Small poker gatherings are often a popular spot for robbers to hit since there is usually no security at these games and there is also lots of money laying around. However, you would never expect a bunch of criminals to try and rob a high-profile poker tournament where there are hundreds of people around to see what went down. But the unthinkable happened over the weekend when a group of robbers stormed the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Berlin, Germany to steal the prize pool from a big EPT event.
This unfortunate incident happened around 2:15 pm during the EPT Berlin $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. At one point, the criminals were seen scuffling with security officers in their attempt to steal the prize pool. They were able to get away with $1.36 million of the prize pool money while their actions set off a huge panic in the venue during the Main Event.
When the robbers stormed the hotel, players and press members all took off running towards the exits in an attempt to avoid getting shot. During the rush, a few people suffered some bumps and bruises, but luckily, nobody got hurt and no shots were fired. After the criminals fled the scene, players and press members slowly came back into the room where tables and chairs were strewn throughout the Grand Hyatt ballroom.
Because of this extreme incident, EPT officials offered players back refunds on their buy-in just in case they didn’t want to continue. The $1,000 buy-in event was actually canceled after the robbery. As for the people who robbed the tournament, police are still investigating the incident and are looking for leads. I’m definitely hoping that they’re able to catch these people so that nobody else gets the notion to rob any tournaments in the future!
