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Although the entire incident was caught on tape and broadcasted around the world through social media outlets like Twitter and YouTube, German police still have no leads and no suspects in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Berlin armed robbery.
According to the Berlin-based Berliner Zeitung newspaper, the suspects may have fled the scene in a swank black Mercedes. The Associated Press, a global media goliath, added that the crooks escaped through a nearby shopping mall before hopping into a getaway vehicle in a rare “Oceans 11”-like daytime casino heist. Meanwhile, as the story has gained attention around the world, the Toronto Star reported that the bandits looted EPT Berlin to the tune of $335,000. However, all prize money was ultimately paid out.
According to Bild.de, there are no new clues and no suspects in the case, which featured four gunmen assault the registration desk at EPT Berlin. No one was harmed during the incident, which marked one of the most bizarre series of events in modern tournament poker history. According to Berliner Zeitung, police in the German metropolis were busy examining every shred of evidence they could get their hands on, including footage from hotel surveillance cameras at the Grand Hyatt and a bevy of player and staff cell phone cameras.
Meanwhile, according to the same German news outlet, witnesses claimed that the gunmen threatened tournament staff with a hand grenade, although the PokerStars Blog reported that only pistols and a machete were present. Even claims of an inside job surfaced after The Local and the New York Times both reported that an accomplice inside of the Grand Hyatt might have tipped the assailants off as to the timing of the attack.
The German news media quoted a police spokesperson as saying that it was obvious from flyers and publicity material when the end of registration was and therefore an “inside job” may not be likely. The attack occurred at 2:15pm local time on Saturday as a roomful of poker players competed for a €1 million top prize in the EPT’s first visit to Berlin.
Meanwhile, Bild.de noted that a security guard who tackled one of the thieves was 6’8” tall and had a shoe size of 14. Tournament participant Frank Betsch told local media, “I could see everything very well since, at the time, I stood on the side of the room because I wanted to watch the ladies game that had just started. I have never seen such a crime scene. I heard a sound and thought, ‘That was a gunshot.’”
The Star revealed that German Police Chief Rainer Wendt chastised PokerStars, the tournament’s organizers, for not having enough security. Purportedly, its guards were unarmed and a bevy of cash was on-hand at the registration area.
A unique insight into the poker robbery came from 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, who commented in a recent blog on DoylesRoom that he’s been through five heists during his lifetime: “The guys that robbed the EPT in Berlin made a nice score. They took 800,000 Euros at gunpoint. I’ve been there and done that 5 times in my life and believe me, it’s no fun. I’ll bet everybody that was there will remember it for the rest of their lives.”
American poker player Kevin “ImaLuckSac” MacPhee took down the EPT Berlin Main Event for €1 million. Then, MacPhee appeared in interviews on CBS’ “The Early Show,” BBC, and CNN. The burglary even received face time on ESPN’s original series “Around the Horn.” Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the EPT Berlin robbery.
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I’m not the type to buy things. Anything more than $100 is a “major purchase” worthy of study, research and dithering. A lot of dithering.
I first considered purchasing an HDTV in September 2007 before an ill-fated trip to the Borgata on Yom Kippur. At the time I rationalized it as acceptable by using someone else’s money to buy it. So of course that day I had one of my worst losing sessions ever in the $10-$20 LHE game.
After that setback I didn’t actually buy an HDTV until more than two years later. I read all the reviews of the different technologies. I price-compared until my eyes bled. I visited several different stores solely to see differences in picture quality with those same bleeding eyes. When I was finally convinced I had all the facts I walked straight into Best Buy and walked out with a 50-inch television ten minutes later. There was a feeling of satisfaction in knowing that I had made the right purchase at the right price.
It was the same with mattress shopping three years ago. Tons of internet research on the different types of mattresses available. Price comparisons galore. Visits to several stores to take 15-minute naps on different mattresses (making sure to rotate five minutes each left side, stomach, right side because that’s how meticulous I can be). Once I was sure of what I wanted, I walked into Macy’s and ten minutes later was the owner of a new mattress — a mattress which I absolutely love sleeping on.
Don’t even get me started on what I went through with my car.
Yesterday I went appliance shopping. For the life of me, I cannot understand why there is such a huge variation in prices on these things — even after doing the research. I recognize some perform their function better than others and some have more “features” than others. But at the end of the day these are very functional items and for me that’s where the buck stops. A refrigerator is a box for keeping food cold. A washer is a box that cleans your clothes. A dryer is a box that dries them.
My purchase was narrowed down to two identically priced but vastly different items. After thirty minutes of comparison and spot iPhone internet research I couldn’t decide. And so I finally flagged down the salesperson who had already approached me twice asking if I needed help.
Generally I am suspicious of salespeople. Their job, after all, is to sell. Their function is not so much to help you as it is to make you feel more comfortable to part with your cash on a major purchase. Hand holders. Providers of reassurance. The mythical “outside opinion” that makes you feel like you’re not making a mistake.
Now obviously salespeople have reputations too. If they constantly recommend craptactular items it will eventually catch up to them. But any item that’s in a major store probably isn’t the complete worst. So it’s hard for the salespeople to go wrong with recommending anything in the store.
Did the salesperson sell me the proverbial bill of goods? Who knows. In this instance, since each item was priced the same, it didn’t much matter. I asked a few questions; he answered them. I made my choice. And during the course of writing this post, the delivery truck arrived with the goods.
Thankfully, after this there’s only one more major set of purchases to go.
Go to: Riding the F Train
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Pacific Poker PokerGratuit 2x Freeroll 11/03 just got published: http://trim.su/7SMy (by Admin)
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Haha bukan2 hugo sy cuma nyanyiRT @HugoSNZ: siala ineeeeeee RT @romromm: Lady gaga poker face hihiRT @HugoSNZ: poker oh poker
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@missdian"what should we do later? Poker or whoonuu. . 
" sana kasama @ditasred. .
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Noontide tournament in Poker Texas Holdem is now open, buyin 10K +R, guaranteed prize 1.0 mln Game Chips http://gamedesire.com/t1547260
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@WerkCoach zo nu en dan zeker, maar doe het echt niet te vaak. Vergelijk het leven met poker, verander gewoon continu je tactiek
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I favorited a YouTube video — Happy Halloween! – Poker Face cover http://youtu.be/5mf7cQfhJSA?a
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