Phil Ivey Loses £7.7 Million "Edge Sorting" Court Battle Against Crockfords Casino
A High Court in London has ruled in favor of a casino that withheld £7.7 million ($12.4 million) in baccarat winnings from poker pro Phil Ivey in 2012. Judge John Mitting determined that Ivey's "edge sorting" technique, used to spot tiny variations in the pattern printed on the backs of the cards, constituted as cheating under civil law.
Ivey won the £7.7 million playing Punto Banco — a form of baccarat — at Crockfords Casino in August 2012, but the Genting-owned casino refused to pay Ivey his winnings. After months of negotiations failed to bring a resolution, Ivey filed suit at the High Court in London on May 7, 2013, claiming that his methods were legal.
Ivey's trial began on Monday in London where he claimed he was unjustly treated. Mitting reached a decision on Wednesday.
"He gave himself an advantage which the game precludes," Mitting said, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. “This is in my view cheating.”
Ivey expressed his disappointment through a spokesperson following the ruling.
"I believe that what we did was a legitimate strategy and we did nothing more than exploit Crockfords' failures to take proper steps to protect themselves against a player of my ability," Ivey said. "Clearly today the judge did not agree."
Ivey's attorneys were rejected permission to appeal the verdict, but they can renew their application with the Court of Appeals.
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In this Series
- 1 Ivey Claims He Used "Edge Sorting" in £7.8 Million Lawsuit With Crockfords
- 2 Top 10 Stories of 2013: #10, Ivey, Kagawa, Smith, and Others Face Legal Trouble
- 3 Borgata Files $9.6 Million Lawsuit Against Phil Ivey for Alleged Baccarat Cheating
- 4 Details Emerge in Borgata's Lawsuit Against Phil Ivey
- 5 Sorting Out the Law Behind Phil Ivey's Edge Sorting Debacle at Borgata
- 6 Phil Ivey Files Motion to Dismiss Borgata Lawsuit, Claims Win Was "All Skill"
- 7 Ivey's Edge-Sorting Accomplice, Cheng Yin Sun, Files Lawsuit Against Foxwoods
- 8 Breaking Down the Legality of Cheung Yin Sun's Edge-Sorting Lawsuit Against Foxwoods
- 9 Phil Ivey to Discuss "Edge Sorting" Lawsuits on 60 Minutes
- 10 Phil Ivey Loses £7.7 Million "Edge Sorting" Court Battle Against Crockfords Casino
- 11 Phil Ivey Appeals Against Crockford’s Ruling
- 12 Top 10 Stories of 2014: #2, Phil Ivey Endures More Legal Drama
- 13 Judge Rules Borgata Lawsuit Against Phil Ivey Can Proceed
- 14 Phil Ivey Appears in Car Commercial for 2015 Chrysler 300
- 15 Foxwoods Survives Edge Sorting Lawsuit from Phil Ivey's "Queen of Sorts" Accomplice
- 16 Phil Ivey Files Countersuit Against Borgata Regarding $9.6M in Baccarat Winnings
- 17 Highlights from Ivey/Borgata Deposition: Booze, Pretty Cocktail Waitresses and More
- 18 Borgata Contests Phil Ivey Counter-Claims
- 19 Ivey Granted Permission to Appeal £7.8 Million Edge-Sorting Case Against Crockfords
- 20 Phil Ivey's £7.8 Million Appeal in Crockfords Case Began Yesterday
- 21 Court Opinion Split on Phil Ivey's $9.6M Baccarat Win
- 22 Phil Ivey Contests Borgata Request for His Baccarat Winnings
- 23 Court Orders Phil Ivey to Return $10.1M to Borgata
- 24 The Mysterious Year for Phil Ivey
- 25 Poker Pro Phil Ivey Will Try to Appeal Borgata $10M Ruling
- 26 UK Supreme Court Grants Phil Ivey Permission to Appeal Crockfords Case
- 27 Phil Ivey Loses £7.7M Supreme Court Appeal in London Edge Sorting Case
- 28 Top 10 Stories of 2017, #7: Phil Ivey Loses $19 Million in Court Battles
- 29 Gemaco Playing Cards Off the Hook in Borgata Ivey Edge-Sorting Debacle
- 30 Phil Ivey Looks to Delay Payment of $10.1M to Borgata
- 31 Phil Ivey in Danger of Losing More to Borgata
- 32 Borgata Given Clearance to Seize Phil Ivey's Nevada Assets
- 33 Film Based on Phil Ivey's Baccarat Partner Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun in the Works
- 34 Report: Borgata Seeking Phil Ivey's WSOP Winnings Plus $214K Interest
- 35 Report: Borgata Secured Phil Ivey's $50K PPC Winnings
- 36 Ivey Borgata Case Takes Another Turn as Cates and Trincher File Objection
- 37 Ivey Versus Borgata Continues With Legal Proceedings
