Champions Social Club | John Hardin creates a high-end poker space in Dallas, aiming to become "the city's most comfortable poker room".

On September 10, 2026, PokerNews interviewed John Hardin, Poker Director of the new Dallas poker room, Champions Social Club, focusing on the positioning and business direction of this new Texas Hold'em location. Following a significant legal victory for the local poker community last year, Champions Social Club was able to begin preparations, transforming the former renowned steakhouse space into a high-end clubhouse combining poker, dining, and social experiences.

Unlike most Texas Hold'em poker rooms that prioritize size and number of tables, Hardin's goal for Champions Social Club was quite clear: not to capture the entire Dallas market, but to create a more sophisticated, comfortable poker space that could attract a specific clientele.

From III Forks Steakhouse to High-End Poker Club

The venue for Champions Social Club's Dallas location was formerly a well-known local site:

III Forks

This traditional steakhouse was once a Dallas dining landmark, which is why the new card room retains a spatial atmosphere quite different from that of a typical poker club.

Even after being transformed into a poker club, the venue still retains the overall atmosphere of its original upscale steakhouse.

This has become one of the most distinctive features of Champions Social Club.

Hardin believes that this environment, which combines the features of a high-end restaurant with a card room, allows players to come not only for a card game, but also to use it as a place for gatherings, meals, and socializing.

John Hardin previously worked at Bellagio and Bobby's Room

John Hardin, the poker director at Champions Social Club, is not from Texas, but he has over 20 years of experience in the poker industry.

His resume includes:

• Long-term participation in poker games

• He previously worked as a dealer at the Las Vegas Bellagio.

• He once ran a private poker game in Atlanta.

• Bobby's Room, formerly managed the famous high-stakes cash tables at Bellagio

Bobby's Room has long been a major gathering place for the world's top high-stakes cash game players.

It was during that experience that Hardin came into contact with some well-known high-stakes players from the Texas and Dallas areas.

Therefore, although he is not a native of Dallas, he is quite familiar with the local poker scene.

Hardin builds local connections in six months and is optimistic about Texas Hold'em culture.

Hardin has been in this job for about six months and is currently building relationships with local Dallas players, staff, and the poker community.

He described Texas Hold'em as a market with a rich historical background.

In his view, Texas Hold'em players often have their own specific requirements for the poker room, so Champions Social Club cannot attract all players away from the original venue simply by "opening a new store".

Therefore, his chosen strategy was not to aggressively seize market share, but to first establish a clear self-positioning.

We're not chasing the 100% market; our focus is on "improving the user experience."

Hardin made it clear that Champions Social Club has no intention of taking over the Dallas 100% poker market.

His idea was:

To create a more premium, curated poker experience.

This "high-end" not only refers to larger sums of money in the game, but also includes:

• Venue quality

• Player composition

• Food and beverage services

• Spatial Atmosphere

• Support for private and semi-private poker games

Hardin believes that when a card room is comfortable enough and has a certain screening mechanism through membership or entry threshold, it will naturally form a customer structure that is different from that of a typical large public card room.

His core goal is to make the Champions:

"Dallas' most comfortable and high-class poker venue."

Don't rush to expand; start with just one game of cards.

Hardin's approach to business strategy is quite pragmatic.

He did not set a goal of full-scale expansion upon opening, but rather hoped that:

First, focus on making one game of cards successful, then gradually increase the number.

Champions Social Club has hosted several large private poker games, as well as Pot-Limit Omaha cash games and numerous No-Limit Hold'em games.

The core of this strategy is to start with a specific player group and existing needs, and gradually build a reputation.

Hardin also mentioned that because the venue itself has a limited number of tables, he values the quality of the games more than simply pursuing quantity.

Private poker games have become an important market entry point.

Another focus of Champions Social Club is currently private or semi-private poker games.

Hardin said that some players choose to bring their private games to Champions because of the better venue conditions.

This is quite important for the new card room.

Because compared to poaching all the regular customers from established poker rooms, it is often easier to build a stable customer base by having high-stakes players or private poker game organizers choose the venue themselves.

This is also directly related to Hardin's past experience in Bobby's Room and private poker games.

Besides playing cards, catering is another trump card for Champions.

One of the biggest differentiators of Champions Social Club is its full-service catering.

Hardin believes that the quality of the daily menu here is significantly higher than what he has seen in most poker environments in the past.

Venue provided by:

Lunch, dinner, full meal and wine selection

The executive chef in charge of catering:

Connie Trujillo

He was originally a member of the III Forks steakhouse team.

After III Forks closed in 2020, she has now returned to the same building, only now serving a poker club instead of a traditional steakhouse.

This continuity also means that Champions did not start from scratch in the food and beverage sector.

Attracting players from Texas Card House is not easy.

The Dallas poker market already has established competitors, the most representative of which are:

Texas Card House

Hardin admitted that it is not easy to change the choices of players who are used to fixed card rooms and fixed games.

Therefore, he does not require players to immediately switch memberships or provide long-term support for Champions.

His idea was actually closer to:

Let's take a look.

He once told local players that they didn't need to consider long-term relationships first; they could just come and see the environment, have a drink, observe the game, and they didn't even have to sit down and play cards.

He believes that once players actually experience the venue, they will understand the difference between Champions and other Texas Hold'em rooms.

Hardin: The first time I walked into this place, it reminded me of Wynn.

In an interview, Hardin compared his experience at Champions Social Club to his first time walking into Wynn Poker Room.

This is not simply a comparison of size, but rather refers to:

The overall quality of the space and services.

For him, this is precisely the brand perception that Champions most hopes to build in the future.

It's not the biggest, not the cheapest, and doesn't have the most tables.

Instead:

The best place to stay, the most comfortable place, and the most suitable place for high-quality poker games.

The Texas Hold'em poker industry still faces legal and political uncertainties.

Although the Dallas and Texas Hold'em poker markets continue to grow, the local social poker room model has faced legal, land use, and political controversies for many years.

PokerNews points out that a major legal victory for the Dallas poker community last year allowed preparations for the Champions Social Club to proceed further.

However, some politicians in Texas continue to oppose such social card rooms and hope to restrict or even shut down the relevant business model.

Therefore, the development of Champions is not only a business challenge, but also closely related to the regulatory environment of the Texas Hold'em industry itself.

The Houston location already has a foundation, and Phil Hellmuth is also a co-owner.

This isn't the first time the Champions brand has entered the Texas Hold'em market.

There is already a well-established Champions card room in Houston.

One of its lesser features is:

A restaurant is located next to the card room.

This is quite rare in the Texas Hold'em poker industry.

Furthermore, one of the co-owners of the Houston Champions is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame:

Phil Hellmuth

Hellmuth also travels to Texas several times a year to participate in live cash games in poker rooms.

This existing brand foundation also meant that the new Dallas location didn't have to build brand awareness from scratch.

From high-stakes cash games to dining experiences, Champions takes a differentiated approach.

John Hardin’s plan shows that Champions Social Club did not prioritize expanding the number of tables.

Its strategy is closer to the high-end club model:

High-quality space, curated card games, private gaming, and a complete dining and social experience.

This is a different path from traditional large poker rooms in the highly competitive Dallas poker market.

Hardin has not set a goal of dominating the market in the short term.

He wanted to prove one thing first:

As long as the environment, service, and game quality are good enough, there will still be a group of players willing to make different choices for a more complete poker experience.

This will determine whether Champions Social Club can truly become Dallas's next major poker landmark.

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