Leo Magsalin still remembers the anxious feeling 14 months ago when he and a few buddies first walked into The Pool Room in Lawrence wearing their suits and ties.

“It was really uncomfortable,” Magsalin said, “especially in a pool hall that probably had no more than two suits in it ever.”

Magsalin, armed with only cards, chips and an idea, set out to establish a new business in Lawrence.

He never could have imagined how large it would become.

The Poker Pub, a free poker league at area bars and taverns founded by Magsalin, has experienced such popularity that the local company has become a national franchise.

“Looking back we were just a bunch of guys in suits not knowing if it would take off,” Magsalin said. “It’s cool now to see how far we’ve come after our first year, with our business still expanding and growing.”

Currently, The Poker Pub has extended from Lawrence to 47 locations in six different states, including Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, Texas and Arkansas.

“There’s more interest in it now than ever,” Magsalin said, “and not every market has seen it.”

The Poker Pub operates by setting up a free poker tournament in local establishments, charging them a percentage of their profits for the night in return for the service. Winners of the nightly tournaments receive prizes provided by The Poker Pub, giving incentive to those who play.

With an increased number of people entering the restaurants ordering food and drinks, the restaurants and The Poker Pub are able to profit while providing a free form of entertainment to their patrons.

Magsalin, who had seen a similar league started in Wichita, originally invested about $50,000 to start The Poker Pub and said it had been a wise investment.

“We started to make a profit, but lately we’ve been pumping everything back into the company to try to expand,” Magsalin said. “They say you know you’re successful if you survive the first year. We’ve done more than survive.”

At present, the Poker Pub operates every night of the week at one of five locations in Lawrence, including Liquid, Moon Bar, Flamingo Club and Conroy’s Pub.

The Pool Room has been host to tournaments every week since the first Poker Pub in February 2004.

Bartender Aaron Silber said the Wednesday and Sunday poker nights always brought in a steady crowd.

“Regular customers have taken a liking to The Poker Pub,” Silber said. “It’s mostly a return group of people who caught on at the beginning.”

Part of the draw is also the current popularity of Texas Hold ’em poker.

With numerous shows on television highlighting the game, especially ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker tournaments, many people have caught the poker craze and started to try the game for themselves.

“Anybody can play, and it’s an exciting game,” said Kansas University student Mark Knapp, who attends The Poker Pub about four times a week. “Everyone can get into it. It takes skill, but it doesn’t take a lot of skill. It’s a pretty easy game to play.”

Magsalin agrees that the simplicity of the game has helped with the popularity of his business among average people.

“You don’t have to be a math genius to play it, and that’s what keeps us around.” Magsalin said. “Anybody can do it, and nobody’s intimidated to try.”

This year, Magsalin hopes to expand the company to more locations and start merchandising Poker Pub products.

Just how long the game of poker will stay popular is under debate. Because The Poker Pub relies on the recent trendiness of the game, it faces an uncertain future.

With crowds still gathering at the Pool Room, Silber said he believed the Poker Pub popularity would not die down quickly.

“I could see it here in a couple of years,” Silber said. “I don’t know about 20 years, or maybe even 10 years, but I’d say that it’s going to last for awhile.”

Though the future is uncertain, Magsalin said he will continue the business as long as there is appeal.

“I just know it’s getting bigger and bigger,” Magsalin said. “Whether we go another five, 10 or 20 years, nobody knows. But we’re going to run with it as long as we can.”