Dealing it live: ‘906 Poker Social’ club opens in Marquette

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MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – The riffling sound of poker chips is an invitation not to an online poker room, but to the actual card table.

Pro player Joshua Thatcher parlayed the success of his online poker group, started by he and his friends during the height of the pandemic, into the newest live poker club in South Marquette: 906 Poker Social.

“And I’ll give a shout-out to Stosh Wasik, who’s the owner of The Fire Station. He said, ‘why don’t we just name it 906 Poker?’ Like, it hit! I had goosebumps — I have goosebumps thinking about it right now,” Thatcher said.

Open since April 1, April Fools’ Day, Thatcher said 906 Poker Social offers the live experience missed at the card table — poker faces, bluffs and all.

“We are the very first poker social club in the state of Michigan. You get to see people, you get to see how people react. Plus it’s a very social aspect of it,” he explained.

Through membership and signed COVID-19 release agreements, players are treated to weekly tournaments with buy-ins from $60 and up, plus incentives to play in higher stakes events.

“We are a super satellite to the Mid-States Poker Tour, the MSPT,” the social club owner said.

From No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em to Pot-Limit Omaha, players wager against each other legally so as long as the house lays off the pot.

“We have zero rake. All we have is membership fees and chair fees — so you do rent a chair from us. But we do not take a single penny out of the rake,” explained Thatcher.

As a private members club, 906 Poker Social requires no approval by the Michigan Gaming Control Board as applied to casinos.

Poker playing is legally permitted in a private setting, in which no one makes money for operating the game except as a player.

“The most common response as people walk in and they look around they go, ‘This place is legit!’ We’re not in the basement, we’re not in the barn, we’re not out in the garage. We’re in a commercial building, we have security cameras in every single table, security cameras watching the front door, security cameras covering the room. And on top of that, we have a security guard and we have trained professional dealers. I don’t put up with any type of non-professional at my tables,” explained Thatcher.

‘906 Poker Social’ is hiring new dealers.

Learn more, including membership options and referral programs, here.

You can also call the social club at 906-361-2509 or email 906poker@gmail.com.