Lord Justice Kim Lewison (UK Appeals Court) has granted US professional poker player Phil Ivey the right to appeal to overturn his lost £7.7 million High Court case against Genting Casino UK regarding his baccarat winnings at Crockfords Club Mayfair.
The appeal relates to Ivey’s substantial win during a two day period in 2012 at Crockfords playing Punto Banco (a form of baccarat).
Genting the owners of Crockfords did not pay the player as they believed that Ivey had been ‘edge sorting’, exploiting a tiny flaw in the playing cards that helped him guess the card’s value.
Defending its non payout Genting had told the UK courts in October 2014 that Ivey’s card strategy “circumvented the premises of the game and therefore was not liable for the winnings”.
The High Court agreed with Genting rejecting Ivey’s claim, however the poker player’s representatives had stated that they would likely re-appeal for further hearings.
Ivey who is considered by many experts as the greatest poker player of all time, made the following announcement regarding the case
“As I said at the time of the London verdict last October, it is not in my nature to cheat, which is why I was so bitterly disappointed by the judge’s decision a year ago, even though he said that I was a truthful witness and that he was sure that I didn’t believe that what I was doing was cheating,”
“This wording from the Court of Appeal, that the grounds of our appeal raise an important question of law and have real prospects of success, is quite simply the best news I’ve had since I won the £7.8 million at Crockfords over three years ago in August 2012.”
The players appeal is set to be heard on Thursday 10 December