Wendy Nutting’s love of poker has her in a whole new game – advocating in a state that outlaws gambling.

The 35-year-old Coeur d’Alene native recently was selected as a state director for the national Poker Players Alliance, an advocacy group for the game based in Washington, D.C.

Within days, Nutting learned she was unintentionally breaking Idaho law by betting for cash during weekly games in friends’ living rooms and kitchens.

Idaho outlaws gambling – including poker – regardless of whether it’s played in the bar or the basement with work buddies over beer and pizza.

Nutting is left not only with the mission of promoting one of the most popular games in America, but also one of advocating for a state law change to make friendly in-home games legal.

In the meantime, Nutting vows not to play in any illegal games – not wanting to jeopardize her advocacy for legal poker or become a hypocritical influence for her two teenage children.

“It’s asinine,” Nutting said Tuesday while logging in to PokerStars.net to play Texas Hold’em with fake money. “How can I be vocal about something I know is illegal?”

Kootenai County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Marty Raap said he didn’t realize in-house poker games were illegal until he considered having one at his Post Falls home. Before he invited friends he checked the law. The game was canceled.

“I can’t think of a case I’ve ever seen where friendly home games with other buddies are prosecuted,” he said, comparing laws regarding poker to those outlawing adultery and sodomy – Idaho laws that aren’t prosecuted.

He thinks the Idaho Legislature should clean up some of these antiquated laws.

Raap said it makes no sense, especially when he can cross the state line and, within 10 minutes, get in a live poker game at Hooters Owl Club Casino in the Spokane Valley. Friendly wagering is allowed at in-home games in Washington as well, provided the host doesn’t charge anything simply for offering the game. Poker is also legal in Montana.

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Jean Carr has well-coiffed white hair, and her preferred beverage is orange juice. She’s also a regular player at the Twin Falls Poker League.

“It’s a very entertaining game,” the Twin Falls woman said, citing the challenge of play as one of her reasons for frequenting the league’s Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournaments, held eight times a week across Magic Valley. She also appreciates the friendliness of the league’s players. “They all treat me with a lot of respect.”

That might be because of Carr’s conservative style of play – “I don’t bluff” – or it might be the nature of the league’s participants, who are quick to teach beginners the game and slow to get upset over a lost hand or newbie mistake.

“This is a good place to learn, because it’s free, the people are really nice, and they’ll help you,” said Brian Fife of Twin Falls. He has played cards since the late 1970s, and said the variety of skill levels among the league players make the game challenging even for experienced participants.

The league was started about a year and a half ago by Magic Valley newcomer CR Larsen, owner of Ground Round in Twin Falls, where the group meets on Sunday evenings. He had played in poker leagues in other areas of the country, and when he discovered there wasn’t one here, he organized one.

“The first week there were 21 people that played, just three tables of seven people,” he said, of the kick-off tournament in October 2006. The biggest tournaments recently attracted between 80 and 90 participants.

Keeping it legal

As he put the league together, Larsen kept the state’s gambling laws in mind.

“I decided to leave out the aspects the state considers gambling,” he said, meaning that participants aren’t risking any money or property in the games. They don’t buy in. “It doesn’t cost anything, it’s a form of entertainment like karaoke.”

The daily free tournaments are great practice for players, while the league earns money by charging the bars a fee for holding the games there. Once a month, players have a chance to take home some cash by participating in a charity game, which – as Larsen interprets state law – is allowed if at least 5 percent of the proceeds go to a charity.

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