German football star Max Kruse and 2023 WSOP Main Event Final Tablist Jan-Peter Jachtmann are among the players who have been scammed of more than half a million euros.
The gang targeted poker tournaments across Germany using various technology which is every poker tournament organiser’s nightmare.
A combination of marked cards, infrared cameras, bluetooth headsets, and even hand signals were used to gain advantage.
The cards used had scanner codes on the backs which allowed the camera to scan the deck after shuffling and transmit the information to an earpiece.
Players called collectors would then receive a discrete hand signal that indicated the correct strategy.
29 cases of this fraud were aired in court but there may be many more.
Max Kruse and Jan-Peter Jachtmann Scammed
Max Kruse is said to have lost €5,000 at a poker night in 2014, while Jan-Peter Jachtmann, seated at the same table, is said to have lost €20,000.
Congratulations to Vfl Wolfsburg (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) player Max Kruse (@MaxKruse_10) for outlasting 413 entrants in the €1,650 NLH Six-Max to earn his first WSOP bracelet!
“I’m overwhelmed. It’s the greatest feeling to have finally won a WSOP bracelet.”https://t.co/ZrgiubsirE pic.twitter.com/VwDLGSLZkk
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) November 9, 2022
One of the defendants testified that this was a test run for further rip-offs.
Former football professional Ronny Garbuschewski is one of the five gang members. His role was to entice rich footballers to come and play in the tainted games. Kruse was one such victim.
All five gang members admitted their guilt and Garbuschewski was sentenced to one year and eight months on probation. The other four received sentences of 16-22 months, suspended for one year. No appeals have been launched.
Max Kruse Still Pursuing a Poker Career
Max Kruse is unlikely to miss the €5,000 he lost in an unethical game given his wages paid for playing football. He also hasn’t lost any of his enthusiasm for playing poker in the nine years since that event.
Last year he travelled to play in the WSOP Europe while suspended from his football team and ended up winning a €1,650 NL event for €134,152 and his first bracelet.
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