I've played in 2 forms here in Austin, TX (not Boston, TX).
1. there's a couple of bars that have a poker table where a dealer will come in and rent the chips to the players. She swore it's "not illegal" and was doing the exact same thing with the fake blackjack tables in the bars before the poker craze. There's no nightly prize, but at the end of the month the "Top money winners" get entered into a tournament and playoff for some prize.
2. there's a couple of companies that charge a bar about $200/night to host 2 tournaments a night in their establishment. This has no entry fee and the winners all get points (100 pts for 1st, 90 for 2nd, etc.) and at the end of the month the top 8 players from each establishment/night play in a huge 100+ tournament where there's a substantial prize for 1st place (valued around $1000 usually) and paying to like 4 or 5 places.
My wife and I play in the 2nd form and enjoy it as a night out... it's not highly competitive and we have met some good friends through it. These games are not really going to resemble anything close to casino poker though because of the quality of players and getting past the whole "free chips" mentality. That doesn't mean it's a complete crapshoot though. You still have to be strategic to get in the top points to make it to the big monthly tourney.
Here's the tourney we play in:
http://www.lonestarpoker.net
Oh, and any form of poker is not "Legal" in Texas. Being free is considered a "Defense to prosecution" which wouldn't keep the fuzz from busting in with MP5s and confiscating your chips and prize money. So the DA doesn't want to prosecute, you still have to go through hell and probably just lost your business.
Hope this helps some.