Doug Polk Instrumental in Texas Card House Case

The Texas Card House, run by Ryan Crow in Dallas, was initially approved for business back in 2020. However, a passionate council advocate, Andrew Espinoza, battled the club in the courts, a battle that ended with Crow victorious in the Texas Supreme Court.

Why Was the Texas Card House Threatened with Closure?

After initially being awarded a license to operate as a poker room in 2020, Ryan Crow’s six poker rooms in The Lone Star State were threatened with closure in 2022. That’s because the city council in Dallas, who originally approved the license, then questioned the move.

Andrew Espinoza, who advocated for the council in attempting to close the Texas Card House (TCH), said that the initial approval had been made “in error” and that the license should be rescinded. In court, the law lost but Espinoza went back to the dock again and again, with two failed appeals now ending the state’s battle with TCH.

The public may feel that the battle was not worth having. Not only is poker extremely popular in Texas, the home of greats of the game such as Doyle ‘Texas Dolly’ Brunson and Amarillo ‘Slim’ Preston, but the cost of the battle hits taxpayers hard. Reports indicate that the state of Texas have coughed up an incredible $370,000 in support of Espinoza’s clearly flawed protestation at the cardroom’s operation.

The Lodge Play a Huge Part

“Yesterday was a tremendous victory for poker in the state of Texas.”  Doug Polk.

Doug Polk’s involvement in the case is in some ways, completely expected, but in others, comes as a surprise. Polk, along with Andrew Neeme and Brad Owen, co-owns The Lodge Card Club, a direct rival of the Texas Card House. With only one club compared to six, Polk’s business doubtless suffers against the six TCH locations across the state. Add to that Polk and the LCC team’s unsuccessful attempts to get approval for a second Lodge Card Club in the state.

But Polk is nothing if not a principled player and proud Texas resident. While The Lodge Card Club and the Texas Card House are rivals, Polk and pals supported TCH throughout the process and celebrated the Supreme Court’s judgement on Friday with a glass or two of champagne.

“Yesterday was a tremendous victory for poker in the state of Texas,” said Doug Polk on X. “After years of fighting in court, the Texas Supreme Court has denied the city of Dallas’s attempts to close a poker room there. This ruling was the biggest possible win to protect our right to play poker. Shuffle up and deal!”

Is The Texas Penal Code to Blame?

Not for the first time, the Texas Penal code – which makes it impossible to charge rake at Texas poker tables – was a matter of fierce debate. To charge membership fees as a workaround indicates a simple playing of the loophole currently in place. Gambling is still going on, something the Texas Penal Code attempts to deny.

But the rules are the rules and by both sides. Eventually, however, the TCH got support from its biggest competitor in the state, as Polk, Owen and Neeme defended the TCH’s right to host poker games just as they do, by charging a membership fee in deference of charging rake.

With six poker clubs across The Lone Star State, the TCH have remained in operation during the legal fight, one that now seems over at last. Ryan Crow’s appeal for clemency eventually ended in the Texas Supreme Court, but his fight was worth entering, as his many properties will continue to be able to offer poker to players all over the state.

While Andrew Espinoza, the city’s chief building official, might have decided to run the board three times, his ability to appeal never undermined Ryan Crow’s case. With a cost to the public of over $370,000, the authorities might twice before challenging poker rooms’ continued operation in Texas after the Dallas Board of Adjustment (BOA) were well and truly outrun in court.