Armed raiders storm EPT Berlin event

A GANG of masked robbers armed with guns raided Germany's richest poker tournament on Saturday.  

The robbery, which was captured on a live internet feed, occurred on day four of the five-day EPT Berlin. The tournament, which offered a €1m prize to the winner, attracted 945 players to the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Potsdamer Platz.

Although many players would have been knocked out in the main event the tournament area was busy and slight injuries occurred when panic set in and players and dealers ran for cover.

Dramatic footage of the heist was soon posted online. Some reports suggested the robbers were also armed with machetes and grenades.

Four robbers targeted the registration desk outside the tournament area shortly after 2pm on Saturday. There was a struggle between security and the raiders who eventually fled with cash. Officials have yet to confirm how much money was seized.

Cards and chips were scattered in the chaos but play resumed within a few hours of the interruption. American online phenomenon  Kevin "ImaLuckSac" MacPhee was already a massive chip leader at the time of the raid and maintained his nerve to win the event outright on day five.

An EPT statement read:  "An armed robbery took place on March 6 at EPT Berlin. Nobody was seriously injured.

"No shots were fired and the suspects quickly fled after a security guard intervened. The police investigation so far has shown that the suspects had a handgun and a machete.

"Contrary to tabloid reports, no Kalashnikov assault rifles or hand grenades were used. The suspects did not enter the tournament area and the money taken was substantially less than what has been reported."

Most events restarted within a few hours although the $1,000 side event was cancelled.

A police investigation is underway.