Hijack Poker: The First Legal Online Poker Room in Texas

Texas Card House moves online

THC controls almost the entire poker market in the state. Six clubs in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin have over 200 tables. Now, the brand wants to conquer online poker.

Texas Card House has launched its own poker app, Hijack Poker, where Texas residents can play real money games at cash games and tournaments.

The platform has been in beta testing since 2024. According to THC CEO Ryan Crow, Hijack Poker should operate as a full-fledged platform in the second quarter of 2025.

The online poker room has chosen the slogan “Straight Poker. Real Cash.” When writing this article (January 2025), Hijack Poker already has a modern website with a FAQ section, apps for all major platforms, and offers a $20 new player bonus.

Is Hijack Poker legal?

Texas has strict laws prohibiting almost any form of gambling and casinos. There were gambling establishments in the state in the past, but they closed due to pressure from local religious and educational organizations.

Only horse racing and lotteries are allowed in Texas, and an intriguing scheme for launching poker clubs was invented. Its creator is the owner of Texas Card House – Samuel Von Kennel, the Licensing and Administrative Committee chairman. The idea is simple: replacing the rake and any bets with money during the game with membership fees. Clubs working under this model were called “charitable” or “social.”

At Hijack Poker, players only pay fees for the club. For example, at cash games, players pay an hourly rate depending on the limit they play:

From the point of view of Texas laws, Hijack Poker is a fully legal site that allows residents of the state to join at poker tables. The online poker site's income does not depend on the amount or bets placed.

Hijack Poker: app, games, and access

Hijack Poker has not yet been fully launched and will face many changes. At the moment, we can highlight the following features of the poker room:

1. To register, you need a phone number and an email address. The player must verify his account and confirm that he resides in Texas.
2. You can top up your account and withdraw winnings in two ways: at the room's cashier using Bitcoin or at any Texas Card House club. Transfers between players are possible. In the future, deposits/withdrawals can be made using cards. The maximum daily limit for any transaction, after passing verification, is $10,000.
3. There are several game clients: web browser, Android, and iOS (these can be downloaded from official stores - another plus for the legality of Hijack Poker, as Google Play and especially Apple Store have stringent requirements for gaming apps).
4. Games include cash games of Hold'em and Omaha from $0.02/$0.05 to $5/$10, MTT, and SnG. In the future, the site promises to add Omaha Hi/Lo.

Hijack Poker's website mentions that the site has security algorithms that monitor games permanently, scan current games for possible fraud, and mention certificates of randomness (however, there are no links to verify this).

Hijack Poker is in a very early stage of development. 2025 should be a strategic year for the poker room and its plans to conquer the Texas poker market.

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