Houston, TX Area Poker

If you’re looking for poker in Houston, I’ve mostly stuck to the smaller card rooms, they’re way less crowded than the big casinos and the action can be decent. Local news-wise, it’s good to keep an eye on any new room openings or tournaments; sometimes the smaller spots run promos that are worth checking out.

HI guys,
Can anyone on the ground please confirm for me if Legends has a 5/10/20 game that won't actually run with a straddle 90% of the time.

Is this a true 5/10/20 game or it's more like a 5/10/20/40 game most of the time?

Thanks!

Taeyeon - how is it going? You've gone radio silent.

Feel like I'm only reaching about 5 people when I post here, but wanted to get something off my chest. I moved to Webster recently near Spades (operates on time/membership basis and always has) and Capri (takes rake and always has). Just came across a Spades vs. Capri debate post on Facebook posted earlier today. 30 comments in, and not one person has brought up the membership vs. rake. It affirmed what I already should have understood: most players don't care about this difference from a legal perspective if at all. About 6-7 years ago when raked rooms started to become more common in Houston, I had a true disdain for them, my chief concern being that they would catch the eye of local law enforcement and ruin it for the cardrooms operating on a membership basis. I don't have that fear anymore and I've played hundreds of hours in raked rooms since them, but naively, I told myself that recreationals cared about this. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if a good percentage of them even understand that it's illegal to rake here. Not even sure why I care if law enforcement doesn't, though.

My concern would be: If the room operators are willing to openly violate the law by stepping over the grey area line, what other shady things are they willing to do?

Time is much better for the good players as the money stays on the table. Unfortunately the majority of players don’t care/focus on that. In fact the losing players typically prefer rake as in their minds they aren’t pulling additional $ out of their pockets for time in addition to what they lose playing.

Personally I like Champions and TCH better but play almost exclusively at Legends as you know due to having the best games and lower rake than all the other places that rake in Houston.

Rake will never be an issue for 75% of recs in these rooms because most of them played in raked private games before the card clubs became available in 2014-2015.

The thing about rake is it's essentially invisible to the average player. It disappears and isn't really felt/noticed.

But when a losing recreational player goes and plays in a TX card club, gets busted for their $300 and then has to pay $60 to the front desk on the way out, it stings more. Because now the losing players are paying their fair share of the rake, rather than it being taken out of the pots of the winners.

So while a time fee is better from a grinders perspective, the rake can be better to keep games running longer because players aren't worried they're racking up charges that have to be settled afterwards.

I really wish TX would regulate the gaming industry and allow rake here.

The only reason recreational players have any concept of rake is bc every 1-2 hours someone comes by to tell them they need more time at which point they buy 1-2 more hours and this happens 2-10 times per session they play depending

In raked games they simply don’t care bc only winners pay the rake, in time games esp in places you can’t pay with chips that’s not really the case

It has been going good! Sorry for going radio silent, I'm generally just a lurker.

I have been running pretty hot at 5/10/20 and 10/25/50. I still play 1/3/6 but generally will move when the game opens, but have decided I wont play 25/50/100 since that game is just too giant (and I also won't play 10/25/50 if the 100 is on). I've been grinding a good amount over the past few months and results have been good. I will say though that 5/10/20 and bigger comes with way too much drama and too many characters, I enjoy good table talk and a more relaxed environment and that happens way more at 1/3/6... if I wasn't running super good at 5/10/20 I would probably stay at the main 136 game more often. Since you mentioned you play at Legends a lot I am super curious who you are since I'm sure we have played together a good amount, and you could probably guess who I am.

Saw Champions is doing a 100K Player Appreciation Tournament, but it will do nothing to bring in fun, losing recreational players. It's all about playing a ton of hours in the room with bonuses going to the top 3 hour earners each month as well.

That's a promo that will funnel all those promo dollars into the grinders pockets, the most backwards thing a poker room can do. Your marketing and promotional dollars should be spent to attract and retain the fun, losing recs.

