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
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.
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…
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…
If he had bricked the main there is 0% chance they would have given him a single penny,they’re just trying to freeroll him massively here and I think it’s shocking. They are trying to ruin a guy here who whilst perhaps made a mistake ethically initially was very transparent
— Patrick Leonard (@plenopads) August 3, 2019
Daniel Negreanu’s Take
That came in response to Daniel Negreanu’s view that Marchington should pay up, describing the situation as “gross”…
If they don’t get paid then the law is stupid.
They gave this kid money to play.
He played with their money.
He should have to pay.
This is gross.
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) August 3, 2019
The player himself released a series of tweets at the weekend to clarify his position on the messy situation…
The 5k 6 max and Main Event were sold as separate stakes; they were 2 individual buys made at the same time. This was not a package. They were the only 2 tournaments I sold for over the summer.
— Nick Marchington (@NickMarchington) August 3, 2019
Initially I offered to refund with Pokerstars (how the piece was paid) then PayPal. Finally we settled on cash. My efforts to refund began BEFORE the Main Event; the refund got collected before my day 2 of the Main Event.
— Nick Marchington (@NickMarchington) August 3, 2019
Very frustrating that I can’t comment on other aspects of the case / information out there. I believe in my case & in the legal system ✌️
— Nick Marchington (@NickMarchington) August 3, 2019
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.”
