I played at Lucky J on 26 Sep 2024. This just so happened to be their soft opening as they had changed names from “Elite” to “Lucky J” and has their new custom logo chips out on the tables. It’s still a big poker room, though the majority of the 60+ poker tables are stacked along the walls collecting dust. Only 38 are still in use, and those still had the logo felts from “Elite” on them. Even the playing cards were still from a previous iteration, “101 Poker Richmond”. Yes, this room goes all the way back to the original “52 Social South” which became “Johnny Chan’s 888 Social” and the “101 Poker Richmond” to “Elite” and finally “Lucky J”.
They honored my old 101 Poker Richmond membership card, but unlike all of the previous iterations through the years, Lucky J would not charge an hourly seat fee. They raked $5 at $50 and another $5 at $100, but they do this in a matter that I can only imagine that they think is legal. Once the pot reached $50, the dealer removes a $5 chip from the pot, places it in his well, then picks up a time chip and places it over the drop slot. If the pot reaches $100, he removes another $5 chip from the pot and places that on the drop slot. Once the hand ends he deposits both chips into the drop. Every once in a while @#$% call for a fill and a chip runner will appear with two stacks of time chips which are exchanged for two stacks of $5 chip from the dealer's well.
They offered no complimentary food or drinks, but the games seemed to attract a lot of action. It’s still located in a sketchy area of Houston, but the parking lot is both well lit and has a roving security guard at night. Good luck if you choose to play at Lucky J, you may need it.
