What happened
According to PokerNews and Gambling911, officers from the Houston Police Department's Vice Division and the Harris County District Attorney's Office raided 101 Poker Club in Katy, outside Houston, on Thursday 22 October 2026. PokerNews says police drew their weapons, detained dealers and staff and released the players. Gambling911 says the police announced the seizure and arrests on social media on the following Saturday.
Both outlets report that four people were arrested and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, that about 118,000 dollars was seized and that charges are pending against a fifth, unnamed suspect. The early SCCG report, written before the announcement, said only that at least one non-dealer was arrested, so figures changed as information came out. We do not name the people arrested, because charges are not convictions.
Why it matters: rake in Texas
Police did not say what the illegal activity was. PokerNews quotes sources saying the club did not use the standard Texas model of charging a time-based seat fee, charged membership fees and took chips out of pots. SCCG writes that Texas law allows poker only when no rake is taken from the pot, which is why compliant rooms charge membership and time-based fees instead. Police have not confirmed that rake was the reason for the raid.
PokerNews and Gambling911 place the raid in a series. Lucky J Social Club in the Houston area was raided in May, reopened and, according to PokerNews, now offers non-poker table games that it says are not legal in Texas. The Lodge Card Club, which we covered in another article, was raided in March. Gambling911 says its co-owner Doug Polk called that action a witch hunt and that the club reopened in May after a grand jury declined to bring charges. That last point comes from one outlet.
What is confirmed and what is not
Confirmed
- Houston police raided 101 Poker Club in Katy on 22 October 2026 and arrested four people, with about 118,000 dollars seized. PokerNews; Gambling911
- The four were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, and the club reopened within 24 hours. PokerNews; Gambling911
Still open
- What specific conduct police allege. Police have not said, and the rake theory comes from unnamed sources.
- Whether any charge will stand. These are charges, not convictions.
- The club's own position. We found no statement.
- The independence of the reports. Gambling911 and SCCG appear to follow PokerNews and the police announcement, so we count the outlets as close to one chain.
What this means for a player
If you play in a card room where the legal model is unclear, ask how the room charges, because a game that takes chips from the pot is a different thing in law from one that charges for time or membership. That is a question about the room, not about your play. At the table the decisions stay the same: stack depth, position and a plan, which you can study anywhere.
in the 22 October 2026 raid on 101 Poker Club in Katy, with about 118,000 dollars seized, according to PokerNews and Gambling911.Source: PokerNews, 24 October 2026
Questions readers ask
What happened at 101 Poker Club?
Houston police raided it on 22 October 2026, arrested four people and seized about 118,000 dollars, according to PokerNews and Gambling911.
What were the charges?
Engaging in organized criminal activity. Police did not say what specific activity.
Is rake illegal in Texas poker?
Sources say Texas law allows poker only if no rake is taken from pots, so clubs charge membership or time fees. Police have not confirmed that rake was the reason for this raid.
Is the club still open?
It reopened within 24 hours of the raid, according to PokerNews and Gambling911.
