RICKS CABARET INTERNATIONAL INC
S-8, 2000-03-10
EATING & DRINKING PLACES
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        As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2000

                                                    Registration  No.  -________

                UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8

             REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                       RICK'S CABARET INTERNATIONAL, INC.
               (Exact name of issuer as specified in its charter)

             Texas                                              76-0458229
     (State  of  incorporation                               (I.R.S.  Employer
        or  organization)                                    Identification No.)


                            505 North Belt, Suite 630
                              Houston, Texas 77060
          (Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

                 1999 Stock Option Plan and 1995 Stock Option Plan
                          (Full  title  of  the  plans)

                             Eric Langan, President
                        Rick's  Cabaret  International,  Inc.
                            505 North Belt, Suite 630
                              Houston, Texas 77060
                                 (281) 820-1181
 (Name, address and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                                    Copy to:
                                Robert D. Axelrod
                           Axelrod, Smith & Kirshbaum
                         5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 700
                              Houston, Texas 77007

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Proposed        Proposed
 Title of                        maximum         maximum
securities        Amount         offering        aggregate       Amount of
  to be           to be          price           offering        registration
registered        registered     per share (*)   price(*)        fee
- --------------  --------------  ---------------  --------------  -------------
<S>             <C>             <C>              <C>             <C>
Common stock,   642,500 shares  $4.69            $3,013,325.00   $796.00
par value $.10
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<FN>

*     Estimated  pursuant  to  Rule  457(h)  of  the  Securities Act of 1933, as
amended,  solely  for  purposes of calculating the registration fee and based on
the  average  of  the  high  and  low  bid  on  our  common  stock  on  March 3,
2000.
</TABLE>


<PAGE>
                                     PART II

             INFORMATION  REQUIRED  IN  THE  REGISTRATION  STATEMENT

Item  3.     Incorporation  of  Documents  by  Reference.

     The  following  documents,  which  have  been filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "Commission") by Rick's Cabaret International, Inc. are
incorporated  by  reference  in  this  registration statement: (a) the Company's
Annual  Report  on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1999; (b)
the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB for the quarter ended December 31,
1999;  (c)  the  description of the securities offered hereby is incorporated by
reference  to  the  Company's  Registration  Statement  on Form SB-2, as amended
(Registration  Statement  No.  33-88372,  dated  October 11, 1995) including any
amendment  or  report  filed  for the purpose of updating such description.  All
documents  subsequently  filed  by  us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and
15(d)  of  the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934,  prior  to  the filing of a
post-effective  amendment  which indicates that all securities offered have been
sold  or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed
to  be  incorporated  by reference in this registration statement and to be part
hereof  from  the  date  of  the  filing  of  such  documents.

Item  4.     Description  of  Securities.

     The  Company's  Common  Stock  is  registered  under  Section  12(g) of the
Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934.

Item  5.     Interests  of  Named  Experts  and  Counsel.

     Axelrod,  Smith  &  Kirshbaum, who has prepared this Registration Statement
and  Opinion  regarding  the  authorization,  issuance  and  fully-paid  and
non-assessable  status of the securities covered by this Registration Statement,
has  represented the Registrant in the past on certain legal matters.  Excluding
any  shares  of common stock that may be issued to Robert D. Axelrod pursuant to
this  Registration  Statement, Mr. Axelrod owns 81,000 shares of common stock of
the  Registrant  and  35,000  Options  to  purchase  shares of common stock.  In
addition,  Mr.  Axelrod's  children  own  1,500  shares  of  Common stock of the
Registrant.  Otherwise,  his entire relationship with the Registrant has been as
legal  counsel,  and  there are no arrangements or understandings which would in
any  way  cause  him  to  be  deemed  an affiliate of the Registrant or a person
associated  with  an  affiliate  of  the  Registrant.

Item  6.     Indemnification  of  Officers  and  Directors.

     The  Articles  of  Incorporation  of  the  Company ("Articles") provide for
indemnification  of Directors and Officers in accordance with the Texas Business
Corporation  Act.  Article  Eight  of  the  Articles  provides  as  follows:

     A  director  of  the  Corporation  shall  not  be  personally liable to the
Corporation  or  its  stockholders  for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary
duty  as  a  director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director's
duty  of  loyalty  to  the  Corporation  or  its  stockholders, (ii) for acts or
omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing
violation  of  the  law,  or  for  which  the  person  is  found  liable  to the
Corporation,  (iii) under Article 2.41 of the Texas Business Corporation Act, or
(iv)  for  any  transaction from which the director derived an improper personal
benefit,  whether  or  not  the  benefit  resulted  from  an action taken in the
person's  official  capacity.


