Max Kruse Leaves €75,000 Poker Winnings in Taxi; Wolfsburg Fine Him €25,000

Wolfsburg striker and avid poker fan, Max Kruse, has been fined €25,000 by his club after it became common knowledge that he left €75,000 in the back of a cab after a good day at the World Series of Poker Europe tables in Berlin.

It was the 2014 World Series of Poker (WSOP) that the press learned of Max Kruse’s penchant for poker. The German star was playing for Borussia Monchengladbach at the time. He came close to winning a bracelet in Event #36: $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball, finishing third for $36,494.

Kruse signed a four-year deal to join Wolfsburg in 2015. To celebrate he competed in the €2,200 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) Eureka High Roller in Hamburg bubbling the final table for a €3,930 payout. He had the bug. That summer he returned to the WSOP and finished 26th in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) Championships for $23,500.

It was a no-brainer that Kruse would compete at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) festival when it set up camp in Berlin. He didn’t cash in any of the tournaments, but he did have a great day at the cash game tables the day after scoring a hat trick in a 4-2 win over Hoffenheim.