There’s a legal battle raging on between Phil Ivey and Borgata Casino: The casino said the professional poker star cheated his way into winning $9.6 million in baccarat from them last 2012. |
The 10-time World Series of Poker champion counter-sued the casino, saying their lawsuit is frivolous.
Just recently, the court decided the lawsuit could proceed.
Both are big names in the gambling world: one with a business to protect, the other, a reputation to uphold. It looks like the battle has just begun.
How did all these trouble start in the first place?
What happened?
Ivey and his gambling associate Cheng Yin Sun, went to Borgata Casino on four separate occasions to play high-stakes baccarat. This was sometime between April and October 2012.
Ivey was a high roller. According to experts, high rollers are usually allowed special requests. After posting $1million, Ivey requested several things:
- A private playing area
- The use of an eight-deck shoe of purple Gemaco playing cards with Gem back design
- An automatic card shuffler
- A Mandarin-speaking dealer
The dealer was instructed by Sun in Mandarin to turn certain cards at 90 degrees. He said it was a superstitious belief.
The duo beat the house for more than $9.6 million.
Just recently, the court decided the lawsuit could proceed.
Both are big names in the gambling world: one with a business to protect, the other, a reputation to uphold. It looks like the battle has just begun.
How did all these trouble start in the first place?
What happened?
Ivey and his gambling associate Cheng Yin Sun, went to Borgata Casino on four separate occasions to play high-stakes baccarat. This was sometime between April and October 2012.
Ivey was a high roller. According to experts, high rollers are usually allowed special requests. After posting $1million, Ivey requested several things:
- A private playing area
- The use of an eight-deck shoe of purple Gemaco playing cards with Gem back design
- An automatic card shuffler
- A Mandarin-speaking dealer
The dealer was instructed by Sun in Mandarin to turn certain cards at 90 degrees. He said it was a superstitious belief.
The duo beat the house for more than $9.6 million.
..The true intention of such requests was to create a situation where the two can manipulate and exploit the defects of the cards to gain unfair advantage over the casino.
What the casino said he did
Borgata’s side of the story:
Borgata said the true intention of such requests was to create a situation where the two can manipulate and exploit the defects of the cards to gain unfair advantage over the casino.
Ivey and Sun have used “edge-sorting,” an illegal technique (at least, in New Jersey) that takes advantage of subtle variations in the playing cards used in gambling.
They said Ivey knows the Gemaco cards have flaws the casino is not aware of. Rotating certain cards make the imperfection noticeable.
Furthermore, the automatic shuffling machine prevents the cards from being spun. That makes identifying the next card easier for Ivey to do.
What Ivey said about the incident
Ivey’s side of the story:
First, Borgata willing agreed to all his requests, including the type of cards he wanted to use, which goes to show it was lawful.
Besides, the casino knows the requested cards usually have minor design imperfections (the casino agreed some cards were “delivered in a mis-cut manner”). Most importantly, the cards had passed the inspection of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
...casino operations itself use deceptive tactics to help players lose money—loud noises, hiding clocks, flashing lights, waitresses in revealing clothing, serving alcoholic drinks...
Also, gambling has risks that must be guarded against—and that goes for both the player and the casino. If a player comes in with a new method and wins money off the casino, they shouldn’t be absolved from their ignorance—they must pay the winnings of the player.
Ivey’s lawsuit also noted that although the casino wishes to look like the victim of deception, casino operations itself use deceptive tactics to help players lose money—loud noises, hiding clocks, flashing lights, waitresses in revealing clothing, serving alcoholic drinks, and the like.
He just used his gambling skills and observation. That’s why he won.
Other details of the story
The actual cards used for the game was crucial for Ivey’s case.
However, it has already been disposed of by Borgata as what is the standard casino practice.
According to the judge that read the case, US District Judge Noel Hillman, the casino “has pled plausible claims sounding in fraud.”
The accusation of the casino is an assault on his character, Ivey said. “Once you get ‘cheater’ next to your name — especially in my business, which is the business of gambling — it’s really bad.”