JThomas7
High Hand
Soon...
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Well I did it. New Panhandle Texas poker club opening in September (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter JThomas7
- Start date
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
Not sure if you've seen it, but I worked for a few poker clubs here in Austin and share my experiences as well as my thoughts on structuring games to be sustainable, how to market on a local level (rather than rely on traveling grinders), etc
JThomas7
High Hand
From my experience checking out Houston it was even worse. There were places charging time and taking rake at the same time. Nearly naked massage therapists that would take players shirts off, and invite them to the back for personal time as well......... I don't want to say this is fact but from MY experience the shadier the establishment in Houston, the busier it was too.
JThomas7
High Hand
Almost 20 years, 2 kids, and many grey hairs ago this is me and my wife running an 11 table room about 30 minutes north of our home in Stillwater Oklahoma.
JThomas7
High Hand
Thanks I'll give it a watch now!
Before watching the video my take is most games in Texas are missing what really matters, and that's game liaison's.
JThomas7
High Hand
I'm watching now. I know a lot about the Ft Worth Poker House location. I was there for opening day, initially liked the vibe and frequently went back in the beginning. I remember driving down for the weekend and showing up on Friday and it was literally empty... Not a single game! I was already there so I drove down the street and 5220 had 3 games going. The Poker House brand has the reputation of telling clubs "Sell to me or we will spend 2 million dollars opening a room across the street from you".
They did have Eric Anderson as the tournament director at the time and I do believe he's one of the best in the business.
They did have Eric Anderson as the tournament director at the time and I do believe he's one of the best in the business.
Best of luck to you. Pampa is a nice little town in the Panhandle, and as an Amarillo guy, I do agree that it has gotten a bit rougher around the edges in the last few years. I'd be down for coming up that way for a PCF soft opening.
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
I met Eric when we were opening Poker House Austin. He also does installs of livestreams. Although I think the livestream market is heavily oversatured and the vast majority of rooms are wasting money to setup and then operate livestreams, as only a few really draw in viewers and are worth the massive investment in time, training and personnel to operate one. They're extremely difficult to grow an audience for.
I did commentary for Rounders, TCH Austin, Georgetown Poker, Royal Poker Club, etc. and you'd get very few viewers, you'd ask people to let you know where they're watching from and you're getting responses like "Ohio" and "Virginia". Not even your customers, so you're not really growing your business in a way that matches all the people needed to run it, etc.
Eric is actually a partner in that new room opening up, Palace Poker, which is supposed to be opening pretty soon. Supposed to be a really beautiful place. I know the TCH locations in the Dallas area have some concern about that new room giving them competition. Both TCH locations always have traffic, so will be interesting to see if Eric and his team can succeed in the market.
I know they also hired the recently ousted GM of The Lodge, Joe Strazzera, although he is coming onboard as a floor supervisor I believe and not their GM.
That will be interesting to see with his involvement. He obviously has a TON of knowledge, having come from The Lodge.
When I first moved to TX three years ago, Joe actually reached out to me asking me to give him feedback after I had played at The Lodge. I did so and he immediately discussed how they were aware of XY and Z and here's what they were doing to address them.
The dealers I met were the happiest dealers I had ever seen. They said the hours were flexible, the pay was great, etc.
But fast-forward about 6 months and it was a complete 180. Joe and his TD Anthony had both found success, and with it came big egos. Staff were being let go on a regular basis, lots of dealers lived in constant fear they'd be next on the chopping block. And I've heard from multiple sources that the company culture was extremely toxic.
I had even had a discussion with Joe about how I was looking to move somewhere else to find PLO games that didn't play so big, that all the unlimited straddles and match the stack were bad for growing and sustaining the games. But he just scoffed at me and proclaimed they had "the best PLO games in the country".
Today a TON of dealers have left The Lodge and moved over to their competitor TCH. The new TCH location is positively stunning, having gone from a room with 12 tables to one with 46, that looks like a legit casino poker room.
I've also seen a shift in PLO, with TCH gaining a lot of that market share from The Lodge recently as well, including the bigger 5/10/25 game which disappeared from The Lodge.
At The Lodge I've noticed a shift with dealers prodding players if they're going to straddle (they fucking asked ME of all people) and when players are all-in asking if "anyone wants to do business" (i.e. run it multiple times)
I messaged Doug about this directly and he responded "you say that like it's a bad thing".
Dealers should NEVER influence action, so prodding players to straddle or run it multiple times is flat-out wrong. But Doug 100% disagrees and doesn't view it as influencing action. I guess when you're a multi-millionaire with a hugely successful livestream while the core of your poker business is crumbling around you, but you're surrounded by "yes men", everything is hunky-dory.
It's astouding the number of people who run these poker clubs who really don't know what they're doing. I give Doug props for what he's done with their livestream, it's extremely difficult to succeed at that format and he's done it.
But the rest of his business is falling apart.
darrnit
High Hand
So cool! Would be highly interested in updates
Isorg
Sitting Out
watching this, looking forward to updates.
Excellent move!!!
JThomas7
High Hand
Any chance you could explain to me the "no fee" model the vip club over there is doing?
I wish I could. I have never played there when I am in town visiting family.
- Joined
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Very cool! I'd love to follow along as everything progresses
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2022
- Messages
- 1,902
- Reaction score
- 3,464
I googled Pampa Texas to see where it was, and I just want to say I can't wait until your collab with Dog the Bounty Hunter 
Ugh...wish you could have made that happen. Collin County is backwards in more ways than one...
