Phil Ivey Goes All In on Edge Sorting Case at UK's Top Court

6 years ago
Phil Ivey Goes All In on Edge Sorting Case at UK's Top Court
13:29
17 Jul

(Photo: Telegraph.co.uk)

A 10-time WSOP gold bracelet winner and soon-to-be Poker Hall of Famer knows when to fold his hand.

Phil Ivey shows no signs of folding his edge sorting case against the Genting Crockford's Casino in London, choosing instead to appeal the matter to the UK Supreme Court. The case was set to be heard last Thursday and Ivey and attorney Richard Spearman again attempted to win almost $10 million in cash that Ivey and a companion "earned" at the Punto Banco tables in 2012.


High Roller Perks

The money was originally won by noticing a flaw in the cut of the playing cards, taking note of whether the card values were high or low when face-up, and then instructing the dealer to insert the cards back into the deck so that Ivey and Cheung Yin Sun had an idea of the cards' values in future hands.

At the crux of the issue is whether Ivey cheated while gaining his "edge." He and Yin Sun never once touched the cards.

My appeal to the UK top court is to give the man his money!

The casino could have stopped the action at any time, as well as instruct the croupier not to grant Ivey's request of placing the cards back in the deck a certain way for "superstitious" reasons.

Instead, Ivey was afforded the privileges typically granted to high rollers such as a private table and the deck and dealer of his choice. Any advantages gleaned from those privileges are rightfully his, in my opinion.


Do the Judges Gamble at Casinos?

But the lower UK Civil Court and UK Court of Appeals didn't see things that way. One ruled against Ivey by stating that he "circumvented the premise of the game" while the other came to a similar conclusion and said that the poker pro "achieved his winnings through manipulating" the odds.

There is no mistaking the fact that Ivey "certainly gained an advantage," as Spearman told Bloomberg.

"Whether he gained a legitimate advantage is the question that we are all buzzing around."

That buzz will likely continue even after the top court makes its ruling, whatever that decision may be.

Take a look at the snippet below of Phil discussing the cheating allegations levied against him by both Crockford's and the Borgata in Atlantic City. James Brown of "60 Minutes Sports" conducts the interview.


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Charles is a Chicago native and long time poker player who dusted off his journalism degree and began writing about poker following the events of Black Friday in 2011. He has written for a number of leading poker websites, offering his insights and expertise on subjects ranging from online poker leg...Read more

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