CHEYENNE - Laramie police shut down a poker tournament Wednesday night at the Cowboy Saloon although their city attorney hasn't determined whether such gambling is against the law, two local bar owners said Thursday.

They said police also planned to shut down a poker tournament scheduled for Thursday night at the Buckhorn Bar in Laramie.

"They called at midnight and said they were shutting us down," said Mike Hopkins, who owns both the Cowboy and the Buckhorn.

He said police did not issue citations to anyone in connection with the event, because, police explained, the city attorney hasn't said hosting a poker tournament is illegal.

"But they still shut us down," Hopkins said.

Poker's popularity has increased vastly in the past two or three years, thanks largely to nationally televised "Texas hold 'em" tournaments, and now many bars across the state host regular poker tournaments.

The Buckhorn has hosted poker tourneys for about a month, Hopkins said.

He said the legal advice he has received is that doing so does not violate the law so long as "the house," or in this case, the bar or tournament organizer, does not take a share of the money wagered.

Jason Palumbo, owner of the Icehaus bar, said police also planned to stop the poker tournament at his establishment, although his bar does not take a cut of the betting action either.

"I've never seen an ounce of trouble or any kind of problem," Palumbo said of his experience with poker tournaments in bars.

He is frustrated that police are unilaterally stopping a certain activity without even first waiting to find out if the city's lawyers determine that it's illegal, and those actions are affecting business.

"This town is difficult enough to do business in due to its seasonal nature in the first place," he said.

Laramie Police Chief Jim Kyritsis did not return two telephone messages left at his office Thursday.

Laramie Police Commander Dale Stalder said he was aware of the complaint against the Cowboy from Wednesday night, but he did not have any further details, because those would have to come from the police department's operations division.

City statutes ban many forms of gambling, he said, but there are some exceptions.

"There's a lot of things that play into it," he said.

Stalder said he is aware that many bars run football pools, and police do not crack down on that activity. He said bingo is common statewide, and it's legal if the proceeds go to a nonprofit organization.

But poker tournaments in which the house doesn't take a cut?

"I don't know the answer to your question," Stalder said. "I'm not a lawyer, thank goodness."

A call early Thursday afternoon to the office of the attorneys for the city of Laramie was not returned.

Albany County Attorney Richard Bohling referred legal questions about poker tournaments to the state attorney general's office.

Deputy Chief Attorney General Liz Gagen said it doesn't appear clear-cut whether state law bans poker tournaments.

"It's really dependent on a variety of different factors," she said, including interpretations of different parts of the state gambling statutes.

As far as Gagen is aware, the attorney general's office has not issued any opinions on the legality of poker tournaments, she said.

Laramie's city code mirrors state law in all relevant respects when it comes to which forms of gambling are legal and which aren't.

"Gambling" is prohibited, but there are several exceptions to what constitutes gambling.

For example, the definition of "gambling" does not include "any game, wager or transaction which is incidental to a bona fide social relationship, is participated in by natural persons only, and in which no person is participating, directly or indirectly, in professional gambling."

Professional gambling includes making a profit from aiding or inducing someone to gamble, or participating in gambling when the odds are stacked in one's favor.

Several Cheyenne-area bars also host poker tournaments weekly.

C.B. & Potts Family Restaurant and Sports Club hosts tournaments on Mondays and Thursdays, according to an employee, who had no further details.

Uncle Charlie's Lounge recently quit hosting poker tourneys, but not because authorities shut them down, according to Manager Tom Nowak.

"It was voluntary on our part," he said. "We just felt that was what we preferred to do until further notice, until we find out more about it."

Capital bureau reporter Bill Luckett can be reached at (307) 632-1244 or at bill.luckett@casperstartribune.net.