Rapid Rise to Prestige
The Texas poker mecca with Doug Polk's signature, The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, stands among the largest poker clubs in Texas today. In the vast "Lodge Mahal," dozens of tables run daily with nonstop cash games and a tournament schedule that has become a model for the entire Texas scene. When it was announced that the WPT Prime series would visit this club, it was clear that something spectacular was about to happen.
The club made its mark on the world map in January 2022 when Doug Polk, along with Andrew Neeme and Brad Owen, acquired a stake and became co-owners. Since then, the prestige of the club has grown, its capacity increased to 80 tables, and thanks to popular live streams from The Lodge Live, it has earned the reputation of being the largest poker room in Texas.
Record Field Outside Vegas
The WPT Prime series debuted in Texas with great style: a two-week festival featuring 11 trophy events, highlighted by a $1,100 Main Event with a $1 million guarantee. The offerings were diverse, allowing players to enjoy the Half Milly tournament for just $400, a $2,000 High Roller, and the popular Ladies and Seniors Championship events.
Thanks to an impressive 1,648 entries, the Main Event became the second-largest WPT Prime event in history and the largest event held in the U.S. outside of Las Vegas. The $1 million guarantee was effortlessly surpassed with a prize pool stopping at $1,598,560.
Final Day Highlights
The entire WPT Prime Lodge festival culminated with the Main Event final table, which was available to watch via live stream:
Local Texas talent Harvey Castro entered the final table as the chipleader and set the pace from the start. Throughout Day 3, he repeatedly avoided tricky spots and maintained control over the pots at critical moments — exactly what you'd expect from a leader. However, his run wasn't just a flash in the pan. The 23-year-old had already secured a second-place finish at WPT Rolling Thunder earlier this year, establishing himself as one of the fresh faces on the American tournament scene.
The WPT Lodge event finale confirmed this status. After eliminating several competitors, including third-place Steve Hwang, Castro entered heads-up against Stewart with a 2:1 advantage. Within 15 hands, he converted this lead into a definitive win, clinching the title with a preflop flip holding 9 s 9 d against J d T c. Castro's nines held firm (board K s Q s Q d Q h 6 h), and alongside the trophy and a $225,020 check, Castro earned a $10,400 entry to the December WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
Final Table Results:
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Harvey Castro | USA | $225,020 |
| 2 | Joshua Stewart | USA | $143,000 |
| 3 | Steve Hwang | USA | $106,000 |
| 4 | Esther Taylor | USA | $79,000 |
| 5 | Nicholas Scott | USA | $60,000 |
| 6 | Rafael Reis | Brazil | $45,500 |
| 7 | Martin Torres | USA | $35,000 |
| 8 | David Sollee | USA | $27,500 |
| 9 | Hai Pham | USA | $21,400 |
Finally, we bring you a photo gallery from the event:
Sources: WPT, Flickr/WorldPokerTour
