The Lodge Will Reopen After Grand Jury Ruling Rejects Charges

A Williamson County Grand Jury declined to indict The Lodge Card Club Austin, a month and a half after it was forced to shut down, paving the way for its reopening.

The verdict was “no bill”, meaning that there were not enough jurors who felt the prosecution showed enough probable cause of a crime being committed.

The card club located in Round Rock posted the update on X to explain what happened:

Earlier today, a Williamson County Grand Jury heard our case and declined to indict. The decision reflects that the investigation conducted by TABC, including the March 10, 2026, enforcement action, did not support charges of criminal conduct, consistent with our position throughout. We are thankful the grand jury carefully weighed the facts and law and decided in our favor.

The flowery message expressed gratitude for all the support they received from the local and poker communities alike during the shutdown.

The Lodge co-owner Doug Polk also shared the news on his X account, celebrating the rejection of all charges:

Justice has prevailed. The damage to our staff and members has been tremendous, and it is now time to rebuild. We will be putting together a kickoff event in the near future. In the words of a great man: “you gotta know when to hold’em”

Tumultuous Month of Shutdown Over

On March 10th, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) abruptly raided The Lodge, which caused an immediate shutdown. The raid caused a period of intense stress for all involved with The Lodge from staff to owners to regular players. The shutdown forced the card club to part ways with all staff.

It also led to the cancellation of the highly anticipated WPT event scheduled for The Lodge.

All indications were that it was going to be a long road ahead for The Lodge to battle the charges and push to reopen one day. This timeline of charges being dropped less than 60 days later is certainly quicker than even the most optimistic expectations.

When Will The Lodge Reopen?

Polk mentioned in his post that there are plans to reopen and return to regular business as quickly as possible. “The seized money and equipment will be returned and we will reopen as quickly as possible, hopefully within a few weeks.”

The challenge of reopening quickly will be logistical. The Lodge will have to find replacements for nearly 200 staff members. The likely timetable will be three weeks to a month before what will likely be a grand reopening kickoff series.

Poker World Celebrates The Lodge’s Vindication

The reaction to the news was overwhelmingly positive in the poker world, as it was called “one of the biggest wins for poker in a long time”.

Many believed the shutdown was an unfair, targeted action by the DA from the start, leading to calls of vindication for The Lodge.

The Williamson county DA and TABC leadership should resign over this They destroyed millions of dollars of business value over nothing The Lodge poker room was TOTALLY vindicated.

It was praised as a victory for poker players in the state of Texas specifically who will now the return of one of the most popular and famous card clubs in the country.

Jeffrey McMillan

Poker Writer

Jeffrey is an Expert Sports and Poker Writer with poker being his specific scope for the better part of five years. He has worked in various capacities at the biggest poker events in the world, WSOP, EPT, local tournaments and more. He has worked with PokerNews, Poker.Org, 888poker and the WSOP itself through the years. Jeff is also a fervent follower of many sports, professional, collegiate and international, with a particular interest in tennis. He received a Master's in Sports Management from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) and a Bachelors in the same field from Clemson University.