Phil Ivey Admits Reading the Cards at Mayfair Club Crockfords

Phil Ivey saga involving Britain's oldest casino failing to pay his £7.8 million win continues as he admits that he won it by “reading” the cards. Ivey says he used a legitimate technique called 'edge sorting' while playing punto banco, a luck based type of baccarat. However, Mayfair club Crockfords is convinced that he “operated a scam” and claims he “acted to defeat the essential premise of the game” continuing to refuse his payout. The High Court will hear the case later this year in what is said to be the largest casino battle in history.. Mr Ivey's claim says: “During the second session on August 20 [Mr Ivey] made various requests for decks of cards to be changed at the end of hands with which [Crockfords] chose to comply. This continued until Kelly identified a deck or decks of cards where the pattern on the reverse side of the cards was asymmetrical (in that one “long'' side was different from the opposite side).” Ivey was dropping £50,000 a hand but once he managed to edge sort the cards, he asked the casino to raise the max bet to £150,000. Ivey says that Crockfords' owners knew the process of edge sorting and have no right to hold back his winnings.