KOTZEBUE -- For Alvin Werneke and his friends, the occasional Texas Hold-Em game around the kitchen table just wasn't cutting it. They wanted a competitive game to sink their teeth into every weekend. That's why, in 2006, Werneke organized the Midnight Sun Poker League in Kotzebue.
"It started in a basement, and grew into a league," said Werneke, the self-styled "Grand Poobah" of the league. He, Tom and Taryle Gebhardt and Denny and Sharon Hickerson, all take turns hosting. They welcome anyone to join the tournament-style games, whether it's just occasionally to mix up the routine or a weekly appearance to fight for the championship.
The smoke-and-alcohol-free league meets twice a week and offers more than the chance to pocket a few bucks.
"It's camaraderie, some competition and some socializing," Werneke said, pointing out the league evenings bring together some unlikely social combinations, all in the name of a good game.
"We've had everybody from minimum-wage workers to lawyers to city council members," he said. "We've had out-of-towners, some villagers and even had a couple of state troopers come play."
There's a number of ways to go about finding the Friday and Saturday night games, including calling one of the hosts or visiting the league's Facebook site — but Werneke said word of mouth in Kotzebue is best.
"We're pretty well known in town, so you just ask where the poker game is tonight," said Werneke, who noted that Kotzebue cabbies know which house to pull up to on game night.
While poker does reside in the world of gambling and the sometimes-negative connotations that incites, Werneke said the league has focused on maintaining a good reputation. "We've gone to great lengths to make sure it's all kept legal," Werneke said. "It's considered a game between friends, which is legal, as long as there's no rake involved."
A rake is when the house profits for hosting the game. At Kotzebue league games, any money brought in goes to the winners or to purchase supplies like card decks and chairs.
Buy-ins to play for the night vary from $40 to $100, with rules on re-buys and add-ons varying game to game. With an average of 14 to 18 players for each game night, plenty of money changes hands, but not in amounts that would eyebrows, Werneke said.
While thousands of dollars cycle through the league each year, the amount is spread out among the players.
"No one person is getting rich," Werneke said. "The money spreads out so much that not any one player would be able to make a living off of it."
The league didn't start off as smoke and alcohol free, but the hosts and the players quickly agreed it was the better route. First of all, said Werneke, having up to 30 people crowded in a room makes smoking unpleasant for everyone. As far as alcohol, they tried to allow it in moderation at first.
"But there was always somebody that would over do it," he said. "So we decided that alcohol wasn't worth it. Actually, most of the players appreciate it."
Leaving alcohol out of the picture keeps the games running smoothly, and keeps the league a trouble-free place for people who don't want to, or can't, be around alcohol.
At one point, Werneke said, a frequent player was court ordered to not consume or be around alcohol. League games were brought up in court as a positive place for recreation, he said.
Between hauling 30 chairs and three large tables every week, setting up equipment and taking buy-ins, it takes plenty of effort to keep the league rolling, Werneke said. So far, the result is a steady flow of people for the past five years — whether they show for the company, the competition or the various twists.
For instance this weekend's Saturday game, held at Werneke's house, is the annual Turkey Ham Shoot. Most game nights, there's a "price" on the head of the previous game's winner. Whoever knocks that person out of the game wins $40. On this special night, however, the one who kicks the former winner out takes home a turkey. In addition, a randomly chosen player receives a ham.
Also coming up is the league's sixth championship game, scheduled for Jan. 6, among the year's top 10 players.
While Werneke thinks the league has a number of upsides, he believes people really show up for one, simple reason. And it's the same reason he, the Gebhardts and the Hickersons continue to host.
"Because we love to play poker," he said.