Texas Poker Rooms Slowly Start To Reopen… With Restrictions

A poker room in Texas has now started to accept customers, as the state slowly reopens its economy amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock has resumed operations from May 18, but with restrictions.

As part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, The Lodge is currently operating at limited capacity, with only 75 people being allowed to enter the facility, including employees and staff. They must also wear a protective face mask and observe strict social distancing as safety precaution. At the moment, the room is limiting each poker table to just six players, and is offering just cash games.

The poker club is also implementing strict sanitation practices, including cleaning the chips and tables on a regular basis, and requiring patrons to observe proper hygiene at all times. The Lodge will also prohibit sick people from entering its premises, and those found to exhibit any type of illness while inside the facility will be escorted out the door.

Since mid-March, all card rooms across Texas have been ordered to temporarily shut their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. Two months later, certain rooms are slowly going back to business, with The Lodge being among the first to do so.

More Card Rooms Expected to Reopen

One can expect more poker clubs in Texas as well as in neighboring states are also expected to follow suit, such as the Talking Stick in Arizona, which is scheduled to reopen on June 1. The Phoenix card room will also limit capacity to 50% to prevent the spread of the virus. Five more casinos located in Phoenix have also begun accepting customers, but the said facilities aren’t allowing poker games just yet.

With more than 50,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Texas is currently eighth in the list of US states with the most number of coronavirus infections. So far, the Lone Star state has recorded 1,402 deaths.

Card rooms in Texas operate as membership-only clubs, in accordance with the state’s strict gambling laws. These clubs are prohibited from taking rake and only make money through membership fees paid by customers. The Lodge for example is charging a daily entrance fee of $10. It also has monthly and annual offers ($25 per month, or $200 a year) for regular patrons.

More casinos and card rooms are expected to go back to business in the next few weeks, with some targeting a Memorial Day weekend reopening.

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