Top poker player Phil Ivey loses cheating case in UK supreme court
- 6 years ago
professional poker star has lost a Supreme Court challenge to get back £7.7m in winnings from a London casino.
Phil Ivey was accused of cheating by using a strategy known as edge sorting while playing a version of baccarat in Crockfords Club in 2012.
The 40-year-old American – often referred to as the “Tiger Woods of poker” – admits using the technique but maintains it is a legitimate way of playing.
However, five Supreme Court justices on Wednesday unanimously upheld the Court Of Appeal’s decision and said that dishonesty was not a necessary part of “cheating”.
The court said the poker superstar had “staged a carefully planned and executed sting” on the Mayfair casino over two days.
Edge sorting involves a player taking advantage in irregularities in the pattern on the back of a card.
Edge sorting exploits tiny differences in the pattern on the back of some playing cards
Image:
Edge sorting exploits tiny differences in the pattern on the back of some playing cards
Patterns often vary very slightly when they reach the edge of the card; so at one edge there could be a full diamond pattern and just three-quarters of a diamond at the other edge.
The gambler will manage to trick the croupier into rotating the cards so that some – for example low value cards – end up with one way and higher value cards the other way.
Eagle-eyed players can tell which edge is which by sight.
The player can then get a good idea of whether a low or high value card will be dealt next.
During his visits to Crockfords on 21 and 22 August 2012, Mr Ivey – with another gambler Cheung Yin Sun – persuaded the croupier to rotate the most valuable cards by pretending to be superstitious.
The Supreme Court court said the croupier had no idea of the significance of what she was being asked to do.
“Mr Ivey staged a carefully planned and executed sting,” said a summary of the judgment.
Phil Ivey was accused of cheating by using a strategy known as edge sorting while playing a version of baccarat in Crockfords Club in 2012.
The 40-year-old American – often referred to as the “Tiger Woods of poker” – admits using the technique but maintains it is a legitimate way of playing.
However, five Supreme Court justices on Wednesday unanimously upheld the Court Of Appeal’s decision and said that dishonesty was not a necessary part of “cheating”.
The court said the poker superstar had “staged a carefully planned and executed sting” on the Mayfair casino over two days.
Edge sorting involves a player taking advantage in irregularities in the pattern on the back of a card.
Edge sorting exploits tiny differences in the pattern on the back of some playing cards
Image:
Edge sorting exploits tiny differences in the pattern on the back of some playing cards
Patterns often vary very slightly when they reach the edge of the card; so at one edge there could be a full diamond pattern and just three-quarters of a diamond at the other edge.
The gambler will manage to trick the croupier into rotating the cards so that some – for example low value cards – end up with one way and higher value cards the other way.
Eagle-eyed players can tell which edge is which by sight.
The player can then get a good idea of whether a low or high value card will be dealt next.
During his visits to Crockfords on 21 and 22 August 2012, Mr Ivey – with another gambler Cheung Yin Sun – persuaded the croupier to rotate the most valuable cards by pretending to be superstitious.
The Supreme Court court said the croupier had no idea of the significance of what she was being asked to do.
“Mr Ivey staged a carefully planned and executed sting,” said a summary of the judgment.