                                        1
<PAGE>
     Article  Nine  of  the  Articles  provides  as  follows:

     Section  9.1  The  Corporation  shall  indemnify any person who was or is a
     ------------
party  or  is  threatened  to  be  made  a  party to any threatened, pending, or
completed  action,  suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative,
or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Corporation) by
reason  of  the  fact that he is or was a director, officer employee or agent of
the  corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against
expenses  (including  attorneys'  fees),  judgments,  fines  and amounts paid in
settlement,  actually  and  reasonably  incurred  by him in connection with such
action,  suit  or  proceeding,  if  he  acted  in  good faith and in a manner he
reasonably  believed  to  be  in  or  not  opposed  to the best interests of the
Corporation,  and,  with  respect  to  any criminal action or proceeding, had no
reasonable  cause  to  believe his conduct was unlawful.  The termination of any
action, suit, or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a
plea  of  nolo  contendere  or  its  equivalent,  shall not, of itself, create a
          ----  ----------
presumption  that  the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which he
reasonably  believed  to  be  in  or  not  opposed  to  the best interest of the
Corporation  and  with  respect  to  any  criminal  action  or  proceeding,  had
reasonable  cause  to  believe  that  his  conduct  was  unlawful.

     Section  9.2  The  Corporation  shall  indemnify any person who was or is a
     ------------
party  or  is  threatened  to  be  made  a  party  to any threatened, pending or
completed  action  or  suit  by  or in the right of the Corporation to procure a
judgment  in  its  favor  by  reason  of  the fact that he is or was a director,
officer,  employee  or  agent  of  the  Corporation, or is or was serving at the
request  of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation,  partnership,  joint  venture,  trust  or  other enterprise against
expenses  (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in
connection  with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in
good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the
best  interests  of  the Corporation and except that no indemnification shall be
made  in  respect  of  any claim, issue, or matter as to which such person shall
have been adjudged to be liable to the Corporation unless and only to the extent
that  the  court  in  which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon
application  that,  despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the
circumstances  of  the  case,  such  person is fairly and reasonably entitled to
indemnity  for  such  expenses  which  such  court  shall  deem  proper.

     Section  9.3  To  the extent that a director, officer, employee or agent of
     ------------
the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any
action,  suit  or proceeding referred to in Sections 9.1 and 9.2., or in defense
of  any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be indemnified against expenses
(including  attorneys'  fees)  actually  and  reasonably  incurred  by  him  in
connection  therewith.

     Section 9.4  Any indemnification under Sections 9.1 and 9.2 of this Article
     -----------
Nine  (unless  ordered  by  a  court)  shall  be made by the Corporation only as
authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the
director,  officer,  employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because he
has  met  the  applicable  standard of conduct set forth in Section 9.1 and 9.2.
Such  determination  shall  be  made (1) by the Board of Directors by a majority
vote  of  a  quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to such action,
suit  or  proceeding,  or  (2)  if  such a quorum is not obtainable, or, even if
obtainable  a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, by independent legal
counsel in a written opinion, or (3) by the shareholders in a vote that excludes
the shares held by directors who are parties to such action, suit or proceeding.

     Section  9.5  Expenses  incurred  in  defending a civil or criminal action,
     ------------
suit  or  proceeding  shall  be  paid by the Corporation in advance of the final
disposition  of  such  action,  suit or proceeding as authorized by the Board of
Directors  upon  receipt  of  an  undertaking  by  or on behalf of the director,
officer, employee or agent of his good faith belief that he has met the standard
of  conduct  necessary  for  indemnification  under  Sections  9.1 and 9.2 and a
written  undertaking  to  repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined
that  he  is  not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in
this  Article  Nine.


                                        2
<PAGE>
     Section  9.6  The  indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by,
     ------------
or  granted  pursuant to, the other paragraphs of this Article Nine shall not be
deemed  exclusive  of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or
advancement  of  expenses  may  be entitled under any by-law, agreement, vote of
stockholders  or  disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in his
official  capacity  and  as  to  acting  in  another capacity while holding such
office.

     Section  9.7  The Corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain
     ------------
insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or
agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation
as  a  director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership,
joint  venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against
him  and  incurred  by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as
such,  whether  or  not  the  Corporation  would have the power to indemnify him
against  such  liability  under  the  provisions  of  this  Article  Nine.

