Membership Based Poker Clubs: A loophole in Texas poker law?Īs an article by the Texas Bar discussed, private poker clubs have emerged that charger a membership fee in exchange for the ability to gamble legally. This will bring us to membership poker clubs which targeted a perceived loophole in the Texas gambling law. If you advertise a tournament, charge an entry fee and take some cut, you’re now in dangerous territory. For example if a group of ten friends buy in $20 and the winner gets $200, you’re fine. Similarly, if the poker tournament is being held at a private residence then you’re probably fine so long as the house is not taking a cut. In other words, someone is making money that is not one of the players. The key focus of the law is targeting whether you are a “gambling establishment.” Where establishment is thought of as a destination where the entity makes money not as a result of skill or luck. This is among the few exceptions in Texas Gambling Law. Home games, private poker games played in a private residence, are legal in Texas. There’s quite a bit of complexity to the Texas law but we’ll start with the one most likely to impact the person reading this and then get into the more complicated laws.