Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrian Gathright.
Hi Adrian, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Austin Poker is known as the premier Poker scene in all of America. The first, Legal Poker Club, in 2015, and the Largest, Legal Poker Club currently in Texas, are both located in Austin. Bullets Card Club opened in 2019 at the site of the first Legal Poker Room in Texas at 11907 Menchaca Road in Austin, Texas. James Ball and Adrian Gathright, Owners of Bullets Card Club, have been involved in Austin Poker since 1997 and 2004, respectively. They became friends through the Austin Poker community and that friendship progressed into their 2015 business partnership, Events Across Texas, which provides Casino Parties, Events, and Fundraiser Services around Texas. The opportunity to open their own Poker club arose in 2019, and they used their knowledge of the game and their experience in the Austin Poker community to create a highly-acclaimed Poker experience. Their motto is For Players, By Players and that approach is evident in their offering. Comfortable seats, casino-quality tables, large TVs playing every sports event, and professional staff catering to their members. Add the best Membership Perks and Pricing in the Austin area and the members receive incredible value. Their goal is to give members every reason to join and choose Bullets as their Poker destination.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We formed our LLC in February 2019 and were able to open our doors in May 2019. The building was set up for our purpose since it was previously the first, legal, Poker club in Texas, the Texas Card House, which has since moved to North Austin. We did much of the remodel ourselves, which saved us some money while costing us a bit of extra time. Our grand opening was incredible, as we packed the house and had folks waiting outside to get in for several hours. The next day we had crickets. Poker players follow the action and will typically play at clubs within 5 to 10 minutes of their home. Our 5-mile radius doesn’t have as large a population as some of the other clubs, and we struggled to draw players from the other, bigger clubs. We began offering better membership perks than all other Austin clubs, and our membership base started to grow. We had great progress through the rest of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, and then we had to shut down for Covid for a month and a half. Poker is a game played by 9-10 people sitting around a 9’x4′ table, breathing each others’ air, talking, eating, drinking, etc. We struggled for a couple of months before folks seemed to get cabin fever and began to show up in droves. We were starting to recover from the Covid crisis and had just expanded our offering to be open during the day, when the Freeze of 2021 and shut us down for several weeks. This derailed our daytime progress and set us back a couple of weeks longer than our competition, so we had to change directions again to attract members back to us. We’ve consistently put money back into the business for constant improvement and upgrades. Owning a physical storefront requires daily effort and constant adaptation.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Social Club offering a safe, comfortable, and member-focused environment. Daily, Monthly, and Yearly Memberships are available to join the club. Hourly Club Usage Fees also apply. We are the same as a Country Club which is not attached to a golf course, but instead a high-end Game Room. All games offered are legal to play, as the club makes income from the Memberships and Usage versus taking a “rake” or “percentage” from the games.
Daily Poker Ring and Tournament Games are offered and staffed by professional dealers
The following items are unique to Bullets, as we strive to have the Best offer at the Best prices:
1. Dinner provided daily by well-trained Chefs
2. Sodas, Coffee, and Water is included with the membership
3. BYOB plus we often have Beer and other drinks donated in exchange for marketing
4. Daily In-Game Bonuses for “High Hands”
5. New Member Referral Bonuses
6. Lowest Prices in Central Texas and beyond for our Membership and Usage Fees
7. The most customer-friendly staff in the business, as reflected by our reviews.
8. We know our members’ names and who they are. The best rewards for us are returning members and their referrals. We are often referred to as the “Cheers” of Poker Clubs.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is when we have truly made our members feel like they’re important enough to return often and choose us over our competitors, we have developed and nurtured a staff which feels appreciated and makes a great income doing something they enjoy, and we have created an amazing life for ourselves which we have time to enjoy.
Pricing:
- $10/Daily Membership
- $25/Monthly Membership
- $200/Yearly Membership
- $12/Hour Club Usage
- Bulk Prepaid Discounts
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bulletscarclub.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/bulletscardclub
- Facebook: facebook.com/bulletscardclub
- Twitter: twitter.com/bulletscard
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCqnJEqzGIGJM790FWjtc2PA
Image Credits
Adrian Gathright
Brandon McCampbell
