Rifle-wielding robbers nab $11K at Cleveland poker game

10/28/2009

CLEVELAND — Police say robbers armed with assault rifles burst into a Cleveland apartment during a high-stakes poker game and made the players take off their pants before fleeing with more than $11,000.

A police report says one of the seven players went outside to smoke Monday when he was confronted by a man pointing a gun at his face. The two suspects entered the apartment, took the players' money and wallets, forced them to remove their pants and doused them with pepper spray before leaving.

The card game had been listed on a poker Web site.

The holdup comes six months after a $75,000 card game heist in the Cleveland suburb of Solon.

Under Ohio law, private card games are allowed, provided the host doesn't charge a fee or take a cut of the winnings.