Upcoming Poker Movie To Be Based On Phil Ivey’s Baccarat Partner

Nora Lum, better known as “Awkwafina“, is set to star in a new movie portraying the story of Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun, the famed edge-sorting partner of poker legend Phil Ivey.

The upcoming film which was previously titled “The Baccarat Queen” has now been renamed “The Baccarat Machine” is inspired by an article of the same title which appeared in Cigar Aficionado in 2017, written by Michael Kaplan. Produced by SK Global in collaboration with Jeffrey Sharp of Sharp Independent Pictures, the movie will bring to life the highly-controversial gambling exploits of Sun and Ivey.

Awkwafina, who rose to fame in 2012 through her viral rap song “My Vag”, starred in the critically-acclaimed 2019 American comedy-drama film “The Farewell”. The breakout star was also part of Jumanji: The Next Level, Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8.

Announcing Awkwafina’s inclusion in the new film, SK Global co-CEO John Penotti said the multimedia star is definitely perfect for the role and will make the story more interesting by bringing on board her brand of genuine humor and humanity.

The movie is currently in the works, and talks are ongoing with potential directors. The script is currently being written by Andy Bellin, and more members of the cast will be announced in the coming weeks.

Awkwafina has recently made history after becoming the first woman of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe Best Actress award in a musical or comedy for her role in The Farewell.

Sun and Ivey’s Baccarat Adventure

Sun and Ivey worked together to take casinos for tens of millions in the game of baccarat using advanced techniques called edge sorting. Both amassed huge sums of money in less than a year, and that lucrative run made Sun one of the most successful female gamblers in modern history.

Ivey continues to be embroiled in a long-standing legal battle with Borgata stemming from those baccarat sessions. Borgata is seeking to recoup $10 million from Ivey which the poker player has failed to repay.

The New Jersey casino successfully prevented Ivey from collecting his winnings in the $50K Poker Players Championship during the 2019 World Series of Poker. Ivey finished eighth in the said tournament, for $124,410.

However the poker player was unable to get his hands on the money after Borgata lawyers successfully served notice to the WSOP to seize the player’s assets in Nevada. The WSOP effectively withheld that amount and sent it to US marshals.