Suspected Terrorist Attack in Barcelona Puts Poker Players in Harm's Way

6 years ago
Suspected Terrorist Attack in Barcelona Puts Poker Players in Harm's Way
18:01
17 Aug

A number of fatalities and injuries have been reported in Barcelona, Spain after a van drove into a throng of people in Las Ramblas, a touristy area in the city's center.

Authorities suspect terrorism as the cause of the incident, according to reports from news agencies such as Reuters and Telegraph.co.uk. In addition to the chaos resulting from the van plowing into the crowd, a hostage situation has reportedly developed at a restaurant near the scene of the crash.


"Huge collision on Las Ramblas in Barcelona by an individual driving a van," read a statement from Catalan police.

The death toll has already been reported at more than a dozen, with injuries topping 50. Additional updates and reports continue to roll in as the information becomes available.


PokerStars National Barcelona

The PokerStars National Championship is currently underway in Barcelona and is scheduled to run from August 15-27 at Casino Barcelona. A €4 million guarantee in the featured event  from Aug. 16-21 has resulted in Day 1B selling out with more than 1,600 players registered, according to PokerStars.

A release from The Stars Group indicated that "the tournament rooms are packed to the gills" and that Day 1C will be capped at 1,200 players and 200 alternates.

A bunch of top poker pros are in town for the festival, including Jeff Gross,  Marcin Horecki, Dominik Panka, Leo Margets, Philipp Gruissem, and Martin Staszko. This year's schedule promises 51 tournaments and over €13 million in guaranteed prize money.

Casino Barcelona is roughly five kilometers from the area in Las Ramblas where the van driver committed his alleged terrorist attack. The driver was apparently able to flee the scene and may be involved in the hostage standoff at the nearby restaurant.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London has advised tourists to remain indoors, as well as to steer clear of the Las Ramblas area. Those who may be in the vicinity of the flashpoint are to heed the instructions of the local authorities on the scene.

PokerTube will provide updates on the incident as information becomes available.


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Charles is a Chicago native and long time poker player who dusted off his journalism degree and began writing about poker following the events of Black Friday in 2011. He has written for a number of leading poker websites, offering his insights and expertise on subjects ranging from online poker leg...Read more

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