German Soccer Star Max Kruse Drops $83,200 on Cab Ride

German soccer player Max Kruse loses more than $100,000 after leaving his bankroll in the back of a taxi. (Image: Twitter/BL_Latest)

Max Kruse, the German soccer star who enjoys a game or two of poker in his spare time, has suffered not one but two bad beats after leaving part of his bankroll in the back of a taxi cab.

The striker, who currently plays in Germany’s top soccer league for VfL Wolfsburg, has been an avid poker player for a number of years and recently anted up in Berlin at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE).

Kruse Loses His Bankroll

Although he failed to cash in any events in Berlin, Kruse still has $64,320 in live tournament earnings since 2014, with his latest cash coming in the 2015 WSOP’s $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha event.

On that occasion, the German soccer player managed to outlast the likes of Brian Rast and Sorel Mizzi to finish in 26th place and $23,500 in prize money.

However, as impressive as that result was, that cash prize was nothing compared to the €75,000 ($83,200) he left in the back of a taxi cab after leaving the WSOPE in Berlin.

Having played in Hoffenheim (a village situated around 370 miles from Berlin) the day before, Kruse decided to test his skills against the world’s finest inside Spielbank Berlin.

While it’s not clear exactly how much he won playing cash games, we do know that after leaving the venue he left $83,200 in cash in the back of the taxi cab he was riding in.

A Double Bad Beat for Kruse

Despite calling the local police station, the money hasn’t been recovered and, as if things couldn’t get any worse for Kruse, he was later fined by VfL Wolfsburg.

Not wanting the club’s reputation to take a hit because of Kruse’s stupidity, a spokesperson for the club explained that they’d reprimanded the player and fined him €25,000 ($27,750).

“We have explained to him what sort of behavior we expect from our players. We can only hope that he has been taught a lesson and will change his behavior,” explained the spokesperson.

Of course, tales of poker players leaving insane amounts of money in the back of taxi cabs after a long session isn’t anything new.

Back in 2013, a Las Vegas driver was shocked to find six bundles of cash worth $300,000 in his cab after picking up a famous player from The Cosmopolitan.

Although the player was never publically named, a number of players suspected it was Phil Ivey who left the cash in the cab (as he’s often seen carrying large amounts of cash).

Regardless of who the owner was, the driver, Gerardo Gamboa, returned the $300,000 later that day. For his honesty, Gamboa was awarded $1,000 and a steak dinner for two by his employee and a further $10,000 from the anonymous poker player.

Whether or not the driver who found Kruse’s cash will be as honest remains to be seen.

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