Our story on HPD's poker room bust that took place in Southwest Houston last week has been viewed by literally thousands of people on KHOU.com. It has also proved to be a popular posting on poker related blogs from across the nation.

Our cameras were there just after HPD's SWAT and vice divisions broke down the front door and rushed inside a poker room last week. Fifteen people, none of them players, were arrested.

The district attorneys office has now charged 14 of those arrested with engaging in organized crime, which is a felony offense. Those charged were allegedly dealers, game runners and waiters or waitresses at the club where the bust took place.

Court records Monday indicated that some of them are still being held without bond because they have felony records.

While not arrested, the poker players were given subpoenas to appear before a future Harris County grand jury.

News of the HPD sting operation last week spread fast to other poker rooms throughout the city.

In fact, sources within the police department confirmed another alleged illegal poker room closed down just hours after Thursday’s bust.

An employee at a business next door confirmed HPD's story.

The place was locked up tight  Monday, but you could see, much like the poker room on the Southwest side, this one along the Gulf Freeway, was monitored by several cameras and you had to have a special card to gain access.

Because of access problems.., and all the secrecy involved, HPD has made it clear that going undercover is the only way to make arrests.

The use of undercover officers, which is a far more expensive proposition that regular surveillance, has in itself been an attention grabber for poker players all across the country.

We went online and found several people blogging about HPD's bust.

Pokerati, Online Poker Shark, Lou Kriegers Poker Blog and Part Time Poker News, were just a few, but all were writing about the bust and how it has everyone who plays the game on guard.