EPT Berlin Armed Robbery

11 Mar 2010

The European Poker Tour Berlin has been raided by armed robbers who left with the £250,000 of the prize money

The EPT Berlin was in full session with around 1,000 players involved in the five day tournament. The gentle chink of poker chips and muffled sounds of the player’s voices suddenly turned into panic as players attempted to get out of the way of a gang of armed robbers who had entered the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Potsdamer Platz. Many of the players dived for cover under poker tables or ran to the emergency exits. Poker chips spewed out across the floor. During the panic several people were injured though none of them suffered more than cuts and bruises.

The gang members were wearing masks and were armed with assault rifles, hand grenades and machetes. As they entered the premises the robbers screamed out that it was an armed robbery. Four of them entered the building whilst a number of them were posted outside keeping guard.

The robbers threatened the staff working behind the cash desk and grabbed the money which is believed to be £250,000. One very brave security guard attempted to pin one of them down but another hit him with a pole. The robbers then left the hotel and sped off in what was reported to be a black Mercedes.

The tournament was being filmed at the time so the robbery was recorded and broadcast live over the internet. Several players were posting live accounts of the robbery on Twitter. Four hours after they left the mess was sorted out and the tournament recommenced.

So far the German police have no leads as to who the robbers are though there has been speculation that it was an inside job

The winner of the main event was Kevin MacPhee from the USA. Fortunately he was still able to collect the first prize of €1 million.