I'm no Butch Cassidy, but I have a pretty solid theory as to which circumstances are most likely to be in place upon an armed robbery: lots of cash and/or lax security. Banks fit the former, convenience stories the latter.But where does, say, a poker tournament fit in? Organizers of the European Poker Tour event in Berlin found out this afternoon, as six men armed with machine guns reportedly waltzed into the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt, where card players were competing for large sums of cash. The gunmen apparently made off with one million Euros.
Well, there was a TV crew. Because the tournament was being broadcast on television. Live.
Here's the footage of the, erm, interruption:
The tour's promoter, PokerStars, released a statement confirming the robbery and asking for the public's help in finding the robbers, who remain at large. You wonder if the enterprising criminals had any idea the event was being televised. Either way, maybe we should stop keeping millions of dollars on hand at highly publicized events. I'm sure the winner would be happy to take a check.
Hat tip: SBNation.com.
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Poker is and always will be cash, it is gambling not a job, every casino in the world pays out cash. It is up to the winner(s) of the money at the end of the tournament how they want to handle their winnings. This is simply idiots at the German Casino, PERIOD! Try robbing a Vegas Casino and see how far toward the door you get, not out! just see if you can reach the door before being put down!
It almost looks like an inside job OR the Dumbest Management and Security people in the Gaming Industry.
Whatever the outcome, it should not be used to change gambling itself just require the Casino's to do what they should have done in the 1st place.
The bald guy was on to it way too soon.
Inside job?
I'm pretty sure the money has to be on hand if the casino is taking bets
The money is on hand to show on TV the end of the tourney. Vegas is different, wide open spaces and no place to disappear in a rush in casinos.
The Hyatt in Berlin is just a Hotel with a large Ballroom. Anytime six men walk in with MP5's you will not risk the players lives, you pay up and let the Insurance sort it out later. In a packed environment it would be foolish to start a shootout, six Machine Guns are a great argument for compliance. Stll it was well done...the robbery that is.
This was obviously an inside job (someone who worked there). Security at casinos is normally Tupperware-tight, and it had to be someone who worked security or was incahoots with someone there and knew all the protocols. Like bondsman said, try that in Vegas or other places and those men would not have made it three steps towards the door, regardless of the machine guns.
Did somebody say inside job?
Did somebody say inside job?
France just surrendered to the gunmen .
i knew it would happen some day.
i knew it would happen some day.
I'M ALL IN...
Bush was in on it
Yeah he was. he is still looking for the WMD's Iraq didn't have.
I'm not one to inject partisan politics into a discussion like this, but as long as the stupid SOBs named "gaweedawg" and "charlie" started it, what the heck. Saddam Hussein DID INDEED have WMDs. How do you suppose he killed at least 800,000 people? With butter knives? Due to the resolve of President Bush and the United States military, the world is down one brutal dictator and up one constitutional democracy.
Dear JC-First off, Everyone, even The Dickster, Cheney, has said there were no WMDs. Karl Rove just said it this morning, live on NBC. So why are you the one we should give creedence to when the liars who said there were now admit there weren't? Too much Glenn Beck and Red Bull my friend. Just chill out and read some comics. Real facts are way too confusing for you.
Was that a full house or an inside straight ?
You are mistaken about robbing Vegas Casinos. There was very unpublized series of Vegas casino robberies by an elite former Russion KGB commando and a small group of not so comptent people before they were put out of business they robbed several casinos. And a recently as 2008 the Las Vegas Hilton was robbed by three people and made off with hundreds of thousands.....to date no suspects no leads.
Yea, I heard they were all dressed as Elvis impersonators..Oh,wait that was a movie starring Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner
Maybe nobody noticed, but perhaps all of those who wrote comments about security at casinos would be well advised to learn to read before posting. This was a tournament, being held at a Hotel. There is no casino there. There is nothing normally associated with a casino in the building. It was being held in a hotel ballroom, which is much different than a casino.
This was no different than an armed group walking in to steal from a wedding party or other similar gathering. Could it happen in a casino? Possibly, but much less likely.
Read first...read for comprehension, then comment.
Why is this under SPORTS news?????