When I arrived at UT Austin, I assumed there’d be a poker club. A top-20 university of 50,000 students — surely there was something. A weekly game, a Discord, anything.
There wasn’t. Not really.
There was a club that met a few times a year. There were dorm room games. There were people who wanted to play but didn’t know each other. What didn’t exist was a real community — organized, consistent, structured around actually getting better at the game.
So we built one.
How It Started
It was spring 2025. Three of us — myself, Jack Couch, and Shane Willett — had been playing poker together for a few months. We were all at different skill levels, learning from each other, spending too much time on solver tools and strategy forums. We noticed that whenever we talked to other students about poker, the response was always the same: “I love poker, I’ve been wanting to play more, I just don’t have anyone to play with.”
That’s not a poker problem. That’s an organizing problem.
We went through UT’s RSO registration process, wrote a constitution (yes, really), lined up a meeting space, and posted in a few group chats. We didn’t know if anyone would show up.
The First Meeting
About 30 people came to the first meeting.
We weren’t prepared for that. We had tables set up for maybe 20. We scrambled, rearranged, made it work. The energy was immediately different from anything I’d expected — people were genuinely excited. Not just to play cards, but to find a community.
We ran a short lesson on preflop ranges, played a few hands, talked through some spots. Nobody was a world-beater. A few people had never played before. It didn’t matter — the vibe was good, the questions were good, and by the end of the night, half the room was asking when we’d meet again.
That was the moment we knew this was going to be something real.
What We’re Building
Our goal isn’t to produce professional poker players. Our goal is to build the best poker community at any university in Texas.
That means:
- Consistent weekly sessions that are actually worth showing up to
- Structured lessons for players at every level — not just beginners
- A community that takes the game seriously without taking itself too seriously
- Real competitive experience, including intercollegiate events down the road
We’re also building this with long-term thinking. The members we recruit now will eventually be the officers running things. The culture we establish now is the culture the club will have for years.
Come Be Part of It
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably someone who cares about poker more than the average person. That’s who this club is for.
First meeting is always free. No experience required. We’ll teach you everything you need to know.
Ready to join? Join our GroupMe — that’s where we post meeting times, game announcements, and everything else.
Looking forward to seeing you at the table.
— Logan Smejkal, President, UT Poker Club