December 10th, 2013
As reported in the Mail On Sunday:
British casino refuses to pay out to Californian world number one poker player after he wins $11 MILLION in two nights
Britain's oldest casino is investigating a £7.3?million win by the world’s top poker player – and is refusing to pay him a penny.
Crockfords, the exclusive Mayfair gaming club, has informed the Gambling Commission
that it is withholding Phil Ivey’s payout.
Accompanied by a ‘beautiful Oriental woman’, Mr Ivey, a 35-year-old Californian, was playing Punto Banco, which is a skill-free variant of baccarat, when
he struck a remarkable winning streak. The 184-year-old casino initially agreed to transfer the winnings to his bank account, but six weeks on it has
returned only his £1?million stake.
Genting investigators flew to London from Kuala Lumpur to speak to everyone who was working on the two nights in question and to examine hours of film
from surveillance cameras. The cards used and the shoe they were dealt from were also scrutinised.
‘No imperfections, or marks, that would have given Ivey an advantage were found. In any case, Ivey at no time touched the cards,’ said a source.
‘The shoe was also thoroughly inspected; once again the investigators drew a blank.’
(
more)
Assuming an average bet of £100,000 per hand (he was betting between £50,000 and £150,000), 7.3 million represents a 73-unit win. Assuming around 2000
hands were played, this is about two standard deviations, or approximately a twenty to one shot. This doesn't raise any suspicions, even if there were any
realistic suggestion that the size of the win was statistically improbable, which there isn't.
In addition to which, it appears impossible to cheat at this game, which I've also played in a London casino. The cards are dealt directly from an enclosed
shoe, after the bets are placed on the table. The cards can be viewed by neither player nor dealer prior to dealing, and the player does not physically
touch the cards.
Ivey is also a known big-time gambler away from the poker table, so this behaviour is entirely consistent with his player profile.
My educated guess here is that Crockfords is looking for an excuse to not pay a substantial amount of money.
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