THE CAMERAS were rolling when the heist began, but this was no Hollywood caper.
The high-rollers’ game was well under way at the European Poker tournament in Berlin on Saturday when four masked men arrived with more than cards on their minds.
Armed with pistols, a machine-gun and a sizeable machete, they burst into the ballroom of the luxury Hyatt Hotel shortly after 2pm and announced: “This is a hold-up!”
They weren’t bluffing, and live internet streams of the tournament captured what happened next: screaming players made a stampede for the exits, toppling the cloth ballroom backdrop, overturning tables and shattering glass.
It was the penultimate day of Europe’s biggest poker tournament, which began on Tuesday with over 1,000 participants, including former tennis star Boris Becker trying his hand as a card shark. The former Wimbledon star was out of the running by Saturday afternoon, however, when the professional high-rollers had made their buy-in of €5,000.
With the tournament under way, the four thieves made their appearance and went straight for the cash desk. "They picked exactly the right moment because the high-roller buy-in had yet to be banked," said one organiser to the Tagesspiegel newspaper.
Two of the men emptied the takings – an estimated €800,000 – into two rucksacks. They were challenged by Roman, a 6ft 6in security guard. He grabbed one of the men and knocked his gun away, only letting go when another gang member hit him in the face with a machete – still in its sheath.
“I only got a small scratch above my right eye. I was so pumped up with adrenalin time seemed to stand still,” the guard said.
During the struggle, a hotel intern snatched a rucksack containing a reported €540,000, and ran away.
Within minutes, the internet stream of the robbery was circulating online: masked men toppling tables, glass shattering, a security guard shouting: “Call the police, robbery!”
Hotel staff cowered in doorways, phones pressed to their ears, others filmed on their mobile phones as the men wrestled their way free, then disappeared down the marble steps, across the road and into a nearby shopping centre.
“First we thought it was a row outside,” said tournament participant Sascha Rennhak. “Then people started climbing over the tables, the chips went flying through the air and, when 400 people come running in your direction, you start running, too.”
Seven people were treated for light injuries. Police said yesterday they had no firm leads, but suggested the team had an accomplice inside the tournament.
“We’ve worked through the night examining pictures and interviewing witnesses, and have many clues we are following up,” said police spokesman Frank Millert.
Proving they have nerves of steel, the poker players resumed their tournament four hours after the robbery, and finished up yesterday after six days of pursuing the €4.6 million prize money.