Rick Salomon, whose saucy lifestyle and love for high-stakes poker action are no secret, will today find out whether his bid to reclaim $2.8 million he claims he is owed by a Saudi sheikh will be successful in a southern France court.
The Grasse High Court will issue its ruling after a hearing that took place in October, during which Salomon claimed that Raad al-Khereiji, a member of one of Saudi Arabia’s richest families, owed him $2.8 million in winnings from a private poker game that took place in 2014.
At October’s hearing, judges heard that Salomon had unsuccessfully sought to have his debt paid by Mr. Khereiji since that game five years ago.
According to Salomon’s lawyer the massive debt was accrued during the game that took place at Mr. Khereiji’s private home in Cote D’Azur and that involved several other players.
Salomon and his legal team also told judges that Mr. Khereiji told him after the game that he would have his lawyer in Los Angeles arrange the payment of the poker pro’s winnings. The sheikh’s lawyer contacted Salomon seven months later to inform him that they would not make the payment as Mr. Khereiji believed the private game was a “friendly part with no financial stake.”
Case Hangs on 200-Year Law
While to many who are familiar with Salomon’s poker accomplishments there is no doubt that he is capable of winning $2.8 million in a poker game, the player may found it difficult to convince the Grasse High Court that he was right to seek his winnings.
Under a French law from 1804, no action for a gambling debt or for the payment of a bet is granted, unless said debt stems from “games involving weapons, foot or horse racing, chariot races, tennis, and other games of the sort which involves physical skill and exercise.”
Mr. Khereiji’s lawyer argued that poker was a game of pure chance that did not involve physical skill or movement. However, Salomon’s legal team countered that the game during which the player accrued $2.8 million in winnings spanned an “energy-consuming” 48 hours.
As mentioned earlier, the Grasse court will announce its decision on whether Mr. Khereiji should be ordered to pay his debt later today.
Salomon, who married and divorced ex-Baywatch starlet Pamela Anderson twice in the past, has won more than $9.9 million in winnings from live tournaments over the years. In 2014, he finished fourth in The Big One for ONE DROP event in Las Vegas, good for $2.8 million. Two years later, the player came out 3rd in the €1 million buy-in Big One for ONE DROP that took place in Monte Carlo for a payout of €3 million. Last year, he once again finished fourth in the ONE DROP high roller in Vegas for $2.84 million.
As for his cash game accomplishments, these have been the stuff of legend and part of the poker folklore. Salomon claimed that he had won more than $40 million from billionaire banker Andy Beal in a high stakes game at the Bellagio back in 2014.
Source: $2.8m poker debt claim in judges’ hands after US player Rick Salomon sued Saudi sheikh, The Times
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