Players Lash Out at WSOP after Active Shooter False Alarm

10:05
18 Jul

The WSOP have been called out for their response to mass chaos on the Las Vegas Strip on Saturday night when a false report of an “active shooter” situation spiralled out of control...

Scenes of absolute madness erupted after what appears to have been a glass door being smashed snowballed into multiple stampedes in various casinos, starting in the MGM Grand...

Memories of the 2017 mass shooting at the Harvest 91 music festival at Mandalay Bay casino that claimed 61 lives are still raw in the memories of Vegas residents.

That appears to have been behind the mass hysteria that led to several stampedes, players kicking down doors to escape, and multiple injuries from being trampled, with several videos of events unfolding showing the fear that gripped the Strip, as well as the aftermath...

Vanessa Kade was among those in the Paris ballroom when news of the “incident” at MGM, and then the Aria, filtered through, with a loud noise setting off a similar stampede in the Paris Las Vegas.

Landon Tice claimed “I’ve never felt fear like that in my life,” as players fled what they believed to be an active shooter on the premises.

Galen Hall was among those who took an active approach to fleeing the scene and helping others escape, although he later felt less heroic:

“In the moment I remember thinking, “I am fucking nailing this thing right now. Afterwards when Scott & my dad pointed out that it hadn’t occurred to me to look for exit signs instead of blindly kicking doors, I felt somewhat less smug.”

Eventually the mass hysteria subsided, with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) releasing a brief Twitter statement...

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However, many players caught up in the madness were unwilling or unable to return to play, with Cherish Andrews among them.

Andrews tweeted:

“I won’t be returning today, forfeiting my stack in the closer because A) I can barely move from being kicked in the ribs and trampled and B) It’s insane to make people play after what happened last night. Enjoy the free chips guys. Also if you helped me last night, thank you.”

Jacqueline Burkhardt was among numerous poker pros who have been calling on the WSOP organisers to step up and help those who were caught up in the incident.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you. Good that you’re putting your own well-being above a tourney. Hopefully @wsop makes an appropriate decision regarding players that were injured under their banners.”

The WSOP, meanwhile, have yet to comment on what happened, their twitter feed the usual fare of basic tournament updates, results and information.

Likewise, the Paris Las Vegas social media accounts have no mention of the chaos that blighted an otherwise relatively incident-free World Series of Poker.

Both organisations have been approached for comment.