     Section  9.8  For  the  purpose  of  this  Article Nine, references to "the
     ------------
Corporation"  shall  include,  in  addition  to  the  resulting Corporation, any
constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in
a  consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would
have  had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers and employees
or  agents,  so  that  any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or
agent  of  such  constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of
such  constituent  corporation  as  a  director,  officer,  employee or agent of
another  corporation,  partnership,  joint  venture,  trust or other enterprise,
shall  stand in the same position under the provisions of this Article Nine with
respect  to the resulting or surviving corporation as he would have with respect
to  such  constituent  corporation  if  its  separate  existence  had continued.

     Section  9.9  For  purposes  of  this  Article  Nine,  referenced to "other
     ------------
enterprises"  shall  include employee benefit plans; references to "fines" shall
     -
include  any  excise  taxes  assessed  on  a  person with respect to an employee
benefit  plan;  and  references  to  "serving at the request of the Corporation"
shall  include  any  service  as  a  director, officer, employee or agent of the
Corporation  which  imposes  duties  on, or involves services by, such director,
officer,  employee  or  agent  with  respect  to  an  employee benefit plan, its
participants  or  beneficiaries;  and  a person who acted in good faith and in a
manner  he  reasonably  believed  to  be in the interest of the participants and
beneficiaries  of  an  employee  benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a
manner  "not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation" as referred to in
this  Article  Nine.

     Section  9.10  The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by,
     -------------
or  granted pursuant to, this Article Nine shall, unless otherwise provided when
authorized  or  ratified,  continue  as  to  a  person

who  has  ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to
the  benefit  of  the  heirs,  executors  and  administrators  of such a person.

     Section 9.11  The provisions of this Article Nine:  (i) are for the benefit
     ------------
of,  and  may be enforced by, each person entitled to indemnification hereunder,
the same as if set forth in their entirety in a written instrument duly executed
and  delivered  by  the  Corporation  and  such  person;  and  (ii) constitute a
continuing  offer  to all present and future persons entitled to indemnification
hereunder.  The  Corporation,  by its filing of these Articles of Incorporation:
(a)  acknowledges  and  agrees  that  each  person  entitled  to indemnification
hereunder  has relied upon and will continue to rely upon the provisions of this
Article  Nine  in  accepting and serving in any of the capacities entitling such
person  to  indemnification hereunder; (b) waives reliance upon, and all notices
of  acceptance  of,  such  provisions  by such persons; and (c) acknowledges and
agrees  that  no  present or future person entitled to indemnification hereunder
shall  be  prejudiced  in  such person's right to enforce the provisions of this
Article  Nine in accordance with their terms by any act or failure to act on the
part  of  the  Corporation.


                                        3
<PAGE>
     Section 9.12  No amendment, modification, or repeal of this Article Nine or
     ------------
any  provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce, or impair the right
of  any  past, present or future person entitled to indemnification hereunder to
be  indemnified  by  the  Corporation,  nor the obligation of the Corporation to
indemnify  any  such person, under and in accordance with the provisions of this
Article  Nine as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification, or
repeal  with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in
whole  or  in part, prior to such amendment, modification, or repeal, regardless
of  when  such  claims  may  arise  or  be  asserted.

     The  foregoing  discussion  of  the  Company's  Articles  and  of the Texas
Business  Corporation  Act  is not intended to be exhaustive and is qualified in
its  entirety  by  such  Articles  and  statutes,  respectively.

Item  7.     Exemption  from  Registration  Claimed.

        Not  applicable.

Item  8.     Exhibits.

        The following is a  list  of  exhibits filed as part of the Registration
Statement:

     Exhibit  Number               Description  of  Exhibit
     ---------------               ------------------------

           5.1                     Opinion  of  Axelrod,  Smith  &  Kirshbaum

          23.1                     Consent  of  Jackson  &  Rhodes

          23.2                     Consent  of  Axelrod,  Smith  &  Kirshbaum

Item  9.     Undertakings.

      (a)   The  registrant  will:

          (1)     File,  during  any  period  in which offers or sales are being
made,  a  post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement to include any
additional  or  changed  material  information  on  the  plan  of  distribution.


          (2)     For  the  purpose  of  determining  any  liability  under  the
Securities  Act,  treat  each  post-effective  amendment  as  a new registration
statement  of the securities offered, and the offering of the securities at that
time  to  be  the  initial  bona  fide  offering.

          (3)     File  a  post-effective  amendment to remove from registration
any  of  the  that  remain  unsold  at  the  end  of  the  offering.


