Doug Polk and Tom Dwan turned a developing poker story into a full-blown social media fight this week. What started as questions about a raid at The Lodge Card Club in Texas quickly became a public feud between two of the biggest personalities in high-stakes poker.
The situation began when authorities entered The Lodge, the large Texas poker room co-owned by Polk along with Andrew Neeme and Brad Owen. Polk attempted to reassure players that their money was safe while the situation played out. Then Tom Dwan stepped in on X, and things escalated quickly.
Doug Polk Responds After Authorities Raid The Lodge Card Club
The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas is one of the largest poker rooms in the state, operating nearly 70 tables. Officials from the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission entered the property this week, forcing games to stop and sending players home with their chips until the situation is resolved.
The reason for the visit has not yet been publicly confirmed. The TABC normally regulates alcohol licenses, and The Lodge operates a restaurant and bar alongside the poker room.
Polk addressed the situation publicly while telling players not to panic about their bankrolls.
“I have personally guaranteed that all player funds will be safe as this witch hunt from TABC plays out,” Polk wrote on X while responding to the developing story.
Players who were seated during the interruption were reportedly instructed to take their chips home and return when the room reopens so they can cash out. The room remained closed Wednesday while officials review the situation.
The timing was especially awkward because the venue was scheduled to host a World Poker Tour event later this week. That event has since been postponed.
Tom Dwan Jumps Into The Conversation On X
I have personally guaranteed that all player funds will be safe as this witch hunt from TABC plays out
You still allegedly owe tens of millions. Shut the fuck up https://t.co/HqjpRHITuv
— Doug Polk (Code Doug) (@DougPolkVids) March 11, 2026
Tom Dwan, one of the most famous high-stakes players of the online poker boom, inserted himself into the conversation shortly after Polk began posting updates.
Dwan questioned the situation and suggested Polk should have more answers about what happened at the poker room. His comment quickly drew attention across poker Twitter, partly because of the history between the two players.
Polk has publicly criticized Dwan multiple times over the years, often referencing rumors about unpaid poker debts tied to high-stakes games, as well as a high-stakes heads-up game between the pair. The tension has simmered for years without many direct exchanges.
Dwan’s comment reopened that rivalry.
Doug Polk Tells Tom Dwan To “Shut The F*** Up”
Polk did not hold back in his response.
Replying directly to Dwan, Polk wrote:
“I have personally guaranteed that all player funds will be safe as this witch hunt from TABC plays out. You still allegedly owe tens of millions. Shut the f*** up.”
The post spread quickly across poker media and social media because it touched on two long-running controversies at once. One involves the legal situation surrounding The Lodge, and the other involves ongoing allegations that Dwan owes money from old high-stakes poker games.
Those claims have circulated in the poker community for years, although the exact details remain disputed.
Why The Polk vs Dwan Fight Blew Up Online
The exchange immediately became one of the biggest talking points in poker this week for a few reasons.
- The Lodge is the largest poker room in Texas and a major hub for live games
- Doug Polk runs one of the biggest poker media brands and has a large online following
- Tom Dwan remains one of the most recognizable names from the high-stakes online poker era
- The two players have years of tension and public criticism between them
Put those ingredients together and the argument quickly moved beyond a simple poker room update.
For now, the bigger question is still what happens with The Lodge itself. Officials have not publicly confirmed why the TABC entered the property, and the room’s reopening timeline is unclear.
Until that becomes clear, poker fans are likely to keep watching the Polk and Dwan exchange unfold online.
