HOUSTON -- A popular television show about playing poker has made the card game all the rage. Houstonians who can't seem to get enough have found ways to cash in on the new fad.

Since gambling halls and casinos are illegal in Texas, the only way to play legally is at home games.

In living rooms across the city, you will find amateur gamblers playing next to those practicing for pro-tournaments.

"This puts you at a table with nine people -- strangers -- and forces conversation. People get to talk about different things -- talk about work plans, school, a lot of things to talk about when you sit there for three hours," said Bill Heuer, the poker host.

Tammy and Casey Dawson got tired of driving to Lake Charles casinos and tried home games.

Two years ago, when they could not find what they were looking for, they started their own.

"We get new players all the time, but essentially, there is a core group and we all know each other," Casey Dawson said.

"This is about good sportsmanship. This is about good poker etiquette," Tammy Dawson said.

Not too far away -- Bill Heuer also hosts a game. The crowd is larger and the game changes to tournament play.

"We have people from 21 to 65. We have guys, girls. We have retirees, people who are working people, still in college," Heuer said.

Some players travel for miles to attend the weekly game.

"I am not a gambling type, card type person at all. But it's the strategy involved -- the mind thing," said Jessica Alafa, a poker player.

Raised in Las Vegas, Heuer's mother was a poker dealer.

"It just comes natural to me. I know the game very well, so I started showing a few people. We started playing all of a sudden. Now we are up to 30 people on Saturdays," Heuer said.

The chips and cards at both the Heuer and Dawson games are casino quality or better.

"My No. 1 ambition was to make it as real as I can do from what I am used to playing in Las Vegas," Heuer said.

What is different is how players act -- competitive yet friendly.

"You get to learn real quick and real fast what other guys do. That way, you can take it on to the casinos and know when to fold or bet. It gives you the experience," player Jose Rojas said.

"We always talk poker strategy. We always try to better each other. It is definitely not about the money for me at this place," player Marc Atos said.

But there is money to be made.

Winners can take away hundreds, if not a thousand dollars in a night at some games.

Even for losers, there's something to watch.

"You are still involved in the action even if you folded your hand because so much of the hand is shown to the community of the whole table. So everyone knows what the possibilities are and it is fascinating to guess what someone has," Tammy Dawson said.

It's so fascinating that it's sometimes hard to call it a night.

"The majority of our players love poker so much, like we do, they play as long as they can keep their eyes open," Tammy Dawson said.

"Till we have to run them out of here at some point," Casey Dawson said.

Games run from the afternoon to evening, and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning.

Gambling is illegal in the state of Texas, but as long as the people acting as the house do not get paid or accept money, the home games are not breaking the law.

You can find everything from beginning play with low limits to no limit "hold 'em" in just about every part of town.

Both Heuer and the Dawsons run multiple games a week, and they said that they have had very little problems with the strangers who come to their homes.

If you are looking for a home game or want to advertise one, check out the following links.

Cypress, Texas Hold 'Em: Tammy and Casey's Poker Game
Home Poker Games
E-Mail Bill Heuer About Poker Games