Nick Marchington Facing Lawsuit Over $1.5 Million WSOP Winnings

If you thought the battle for WSOP riches was over, think again – England’s Nick Marchington facing an ugly lawsuit from a poker staking site for 10% of his $1,525,000 Main Event winnings

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Marchington ran up his $10k buy-in to a final table spot last month, eventually finishing 7thfor the biggest payday of his young career. It has emerged, however, that the 21-year-old Englishman had initially agreed to sell 10% of his action to C Biscuit Poker Staking members David Yee and Colin Hartley.

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Timeline According to Yee and Hartley’s Lawsuit

May 27th         Marchington contacted the staking duo, asking if they would be interested in buying some of his WSOP action

May 29th         Yee and Hartley agreed to pay Marchington $1,750 for 10% of his action, covering two events, the $5k Six Max event at 1.1 markup, and the $10k Main Event at 1.2 markup.

June 4th       Payment was made in two installments of $875 each via PokerStars, Marchington responding via SMS: “We are booked. Let’s get rich…”

June 28th         Yee and Hartley asked for cage receipts of buy-ins, to which Marchington replied he was“most likely not playing the 5K or main”.

June 29th         He sent another message: “I am canceling my WSOP pieces. I am not going home early though.”

July 1st            Marchington told the pair he might play Main Event after all, but his message also stated: “I messaged a few people and can sell for 1.7”. He then sent a photo of his$5,000 Six Max event receipt…

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Yee responded: “So I’m guessing that 5K is with our action then and that is the receipt – thanks for that. I’m guessing WSOP main event is still booked then with us?”

Marchington replied saying he was still unsure about Main Event.

July 3rd            Marchington sent a message stating: “I am playing the main event but unfortunately your piece is cancelled. I know this is bad practice but I have to do what’s best for myself since I lost a lot on the trip.”

July 4th            Marchington played Day 1B of the WSOP Main Event, ending the day with 109,100 chips.

On the next day  Marchington attempted to return $1,200, the Main Event part of the deal.

July 14th          He finishes 7th in the Main Event, winning $1,525,000

July 15th          Yee and Hartley file a lawsuit in a Clark County, Nevada court alleging breach of contract and fraud and seeking $152,500 plus legal fees in restitution.

Marchington’s Cashout On Hold

A judge places a temporary restraining order on Marchington claiming his winnings. Some of which already been cashed out.  Caesars, the parent company of both the WSOP and the Rio venue place a holding payment on the check portion of his cashout.

Marchington’sactions were seen by many as unethical, but not illegal, with Patrick Leonard on the Englishman’s side of the dispute…

Daniel Negreanu’s Take

That came in response to Daniel Negreanu’s view that Marchington should pay up, describing the situation as “gross”…

The player himself released a series of tweets at the weekend to clarify his position on the messy situation…

Mac Verstandig, one of the lawyer’s fighting Marchington’s corner, stated of the lawsuit: “It is disappointing to see a backing operation argue a player does not have the right to cancel a stake before a poker tournament starts, especially after accepting the player’s refund.”

Filed Under: Poker Gossip Poker News

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