False Active Shooter Panic Causes Mayhem at WSOP

Shattered Glass Causes False Active Shooter Panic at Paris Las Vegas

This may be one of the most chaotic stories in the World Series’ history.

Around 10 PM local time, a glass door broke at the MGM Grand Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada. The noise the shattering glass made reminded some of bullets being fired. Thus, rumors of an active shooter started to spread. 

It reached the nearby Paris Las Vegas casino, where multiple WSOP events, such as the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. and a $5,000 8-Handed No Limit Hold’em event, were being played.

The threat of a killer on the loose turned the poker room into utter mayhem. Players started running, frightened for their lives. They toppled tables with chipstacks in the process, making the later re-start of the events very difficult for the organizers.

What’s far worse, they were also stomping all over each other. An unspecified number of people suffered injuries.

Many Famous Poker Pros Injured

The list of casualties included some of the most recognizable names in poker.

Daniel Negreanu suffered a very severe cut on his hand, as he was pushed to the ground by the running masses. The 6-time WSOP bracelet winner was also filming the latest of his signature WSOP vlogs, so he recorded some very insightful footage of the incident.

4-time WSOP champion Mike Matusow, who had his trouble with physical injuries in the past and drives a mobility scooter, injured his back again. British poker pro Liv Boeree hurt her knee. Also, Vanessa Kade badly scraped her knee.

Some other famed poker figures, like Scott Seiver, were also at the scene to witness the incident, but were lucky enough to remain unscathed.

The $3K H.O.R.S.E. resumed later that night with only 4 players remaining. Other events were postponed for the next day. 

The mass panic spread to other casinos on the Strip as well, such as the Aria, Caesar’s Palace, The Bellagio, and the other World Series of Poker venue, Bally’s. However, the situation was by far the worst at Paris.

The chaotic incident took place only hours after the Norwegian Espen Jorstad was crowned the 2022 WSOP Main Event champion.

About 30 minutes after the chaos erupted, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police announced on Twitter that the reports of a mass shooting were false. They also cited the original cause for the panic, the shattered glass at MGM Resorts International.

Las Vegas was the location for what is the deadliest mass shooting in American history to this day. In October 2017, a 64-year-old man named Stephen Paddock opened fire from his hotel window at the Mandalay Bay Hotel to a crowd of people attending a country music festival. He killed 60 people and wounded 413 more. His motives are unknown to this day.

Given the history, it’s no surprise Las Vegas residents are wary of the threat of another potential mass shooter.

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