Co-owner Doug Polk personally guarantees player funds as tournament winner awaits nearly $204,000
ROUND ROCK, Texas — The Lodge Card Club does not know when it will reopen after a multiagency raid last week left its bank accounts frozen and players unable to collect money owed to them.
In a post on X Sunday, the Round Rock poker club said the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission did not arrest anyone during the raid and has not filed charges against ownership or management. Even so, the commission froze the club’s assets and bank accounts, leaving it unable to cash out players’ chips or pay out tournament winnings.
The most visible case is Wayne Harmon, an Oregon native who won the $1,700 Lodge Championship Series main event the day before the raid and earned nearly $204,000. If Harmon was paid by check or wire transfer, he may still be owed the full amount.
A Money Laundering Investigation Involving Three Agencies
The TABC conducted the raid alongside the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and the IRS. The commission cited a money laundering investigation as the reason for the action. While the TABC does not regulate gambling in Texas, where there are no commercial casinos or state gaming authority, it does enforce suspected crimes at venues licensed to sell alcohol.
No similar actions have been reported at other poker rooms in the state. The Lodge’s San Antonio location remains open.
The club said its legal team has had little success getting details from authorities. “Despite our legal team’s best efforts to obtain additional information from the authorities, very little information has been made available,” the club wrote on X.
Polk Denies Wrongdoing and Guarantees Player Funds
Co-owner Doug Polk, a three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, addressed the situation Monday morning. He said he did not launder money through the club and was not aware of anyone else associated with The Lodge involved in any illicit activity. He described the law enforcement action as a “witch hunt.”
Polk also personally guaranteed that players would be paid back in full. “I want to reiterate that these members will be made whole,” he said.
The club separately stated that management is “cooperating fully so that any concerns can be addressed.”
200 Jobs on the Line
The club acknowledged that the longer it stays closed, the harder it becomes to recover. Roughly 200 staff members, along with vendors, partners and community members who rely on the business, face mounting uncertainty.
“We obviously believe that the longer our doors remain closed, the greater the impact becomes,” the club posted on X. “We are upset and frustrated by the disruption this has caused and remain hopeful that we will be able to work constructively 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.”
The club gave no indication of when it expects to hear back from authorities or resume operations.