Congrats on the new card room venture! Sounds like you’re covering all the bases.
I don’t know your card set up status, but one of our very own PCF members, @desjgn (“J-Design”), creates some amazing and excellent quality plastic cards produced in partnership with major card manufacturers. Many, many PCF members buy, use, and swear by them (myself included).
He’s currently running a Kickstarter to finish funding his latest project: Blackjack Index cards in both bridge and poker size (with four different back colors), striking a nice a balance between standard and jumbo index sizes.
If you’re interested in using his cards in your new room, here’s a link to his thread here on PCF where he details the cards and gives the link to the Kickstarter page. I’ll go ahead and tag you in his post, too.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/coming-soon-classic-tapestry-kickstarter.132783/
Your room sounds like it will be amazing! Almost makes me want to live in Texas… Good luck!
I don’t know your card set up status, but one of our very own PCF members, @desjgn (“J-Design”), creates some amazing and excellent quality plastic cards produced in partnership with major card manufacturers. Many, many PCF members buy, use, and swear by them (myself included).
He’s currently running a Kickstarter to finish funding his latest project: Blackjack Index cards in both bridge and poker size (with four different back colors), striking a nice a balance between standard and jumbo index sizes.
If you’re interested in using his cards in your new room, here’s a link to his thread here on PCF where he details the cards and gives the link to the Kickstarter page. I’ll go ahead and tag you in his post, too.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/coming-soon-classic-tapestry-kickstarter.132783/
Your room sounds like it will be amazing! Almost makes me want to live in Texas… Good luck!
JThomas7
High Hand
Best wishes for a successful venture @JThomas7. I’ll have to make time to come up and check out your place once you open.
I live in Canyon about 15 minutes south of Amarillo. Don’t get out much to the local clubs but look forward to visiting a PCF members card room.
Played in Lubbock a couple times when I first moved to the pan handle and a couple times at Amarillo Social when they opened but I tend to prefer a good home game these days.
Anyways all the best and hope all goes well.
I live in Canyon about 15 minutes south of Amarillo. Don’t get out much to the local clubs but look forward to visiting a PCF members card room.
Played in Lubbock a couple times when I first moved to the pan handle and a couple times at Amarillo Social when they opened but I tend to prefer a good home game these days.
Anyways all the best and hope all goes well.
JThomas7
High Hand
That's awesome man, the lubbock scene looks good.
I'm actually jealous in a way of the guy that enjoys a good home game. I can't even sit through a poor dealer at a casino anymore. It's just the way I was trained. I did attend the local Pampa home game last week when some gentleman invited me over. I think it was the first time I've ever played No limit razz.
JThomas7
High Hand
Working on rails today. I have plenty of good solid tables but all need worked over.
Isorg
Sitting Out
looking good!
In a fantasy where I open my own card room I get excited about finally being able to afford the MOQ to make custom plastic playing cards.
JThomas7
High Hand
They look great but I just don't have the timeline to wait on custom cards at the moment. Broken arrow is taking care of me for now.
I bought 40 of these chairs from a casino salvage in las vegas. I also bought what are supposed to be "Really nice" dealer chairs for $150 each. They threw in some dealer toke boxes and a few other things. I'm going to order some alibaba rolling chairs as soon as we get rolling.
I'm trying to pick up a few arcade and pinball machines as well with the idea of being a "Social club" that offers poker instead of a poker room. It's kind of important in Texas.
JThomas7
High Hand
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GPQLu3ZTy/
Is it cheesy and low budget Sure? Do I love it, yes!
I really want to appeal to the local community as just something to do. Maybe it's a girls night out, maybe all the windmill workers want to get together and have a few beers and tell stories. That is what I want to be.
Is it cheesy and low budget Sure? Do I love it, yes!
I really want to appeal to the local community as just something to do. Maybe it's a girls night out, maybe all the windmill workers want to get together and have a few beers and tell stories. That is what I want to be.
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
Just followed and threw a like and comment on the video.
I like your ideas about making events for specific groups, I'm a big believe in targeting like that. Cops vs Firemen, Army vs Navy vs Air Force vs Marines, College Invitational, local Department of Public Works employees, etc.
When I was helping out at Georgetown Poker we hosted 20+ ladies from a sorority who had never played poker before. The poker they played was terrible, they're all limping in, girl not betting her full house, they turn their hands up at showdown and look at the dealer to tell them who won, etc.
But the vibe, the vibe was killer. These ladies were having a blast, they had so much fun. It wasn't a bunch of overly serious misregs grinding it out on their leather asses, it was what pokers meant to be social and a good time.
I did up a highlight reel from that event:
dremonk
High Hand
very cool - also following to hear about the chips - have you dealt with Paulson at all yet as part of this process? what's the process been like getting chips from them?
Anthony Martino
Royal Flush
I don't want to speak for him, but Paulson/GPI doesn't sell to Texas Poker Clubs given the unregulated market, to my understanding.
JThomas7
High Hand
I would not advise anyone going my route, HOWEVER. I bought the chip inventory of a club that closed shortly after opening. The owner actually passed away. I have chip inventory from the original order and have enough of the original inventory that I'm comfortable using them to get open. The larger denomination chips were never issued and are still boxed etc. I'll talk more about that when the time comes. This is mainly a time thing as although I've been working on this for about 3 years it came together on a months notice. I will be replacing the chips as soon as we get rolling and I have time to wait on them.
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