Brad Owen, was raided by state police and the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) Tuesday morning.
The card room is just a day removed from the conclusion of its Lodge Championship Series Main Event. About 16 hours later and players inside the popular Texas poker club were met with a surprise from law enforcement.
Players at The Lodge were, according to a Reddit thread, told to take their chips home and bring them back when the business reopens. One Redditor claims authorities wouldn't let him leave until he showed identification despite refusing to show the patron a search warrant.
The Lodge recently renovated its poker room and has dozens of cash games running daily. The incident occurred during slow hours, however, on a Tuesday morning.
PokerNews reached out to the Round Rock Police Department and were informed that the matter is being investigated by the TABC. It is unclear at this time if the raid is poker related or in regards to a liquor license. We have reached out to the TABC for comment but have not yet heard back.
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is scheduled to host a special event at the Austin-area poker club on March 13.
Polk, who was not at the business during the raid, told PokerNews he doesn't have all the information yet as to why The Lodge Card Club is facing legal action, and he is waiting for that to happen before issuing a statement.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for further details.
