On March 10, 2026, Texas authorities, including the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, raided the Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas, USA.
The raid was in response to alleged money laundering and illegal gambling activities. No arrests or charges have been announced.
As of today, all accounts associated with the club are frozen.
Just to be clear, is live poker in Texas legal?
It is a little murky, but essentially yes, as long as you are operating a private club and not taking rake from poker games. Texas poker clubs charge players membership fees and time‑based seat fees. This allows the card club to offer live poker cash games and tournaments while remaining compliant with state law.
Who runs the Lodge Card Club?
Professional poker players Doug Polk, Andrew Neeme, and Brad Owen bought the club in 2022. Polk, in his written statement, denied knowledge of any crimes and made a personal pledge that all members will be made whole. In a separate post on X, he stated that he “has personally guaranteed that all player funds will be safe.” Some are calling on Doug to use his own funds immediately to repay players.
So what’s the holdup? Why can’t Doug make people whole right now?
It’s a good question. We assume that if he pays out now from his personal funds during this early stage of investigation, it could lead to legal complications as the case is very much not cut-and-dried as to what is actually happening.
What have the authorities said about the raid?
“Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s Financial Crimes Unit, along with members of the Special Investigations Unit and Operations Bureau, executed a search and seizure warrant at Lodge Card Club in conjunction with an ongoing investigation into suspected money laundering and illegal gambling,” Chris Porter, TABC Director of Communications, told PokerNews in an exclusive statement.
Has the Lodge issued a statement yet?
Five days after the raid, the Lodge issued a statement on X. We understand the staff members are looking for work while the investigation shakes out. The Lodge Card Club’s full statement is reproduced below.
We know our loyal staff, members, and followers have been anxiously waiting for an update regarding the recent events that led to the closure of the club. We recognize that the closure has had a serious impact for many. More than 200 staff members rely on The Lodge for their livelihoods, and many of our members have funds tied up in chips or pending tournament payouts. We understand the concern and frustration and we want everyone to know that it is not being taken lightly.
As much as we would like to provide a detailed update, we are unable to do so at this time because, despite our legal team’s best efforts to obtain additional information from the authorities, very little information has been made available.
What we do know is that no charges have been filed, and we remain committed to cooperating fully so that any concerns can be addressed. At the same time, we can confirm that all of the club’s assets and bank accounts have been frozen. In addition, we have been told not to re-open until the investigation concludes.
The Lodge has always taken its obligation to operate lawfully very seriously. The leadership team is committed to ensuring that The Lodge operates transparently, responsibly, and in good faith within Texas law by emphasizing strengthened oversight and continued improvement of operations.
Unfortunately, we do not know how long this process will take or when we will be allowed to operate again. We obviously believe that the longer our doors remain closed, the greater the impact becomes — not just on the business itself, but on the hundreds of staff members, vendors, partners, and community members who rely on The Lodge every day.
Your continued support of The Lodge — its traditions, its staff, and the community that exists inside these walls — means the world to us. We are upset and frustrated by the disruption this has caused and remain hopeful that we will be able to work constructively and with the authorities in a very timely manner so that we can move forward and reopen our doors. All we can do at the moment is to promise to share more information as soon as we are able.
In the meantime, if The Lodge has meant something to you — as a place to play, work, or build friendships — we encourage you to share your support in the comments. Hearing from this community means more to our staff and leadership team than we can put into words.
What has Doug said about the raid?
After calls for Doug to make a Polker News video on the matter, he has released a statement on X. He promises to make everyone whole and denies any wrongdoing. Doug’s statement, in full, below.
I did not participate in, and still have no knowledge of, any money laundering in the operation of the Lodge.
I understand that some people assume that because there was a search warrant, a crime must have been committed, but that’s not really how the process works. A search warrant is just one step in an investigation, based on an affidavit from law enforcement.
That affidavit has not been given to the Lodge or made public.
My heart goes out to the hundreds of Lodge employees whose jobs are in jeopardy. These are good, kind, hardworking people, and it is painful to see them struggle through this uncertainty.
I also care deeply about the situation for our members. There are numerous people with both chip balances and tournament payouts that cannot currently be processed. I want to reiterate that these members will be made whole, and I will personally make sure that happens, in coordination with my attorneys, so that it is done properly.
With the advice of my lawyers, I am committed to cooperating with law enforcement officials, answering any questions they have, and doing everything I can to clear up the confusion of what has and has not been happening at The Lodge.
I expect to provide another update soon, once more information is available and my attorneys have had an opportunity to fully assess the situation.
In the meantime, I appreciate your patience and support.
What has Andrew Neeme said about the raid?
So far, crickets. His last post was back in February when he shared news that the card club was turning eight with optimism of the year ahead.
Has Brad Owen made a comment yet?
Owen has remained at a distance from commenting much on the raid. He has shown support for Doug in the threads and reposted the Lodge statement. But he has remained tight-lipped for now, probably at the request of his lawyers. Below is a comment Owen made about the current state of affairs.
Not a lot of information to make a statement about at the moment. We try to do everything as above board as possible so I don’t really know what this is about other than people who don’t like poker trying to shut things down.
What happens next?
No one really seems to know. I would imagine Polk will stay quiet on advice from his lawyers along with the co-owners while the investigation shakes out. This could be days, weeks, or months. I would assume players with funds tied up in the Lodge will not gain access to their funds for some time, even if there is no wrongdoing proven.
Why is this a big deal?
Firstly, the Lodge Card Club is the biggest club of its kind in Texas, which may have knock-on effects for the entire card club industry in the state.
Secondly, due to Polk’s high profile, this is a huge topic of interest for the poker community. Polk is an outspoken critic of anyone in the poker community or industry who he deems is not acting with the best interests of the game in mind. He took swings at Daniel Negreanu for his infamous comments on more rake is better, added fuel to the Robbie Jade Lew/Garrett Adelstein fire, and spent dozens of hours dissecting evidence of alleged collusion in the Mike Postle saga.
What are people saying?
Everyone has an opinion. Just dig into the comments on social media and you will see all sorts of theories ranging from the raid being due to owners being able to play in games to their alcohol license having lapsed to staff being involved in sports betting rings. This is all guesswork and conjecture. For now, no one knows why this raid has happened, or why now.
