EPT Berlin Poker Robbery Featured on Most Wanted TV Show

The armed robbery that took place during the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin festivities was featured on the German television program “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst,” the equivalent of “America’s Most Wanted.”

The episode aired on Wednesday night and German police are now awaiting tips that could help bring the perpetrators to justice, according to Abendblatt.de. Viewers and anyone else in the poker industry with information are encouraged to pick up a phone and call 089-95 01 95, which will connect you to the program’s studios in Munich. “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst” appears on the television station ZDF. Its producers work in conjunction with local police.

Like “America’s Most Wanted,” “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst” is a longstanding staple of the television airwaves. “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst” premiered in 1967. Episodes feature a handful of unsolved mysteries and, according to “Aktenzeichen XY Ungelöst” officials, about 40% of the cases presented on the program are ultimately solved. Whether the mega-heist of EPT Berlin will be among them is unknown. Four gunmen held up the registration area of the PokerStars sponsored tournament and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, officials from PokerStars and the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Berlin have been dissecting the robbery to improve security measures in the future. Poker News Daily caught up with EPT Berlin winner Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee and asked him what steps should be taken: “Don’t have poker tournaments’ cash desks in hotels or, if you do, beef up security. The staff, security, and players all pulled together to fix a disastrous situation. I actually think Thomas Kremser of TK Poker Events did an excellent job.” MacPhee appeared on CBS’ “Early Show” on Monday morning and also virtually sat down with CNN’s Campbell Brown.

As can be seen by the numerous video clips of the melee circulating online, poker chips were strewn about EPT Berlin’s tables and dealers and floor staff alike were left running for the exits. Fortunately for those involved, the gunmen never entered the tournament area. MacPhee praised the heroic efforts of the event’s staff: “The dealers saved the day, especially Fred (the best dealer in the world), who kept the deck intact during the chaos on one of the outer tables. That’s a good dealer and the security was extremely tight afterward. I was getting escorts everywhere, so my hat goes off to them for handling a difficult situation in the best possible way.”

On Thursday, Time Magazine posted a column about the robbery featuring video footage of the midday shenanigans as they unfolded. Time writers described what they saw: “The entire caper looks like something out of a movie, although it’s less ‘Oceans 11’ and more like Woody Allen’s comedy, ‘Take The Money and Run.’” Posters on popular online poker forums were quick to recall the top casino capers featured in the 2001 movie “Oceans 11.”

A wide variety of reports also surfaced as to the amount of money plundered from the German poker tournament. The Las Vegas Sun newspaper pegged the total at $328,000, while Doyle Brunson’s blog claimed the bandits took more than triple that amount. The Las Vegas news outlet described its take on the surveillance footage: “Footage on German television showed a hotel security guard battling with one of the robbers, then wrestling a second one to the floor. The captive escaped after his accomplice returned from another room wielding a large metal post and chased the guard away.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest updates on the EPT Berlin high-stakes heist.

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Poker argot:

FISH - A player who loses money. An old saying is "If you can't spot the fish at the table, *you* are the fish.".
TAP - In no-limit games, to wager all of one's money in one bet.
BUNNY - An eight. So named because one can easily draw "rabbit ears" above the numeral 8, "paws" in the middle and "feet" at the bottom. (Do this only at home, and not on cards that will be used for play.)
LATE BLIND - In addition to "regular" blinds, some games allow a player (particularly a new one) to post a blind bet in return for the right to enter the game immediately and act last on the first betting round. The amount of the blind is determined by house rules, usually somewhere between the last blind and double the last blind. It is frequently a LIVE BLIND.
PAY OFF - Calling a bet with little expectation of winning, unless the opponent is bluffing.
READ - To determine whether an opponent has a good, medium or bad hand by observing his personal behavior. An inexact science.

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