A poker club on Katy Freeway is back open for business after Houston police raided it, seized more than $118,000 and arrested four people on felony charges.
The Houston Police Department's Vice Division and the Harris County District Attorney's Office conducted the raid Thursday, Oct. 22, at a location in the 20900 block of the Katy Freeway, according to KHOU 11. HPD announced the seizure and arrests Saturday, Oct. 24, but did not name the business.
Multiple outlets identified the location as 101 Poker Club, a card room near North Westgreen Boulevard. Covering Katy confirmed Monday, Oct. 26, that the club is operating again, just four days after the raid. The club had announced plans to reopen at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, on its PokerAtlas listing, according to Covering Katy.
All four people arrested face the same charge: engaging in organized criminal activity, a felony. Charges are pending against a fifth person, police said.
Criminal complaints obtained by Covering Katy identify the four defendants as Stephen Joseph Hohman, 28; Brian Adam Keegan, 61; Laura Nicoleta Respondek, 41; and Randolph Aaron Reynolds, 41. Their first court appearances were scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, in Harris County's 185th District Court. None has been convicted.
The complaints allege the illegal gambling activity began June 5 and continued until the Oct. 22 raid. Eleven people are named in the court documents, though only four have been charged, Covering Katy reported. The documents do not explain what each person allegedly did or how the operation made money.
How the raid unfolded
Officers arrived around 11:30 a.m. with guns drawn, first reported by PokerNews. Players were released at the scene. Dealers and staff were detained, and at least one non-dealer employee was arrested during the operation.
Houston police have not explained what specific activity investigators believe violated Texas gambling laws. The criminal complaints also provide no details about the gambling activities behind the charges.
Why a poker club can face criminal charges
Texas does not license commercial poker rooms. Clubs instead rely on a legal defense in Chapter 47 of the Texas Penal Code, which allows private poker games as long as no one receives an economic benefit beyond personal winnings.
In practice, that means the house cannot take money from the pot. Clubs that try to stay within the law charge membership fees and hourly seat rates instead of collecting a percentage of each hand, known as a rake.
PokerNews reported that unnamed sources alleged 101 Poker Club charged membership fees while also taking chips from pots. Covering Katy said it has not independently confirmed those allegations, and HPD has not stated whether rake collection was the basis for the investigation.
The charge prosecutors chose carries more weight than a simple gambling count. Under Section 71.02 of the Texas Penal Code, a gambling offense punishable as a Class A misdemeanor can be elevated to a state jail felony if prosecutors allege the defendant acted as part of a combination, as US Poker reported. HPD has not said which gambling offense the Katy case rests on.
Part of a broader crackdown
The Katy raid is the second Houston-area poker club case since May. On May 27, HPD SWAT officers served a search warrant at Lucky J Social Club on Richmond Avenue in Houston, where police said 80 to 90 people were inside. Three men were charged with misdemeanor promoting gambling and more than $350,000 in cash and equipment was seized, as ABC13 reported, cited by US Poker.
Police have not identified the fifth person who could face charges in the Katy case. HPD also has not said where the $118,000 was found or how it was connected to the alleged operation.
