Our recent visit to Texas included a stop at one of the premier places to play poker in the Lone Star State — Texas Card House Social in Austin. The brand-new card room not only featured more than 40 card tables and a delicious attached kitchen, the club is set to soon launch a Texas-based online poker site.
Hijack Poker is currently undergoing a soft launch/beta testing phase, and we gave it a shot while in town to see what it's all about. We also spoke with TCH's CEO, Ryan Crow, to get some details on what to expect from the app and to see if it's even legal.
Texas, the supposed land of "freedom" has some of the strictest anti-gambling laws in the country. There are no standard casinos in the state and poker rooms operate in a different manner than most other places. Instead of taking rake out of pots, which is unquestionably illegal in Texas, the rooms — well, the ones operating within the laws — charge membership and seat fees for players.
Online gambling is also illegal in the second most populous state in the country. So, how can Crow and his team legally pull off launching a poker site? They believe if they use a similar model to the six land-based Texas Card House's around the state, they're operating within the laws.
Hijack Poker players, upon signing up, become members of TCH (if they weren't already). The poker room is even offering a $20 time match bonus for new players, although it's unclear if that promotion will stick when the app fully launches in January. Texas Card House also intends to launch the poker site on a larger scale in other states and countries later next year, potentially as early as Q2 2025.
The only way to play on Hijack Poker at present is by visiting the state of Texas. There are currently a small amount of games running during the beta testing phase. But still enough micro and low-stakes games available to test out the site.
When players sign up for a membership, they receive an instant $10 in free money deposited into their Hijack Poker account. There were no playthrough requirements to meet upon signing up to get that cash. It was instantly deposited into the account. The $20 match bonus, however, is only paid out over time — when you put in enough hours, you'll get the money.
The testing process included depositing $20 and playing a $5 tournament and a $0.50/$1 no-limit hold'em cash game. Hijack Poker also has a daily freeroll at 5:30 p.m. for those who just want to play for free.
The software, at this point, is basic, but it does the trick. If you're looking for something flashy like PokerStars or GGPoker, well, those aren't available in Texas. But if you're in Texas and you're just thrilled to have a quality online poker platform that isn't unlicensed and overrun by bots, you'll likely be satisfied.
Making a deposit is quite simple and done in a similar manner to WSOP Online in Nevada/New Jersey/Michigan with players being able to fund their online poker account in-person. Deposits can be made at the cashier's cage at any of the six Texas Card House locations in Texas, including the brand-new TCH Social in Austin. Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals are also available.
Texas Card House, along with The Lodge Card Club, controls much of the Texas poker market. The TCH brand is prevalent in Dallas-Forth Worth, Houston, and Austin with nearly 200 poker tables across six clubs.
PokerNewsvisited the original TCH Dallas location and the brand-new TCH Social in Austin on a recent Texas visit, and there isn't much to dislike if you're a recreational or professional poker player. The newest addition to the TCH family in Austin has 48 tables, a fantastic attached restaurant, comfortable chairs, a livestreaming area, and a spacious floor layout that doesn't make the room feel crowded even when the tables are full.
Chef Justin Richardson put together a menu for poker players and club members that won't be easy for other poker rooms to compete with. The menu includes all-day breakfast, burgers, salads, wings, flatbreads, entrees such as salmon and steak, and perhaps the tastiest bacon you'll ever try (we can confirm).
For TCH to compete in Austin against The Lodge Card Club, the largest room in the state co-owned by Doug Polk, Crow knows his business has to step up its game. The previous nearby location was smaller and didn't offer players anything special in the way of food options.
But the grand opening of the new club in late August has changed the game in the Austin area. TCH Social is already competing quite well against The Lodge. Both rooms consistently have 20 or more games running during peak hours and host massive tournaments, showing the market is big enough for two giants.
Stay tuned on Thursday and Saturday for a feature story on two other reputable Texas poker rooms we visited.
