Legends Poker Room in Houston, Texas, has become legendary for all the wrong reasons. Two words: shootings & robberies.
As Legends Poker Room reviewer NLHPLO said in a one-chip review (out of five chips) on the pokeratlas.com website, “Again this Saturday 07/23 bullets flying. I was playing right by the bathroom and suddenly heard gun shots everyone started running here and there it was a chaos. After few minutes I saw 2 big bullet holes near the smoke door near the TV. This place is getting worse day by day. I urge all players please don’t play here. We have better places to play in Houston than this, which are nicer and safer.”
Owner David La seems unmotivated to do anything about it.
That’s right, Legends and the area nearby have become well known as a literal shooting gallery.
But don’t take just one person’s word on it. Just do a quick Google search and you’ll see: (https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=legends+poker+room+houston+robbery)
Check out these links:
JUNE: (https://www.pokertube.com/article/latest-shooting-at-legends-poker-room-raises-safety-concerns): “On Wednesday morning, a man suspected of being involved in a robbery close to the Legends Poker Room in Houston was killed by a gunshot. It is the latest instance in a string of violent crimes that have taken place in the area.”
MAY: (https://www.pokernews.com/news/2022/05/legends-poker-room-safety-houston-41219.htm): “It’s becoming a broken record at this point, but yet another violent incident occurred nearby the Legends Poker Room in Houston as a robbery suspect was shot to death Wednesday morning.”
APRIL: (https://www.pokernews.com/news/2022/04/legends-poker-room-shooting-houston-texas-40985.htm): “Players Duck for Cover as Gunman Opens Fire into Houston Poker Room — Legends Poker Room in Houston, a club the PokerNews crew visited during Texas Week, was the site of yet another gun-related incident Tuesday night when an unidentified suspect fired a series of bullets into the Texas card room.”
JANUARY: (https://abc13.com/legends-poker-room-richmond-game-robbery-assault-rifle-attempt-security-guard-tackles-suspect/11479204/): “Security guard tackles armed man trying to rob game room in west Houston — Police said the man entered the building in the 9200 block of Richmond with an AR-15 just before 1:30 a.m. Monday and announced that he was robbing the business. That’s when a security guard tackled the man from behind, police said. The guard and several others were able to pin him down and take the rifle away, but the weapon discharged several times in the process, police said. Thankfully, no one was hit.”
There are a slew of similar reports.
There is talk that there are lookouts inside Legends, who target unsuspecting players (often tourists or visitors from out of town), and upon leaving, they are preyed upon — robbed or even shot. It’s a regular, common occurrence.
Poker News provided one explanation about why players would continue to play at legends: “One source, who is connected on the business side of Legends, verified a rumor to be true that the poker room hires “house players” who are paid to provide action and get games going,” Poker News reported online in an April 7, 2022 post. “The purpose of these props is to, as our source explained, make it appear on PokerAtlas that there are plenty of games running at any given time.’
“House players, we are told, do not play with their own money. Since they provide some solid action at the table, regular players, especially pros, enjoy playing against them, perhaps part of why Legends remains busy despite the apparent risk involved.”
There’s another explanation, though. Houston, Texas may have become know for having fantastic action, but it comes with zero accountability for the card rooms. And “social clubs” or card rooms have had more than their share of shootings and robberies — so much so, that it’s been recognized at the highest levels of state and county lawmakers as a problem that needs to be addressed. Texas poker rooms operate in a gray area legally. As such, law enforcement doesn’t actively prioritize or target these poker spots. If crime, however, continues to be the norm at some of these Houston clubs, the legalities, as well as enforcement, may change.