A seasoned poker player from Southern California saw a winning streak take a disastrous turn when armed robbers, covertly hiding in his Las Vegas Airbnb, reportedly made off with his total bankroll.
Jared Griener, hailing from Huntington Beach, recounted returning to his temporary lodging at approximately 8 p.m. on Sunday. Upon cashing out his earnings from the World Series of Poker, he was met with the shocking presence of alleged burglars inside.
Griener shared his harrowing ordeal through a succession of posts on X.
“After exiting the competition, I gathered my summer payouts and headed back to the Airbnb. As soon as I stepped inside, two masked men tackled me to the ground, tied me up, and made off with my backpack, which contained my entire bankroll,” Griener detailed.
The backpack, he stated, held what he termed as “literally all” of his financial resources.
He said he had cashed out because he planned to return to Los Angeles.
“I was hog tied and stuck there for a while trying to escape and finally got out and ran out of the house to a neighbor to call 911. Luckily I am physically unharmed. This was the most terrifying and traumatic experience of my life. All my $ is gone,” he wrote.
Griener said the suspects were two Black men who threatened to kill him if he moved.
According to Griener, the intruders appeared to have inside knowledge of the rental property.
“These people knew the door code to my Airbnb, they were waiting for me inside and video surveillance from neighbors showed they arrived at the Airbnb 10 minutes before me,” he wrote.
The poker pro said he remained bound long enough for the robbers to escape.
“Took me about 15 min to wriggle out of it,” he wrote.
After freeing himself, Griener said he ran to a neighbor’s home, where he called 911.
He believes the suspects may have tracked him after he collected his winnings at the World Series of Poker held at the interconnected Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas on the Strip.
“It’s likely someone was watching me at @wsop and knew that I was on my way home with cash. Las Vegas detectives are currently investigating,” he wrote.
Griener has publicly suggested the robbery may have been an inside job because the suspects allegedly knew the Airbnb’s entry code and were already inside before he arrived.
Born in Provo, Utah, Griener now lives in Huntington Beach, California, and is known for competing in high-stakes live tournaments and major cash games in California and Las Vegas.
According to The Hendon Mob‘s live poker database, Griener has earned $3,348,485 in career live tournament winnings, ranking 862nd on the all-time money list and 417th among American players.
He has recorded more than 150 live tournament cashes, won three titles in regional and circuit events, captured one World Series of Poker Circuit Ring, owns no WSOP Gold Bracelets, and has amassed $1,723,561 in WSOP earnings.