Rake-Free Report #03: $290,000 Bad Beat Jackpot Hits at The Lodge – Texas Poker Keeps Raising the Stakes

Let’s talk about The Lodge Card Club—the Texas poker powerhouse located in Austin and San Antonio that just paid out the state’s biggest bad beat jackpot in Texas social club history (thus far) for a whopping total of $290,000.

This hand went down at their Round Rock (Austin, TX) location during a $1/$2/$5 PLO game, where two players flopped straight flushes. The losing hand took home $145,000, the winning hand pocketed $73,000, and every active table in the room got a share.

The Lodge’s jackpot is funded by a “promotional drop”—a workaround many Texas social clubs use that closely resembles a rake but is technically a fixed fee collected for promotions, keeping them within state laws, or so they say.

The jackpot started at $100K and grew by $1K daily until it hit $290K. Polk, Owen, and Neeme clearly know how to keep Texas poker buzzing and bring in the crowds.

📍 Round Rock Dominates, But San Antonio Is a Work in Progress
While Round Rock continues to thrive, The Lodge’s San Antonio expansion is still finding its footing. They took over the old Rounders Club spot, but from my visit, it’s clear they’re in a transition phase. With a handful of mixed-stakes cash games and a few tournament tables running (far from the jam-packed Round Rock location), the action felt steady but not electric.

🎯 The Setup
The 10,000-square-foot SA space offers daily tournaments, cash games, and promotions like $100 chip giveaways during NFL touchdowns. Membership is digital-first with QR code sign-ups ($5 daily, $50 monthly, $20 annually). Time costs $12/hour with minimum buys of one hour, tracked through QR membership cards. Service is solid with bar servers, food, drinks, and massage staff, and a cage—with a single window. Tax documentation? Not sure—they didn’t ask me for a W9 or W2-G (but then again, i wasn’t lucky enough to get paid for the massive $290,000 jackpot payout!).

🔍 My Take
The Lodge SA has potential, but it’s not Round Rock. Competition is tough, the player base isn’t as consistent, and the direction seems to be a departure from what and who the original Rounders Club was catered to. The facilities are clean, and promotions are there, but the shift from the original Rounders ethos to cater to a higher-limit crowd might need time. Can they build the same poker loyalty that made Round Rock legendary? TBD.

🔥 What’s Next?
With the Lodge Championship Series (11 events, $1M GTD Main) hitting this month, starting this week, there’s room to draw bigger crowds. But right now, SA is still finding its place in the Texas poker landscape as The Lodge Round Rock continues to be a powerhouse.

Would Visit Club?

✅ 100% Yes, Round Rock sets the bar high 9.5/10

✅ and the new Lodge Card Club SA 8/10.

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