Prime Social Poker Club Raid Card
Prime Social Poker Club Raid 2

Two private poker clubs in West Houston are raided and shut down as part of a money laundering and organized crime investigation. Prosecutors say players were not targeted, but bank accounts tied to the Post Oak Poker Club on the West Loop and Prime Social Poker Club on Westheimer have been frozen as part of their two-year investigation. Last Wednesday, authorities in Houston, Texas raided two poker rooms and arrested a total of nine people that were reportedly engaging in poker-related malpractices. Prime Social Club and Post Oak Poker Club, the two poker rooms were some of the operations that had been under a two-year vice probe that sought to uncover a multi-billion-dollar. 18+ T&C Apply – To receive the welcome bonus a minimum deposit of £/€/$ 10 is required. The minimum deposit for other offers that require a deposit will be clearly communicated. Maximum bonus offered will be communicated in the Prime Social Poker Club Raid details of each specific promo. On May 1, officers from the Houston Police Department, in conjunction with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, raided the Post Oak Poker Club and Prime Social Poker Room, both located in northwestern Houston. Prime Social Club’s defense attorney Joseph Maglio said that he believes his clients were victims of fraud. The state seized $206,000 from the two poker rooms during the raid. Ogg said that the money was in the process of being returned to the rooms.

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Poker hand probability calculator. Houston poker players itching for the return of two card clubs got good news on Wednesday as ABC13 Houstonreported that charges have been dismissed following revelation of conflicts of interest in the district attorney's office.

Apparently, defense attorneys alerted that the prosecutors that a potential witness for the defense had worked as a financial crime consultant for the DA's office. While still under contract with the DA's office, the individual was also consulting with the poker rooms, soliciting them in hopes of getting paid to lobby local governments on their behalf.

Further reporting by ABC13 revealed the individual as Amir Mireskandari, and he had apparently been paid around $500,000 for work in efforts to procure legal permits and gain favor with local legislators and law enforcement.

Early Conclusion to May Raids

In May, Post Oak Poker Club and Prime Social Poker Club were targets of police raids.

Authorities froze $10 million in bank accounts and seized $200,000 in cash. They arrested nine people and forced the cancellation of a five-day tournament that was scheduled to pay out at least $150,000. Dismayed poker players were left empty-handed, having bought into the event already.

Now, the $200,000 has apparently been returned, with players hopefully able to recollect their entries at some point. The case has been referred to federal investigators, but it's anyone's guess whether poker clubs operating on the periphery of the law in Houston will be any kind of priority there.

Latest in Ongoing Gray Market Situation in Texas

Prime Social told ABC13 it plans to reopen soon, but the rooms are apparently still dealing with a civil suit alleging they're a 'public nuisance.'

It's all part of an ongoing battle between the nascent rooms and local governments and law enforcement. Nobody seems quite sure whether the clubs operate legally. After several years of back and forth — the clubs having been around since at least 2016 — no conclusion has been reached.

Last year, things appeared to be swinging the way of the clubs as WPTDeepStacks took a major leap, hosting a tournament branded by an internationally recognized tour. WPTDeepStacks Executive Tour Director Chris Torina said the tour was interested in making Houston a regular stop, 'regulatory climate permitting.'

WPTDeepStacks Houston does not appear on this season's schedule at this time.

Months after declaring the rooms illegal, the district attorney may have lost this battle, but she seems intent on the war continuing. She said she hopes federal agents delve into the case, examining money laundering and public corruption as possible areas of infraction.

It seems at this time that the clubs are far from in the clear, whether or not Prime Social is able to resume operations as claimed.

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Poker and the Law

Texas prosecutors are no longer pursuing a civil lawsuit against the two Houston poker rooms that were raided last May.

Harris County prosecutors dropped a civil suit against Prime Social Club and Post Oak Poker Club on Thursday three weeks after their criminal case was dismissed.

The two clubs were raided by officers from the Vice Division of the Houston Police Department. There were nine owners and managers arrested between the two establishments, all charged with money laundering and engaging in organized criminal activity.

District Attorney Kim Ogg dismissed the charges July 16 after it was brought to light that the clubs paid Ogg’s former consultant, Amir Mireskandari, and a few others, $250,000 in exchange for drafting a city ordinance that protected gambling locales such as their own.

Those ordinances, however, were never official drafted or voted on. Club owners claimed they were duped by the city officials, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle. Ogg cited a potential conflict of interest when he dropped the charges.

Without a criminal conviction, First Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard told the Chronicle that there is no basis for a civil suit against the clubs.

“These nuisance lawsuits rely on criminal investigations,” said Soard. “If we don’t have a criminal investigation to rely on, it doesn’t make sense as civil lawyers to pursue it in court.”

Soard also said that he would re-file the suits if the county gathers enough evidence.

Wayne Dolcefino, a consultant and spokesperson for Prime Social Club, said from the start that the charges were baseless. He echoed those sentiments to local media outlets when the lawsuits were dropped.

“While the folks at Prime Social welcome this logical decision, this lawsuit was a joke in the first place, a fake portrait created to justify the corrupt prosecution of Prime Social employees who had not done a thing wrong,” said Dolcefino.

Prime Social Club’s defense attorney Joseph Maglio said that he believes his clients were victims of fraud.

The state seized $206,000 from the two poker rooms during the raid. Ogg said that the money was in the process of being returned to the rooms. Both rooms are reportedly in the process of rehiring employees and are re-opening their businesses in the coming weeks.

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