It's mind-boggling to me that so many poker rooms don't grasp such a simple concept. Create promotions that will put more of that money into the pockets of the losing recs to keep them in action longer and keep them coming back.

If you fill your pond with enough fish, then that's all the grinders need and they'll eat for life.

Instead these yahoos spent countless millions to have a room that gets a couple games running each day.

Not true at all. Champions has very few cash games and makes most of its money from tourney take. They are rewarding those players who frequent their regular daily tournaments. Good promotion for those people.

When I see you today I will say “X, did you go to the game yesterday?” You will then know who I am.

What are you on about?

Poker rooms in a casino are the black sheep of the property as far as profitability goes.

Tournaments are the black sheep of the poker room, as far as profitability goes.

Dealersmake significantly less money than dealing cash games. And the rooms make less money per hour off tournaments than they do cash games.

I won't argue that Champions has done well with their series events, but what about all the times a series isn't running? Cash games are where the money is, and they just don't get the traffic there.

You think 2-3 cash games/day is paying the enormous cost of a 20 table poker room, a restaurant AND a hotel?

This ain't paying the bills or keeping quality staff sticking around long-term to make no money.

Exactly. Your whole initial post was regarding their promotion .They are rewarding their tournament player pool with that particular promotion. Stick to posts about Austin poker since you have admitted you have never even played a hand of poker in Houston. Most of your posts in the past re: the Houston poker scene have included incorrect or bad information.

Legit all his posts are just about protecting and rewarding fish in some way. Which is a reasonable idea to some degree but we don’t need 50 posts per year from the same person about how The Lodge needs to remove unlimited straddles bc the fish aren’t able to survive that environment…which he’s overblowing anyway.

But regardless take these ideas to the higher ups at whatever venue you’re speaking on if you really believe it’s an issue

Speaking of "incorrect or bad information" maybe you should take a look at the flyer. You say they're "rewarding their tournament player pool with that particular promotion" but the promotion requires you to log 100 hours of CASH play, not tournament play. And there are additional bonuses for the top 3 hour earners each month (i.e. the grinders, not the fun recreational players)

I was just informed The Lodge recently capped their 1/2/5 PLO game and also are limiting it and the 2/2 game to 2 straddles only each. It's a step in the right direction, although the straddles are still a bad idea for entry level games imo.

Also, I have had sitdowns with leadership at both The Lodge and TCH Austin regarding these issues (cash and tournament structures that don't keep the recs coming back, as well as a failure to effectively market on a local level).

Both rooms have done a tremendous job of building their brands within the overly-serious poker enthusiast community. But we're over 10 years with poker in the Austin market and the average Austinite has no clue poker even exists.

When someone drives by and sees "The Lodge" or "TCH Social" there's nothing about either of those brandings that screams POKER IS HERE COME PLAY!

TCH also launched an online poker app, but they called it...........HIJACK Poker. People already have issues with feeling like they're cheated online, and then they name it HIJACK! It sounds like you're being robbed.

That’s cool if you’re actually meeting with people who can get it done and not just complaining about it here, I respect that

Yup, had talks with Doug, Andrew Neeme and their new GM Johnny Grooms. Then at TCH I've spoken with the GM and the C.O.O.

Johnny's back? Any bets on if he comes here? After MGMNH would be a shock if he does.

Only regulars care about rake, people trying to beat the game. It sounds like Houston may have the best games, Euros have invaded Dallas, I definitely will have to go there at some point. As long as games are deep rake sucks, but beatable.

Apologies, I thought you were talking about this - https://championsclubtexas.com/leaderboard/
This promotion is specifically for their tourney players. Based on the screen shot you posted they have two promotions. 1 that rewards their top tourney grinders and another that rewards their top cash game players based on hours played. I don’t see what the problem is. That is great they are rewarding their top players and I don’t think it “hurts the fish” as you say.