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 New information has been released about the armed robbery that occurred at EPT Berlin this past weekend. A number of interesting things came to light including the fact that the eventual main event winner Kevin MacPhee didn't wish to continue playing after the incident.
"I think it's completely irresponsible to start playing again," he told PokerListings after the robbery. "This is the most important moment in my poker career. We're playing for €1 million here, and you think, after a raid like this, you just sit back at the table and play?
"After an incident like this, everybody should get some time to sleep over this and to calm down. Tell me, how many people are expected to get back to work the same day they were held at gunpoint? Is there any other job in the world where you would do that?"
EPT Officials are now saying that German tabloids exaggerated the situation. They claim that only approximately €240,000 was stolen and the men were armed with a handgun and a machete, not Kalashnikov assault rifles or hand grenades.
Police officials claim the suspects were "petty criminals" acting "chaotically and amateurishly" leaving behind "mountains of clues." The Head of the German Police Federation, Rainer Wendt, says that they expect to catch the criminal "very quickly." He also expressed some criticism towards the private security firm hired by the EPT for showing up unarmed and undermanned to the event. EPT however says that the outcome of the incident was not as serious as it could have been because of the prompt response of tournament security.
"Our security team reacted in a calm and measured manner, in complete accordance with their qualified professional training," said I.A. Tanj Mayer from the Spielbank Casino. Despite this, the tour says that because of the events at EPT Berlin, it will enhance security measures at all future events to further assure the safety of their patrons.
A few days after the event MacPhee said he understood why organizers decided to restart the competition just a few short hours after the incident. He even praised EPT's efforts to maintain some sort of normality following the attack though he still remained slightly critical of their methods.
"Obviously it worked out for me, but at the time I was upset about continuing," he said. "I still think they should have consulted with the players more. Although most of them wanted to play, I think some were affected by the incident psychologically."
Following his comment Mayer told reporters that the decision to continue with the tournament came after it was found that no one was seriously injured and that the decision was met with the full approval of players. EPT remains adamant that they behaved appropriately.
Police are still asking for anyone with information, video footage or photographs that could aid the investigation to step forward. If you have anything that could aid them in their investigation you can contact them directly at
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Picture Source: Bankrollmob.com
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