                                        4
<PAGE>
       (h)     Insofar as indemnification  for  liabilities  arising  under  the
Securities  Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling
persons  of  the  Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise,
that  the  Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
Exchange  Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in  the  Act  and  is,  therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for
indemnification  against  such  liabilities  (other  than  the  payment  by  the
Registrant  of  expenses  incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling
person  of  the  Registrant  in  the  successful  defense of any action, suit or
proceeding)  is  asserted  by  such  director,  officer or controlling person in
connection  with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit  to  a  court  of
appropriate  jurisdiction  the question of whether such indemnification by it is
against  public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication  of  such  issue.


                                        5
<PAGE>
                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant  to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
certifies  that  it  has  reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements  for  filing  on  Form  S-8  and  has duly caused this registration
statement  to  be  signed  on  its  behalf  by  the  undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized,  in  Houston,  Texas,  on  March  8,  2000.

                                        RICK'S  CABARET  INTERNATIONAL,  INC.

                                        By:     /s/  Eric  Langan
                                                Eric  Langan
                                                Director,  President
                                                and  Chief  Financial  Officer

     Pursuant  to  the  requirements  of  the  Securities  Act  of  1933,  this
Registration  Statement  has  been  signed below by the following persons in the
capacities  and  on  the  dates  indicated:

March  8,  2000
                                        By:     /s/  Eric  Langan
                                                Eric  Langan
                                                Director,  President
                                                and  Chief  Financial  Officer


                                        6
<PAGE>

Exhibit  5.1

                           AXELROD, SMITH & KIRSHBAUM
                   An Association of Professional Corporations
                                ATTORNEYS AT LAW
                         5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 700
                            Houston, Texas 77007-8292

                                                      Telephone  (713)  861-1996
Robert  D.  Axelrod,  P.C.                            Facsimile  (713)  552-0202

                                  March 8, 2000

Rick's  Cabaret  International,Inc
505  North  Belt,  Suite  630
Houston,  Texas,  77060

Dear  Mr.  Langan:

     As counsel for Rick's Cabaret International, Inc., a Texas corporation (the
"Company"),  you  have  requested  our firm to render this opinion in connection
with  the  registration  statement  of  the  Company  on Form S-8 ("Registration
Statement") under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), filed with
the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  relating  to the registration of the
issuance  of up to 642,500 shares of common stock, par value $.10 per share (the
"Common  Stock"), to be issued in connection with the 1999 Stock Option Plan and
the  1995  Stock  Option Plan (the "Plans") to the employees and the consultants
who  will  be  compensated  through  the  Plans.

     We  are  familiar  with  the  Registration  Statement  and the registration
contemplated thereby.  In giving this opinion, we have reviewed the Registration
Statement  and  such other documents and certificates of public officials and of
officers  of  the  Company  with  respect to the accuracy of the factual matters
contained  therein  as  we have felt necessary or appropriate in order to render
the  opinions  expressed herein.  In making our examination, we have assumed the
genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents presented to us
as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents presented to
us  as copies thereof, and the authenticity of the original documents from which
any such copies were made, which assumptions we have not independently verified.

     Based  upon  the  foregoing,  we  are  of  the  opinion  that:

     1.     The Company is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in
good standing  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Texas;  and

     2.     The  shares of Common Stock to be issued are validly authorized and,
when  issued  and  delivered  in accordance with the terms of the Plans, will be
validly issued,  fully  paid  and  nonassessable.


                                        7
<PAGE>
     We  consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement  and to the reference in the Registration Statement to Axelrod, Smith,
&  Kirshbaum  under  the  heading  "Exhibits-Opinion."

                              Very  truly  yours,

                              /s/  Axelrod  Smith  &  Kirshbaum


                                        8
<PAGE>

Exhibit  23.1              Consent  of  Jackson  &  Rhodes

                           CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

The  Board  of  Directors
Rick's  Cabaret  International,  Inc.

We  consent  to  the incorporation by reference in the registration statement on
Form  S-8  of Rick's Cabaret International, Inc. of our report dated December 1,
1999,  relating  to  the  consolidated  balance  sheets  of  Rick's  Cabaret
International, Inc. as of September 30, 1999 and 1998 and the related statements
of operations, changes in stockholders' equity and cash flows for the years then
ended,  which  report  appears  in  the  annual  report on Form 10-KSB of Rick's
Cabaret  International,  Inc.  for  the  year  ended  September  30,  1999.

                                   /s/  Jackson  &  Rhodes

Dallas,  Texas
March  7,  2000


                                        9
<PAGE>

Exhibit  23.2              Consent  of  Axelrod,  Smith  &  Kirshbaum


                           CONSENT OF COUNSEL


     The  consent  of  Axelrod, Smith & Kirshbaum, is contained in their opinion
filed  as  Exhibit  5.1  to  this  Registration  Statement.


                                       10


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