Professional poker player and high stakes gambler Phil Ivey has been granted permission to appeal a decision by London’s High Court last year that found him guilty of cheating in winning £7.8 million from Crockford’s Casino in 2012.
Judge Justice Mitting ruled last year that the “edge sorting” technique used by Ivey – in which he was able to identify tiny imperfections in the printed patterns on the back of some cards – while playing Punto Banco at Crockford’s was akin to cheating.
The casino had previously refused to pay Ivey his winnings, however he has always insisted the technique does not constitute cheating and has received widespread support from the gaming community.
Fellow poker pro Daniel Negreanu told PokerListings at the time, “I think it [the ruling] is ludicrous. I think it’s absurd, completely unfair and absolutely wrong.
“Casinos, by nature, are designed to take advantage of people by manipulating and deceiving them into thinking they can win. A player gets the best of them, in the sense that he finds flaws in what they’re offering, and they should go, ‘Oops, we screwed up.’ They should pay it like honorable people and then move on and address their issues.”
![[b]Crockford's[/b]](http://www.wgm8.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/images_wgm_online-only_Gaming_2015_01-12-15-2.jpg)
Having finally been granted permission to appeal, Ivey told England’s Daily Mail, “This is really great news. I am getting a second shot and I’m hoping we will win this time around. 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 I was a truthful witness.”
Ivey is due to appear at the appeals court on 10 December.
