Phil Ivey is not just one of the world’s best poker players but also one of the world’s best professional gamblers. However, his gambling tactics have landed him in hot water on a number of occasions and one such occasion could cost him $10.1 million.
The long-running case between Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino and Ivey (and his gambling partner Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun) has seen some developments over the past month. However, these developments were bad news for the poker pro and is companion player.
The legal dispute between the casino and the two gamblers stems from several high-stakes baccarat sessions Ivey and Sun played at the Borgata in 2012 that resulted in the two players winning $9.6 million. The casino paid them those winnings as well as an additional of $500,000 the gamblers won by playing craps at the famous Boardwalk venue.
The Borgata is now seeking to have the money back after discovering that Ivey and Sun used the so-called edge-sorting technique while playing baccarat at the casino. In other words, they explored tiny discrepancies on the backs of the playing cards to gain a certain amount of advantage and improve their odds against the casino.
In 2016, the presiding US District Court Judge Noel Hillman ruled that what Ivey and Sun did was not breaking the rules of baccarat, but was breaking casino gambling rules in New Jersey. In the latest developments in the case from late last month, it became clear that Judge Hillman has denied the two gamblers’ motion to stay enforcement of his previous judgment without bond pending the appeal.
The latest ruling practically allowed the Borgata to try to collect the $10.1 million it had paid out to Ivey and Sun, while an appeal is pending. The two players’ legal team filed an appeal earlier this month to the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to overturn the latest of a series of negative rulings.
In previous court filings, Ivey and Sun’s legal representatives have asked the court to delay the enforcement of the judgment as the amount that needs to be paid would cause “irreparable harm” to the two gamblers. Lawyers for the Borgata have contested that claim, pointing to the fact that Ivey has been spotted back to the Las Vegas high-stakes poker scene.
Ivey’s Return to Poker
With 10 WSOP gold bracelets and multiple other poker titles as well as millions of dollars scooped in high-stakes cash games, Ivey is indisputably one of the world’s best poker players. However, we have not seen much of him on the live tournament scene over the past several years. In addition, he has steered away from the Las Vegas cash game scene. According to different reports, the player has frequented Macau’s poker rooms.
However, he has appeared in several live tournaments over the past several months, has won some of them and has cashed in some more, including ones that took place within the summer WSOP series.
It was in May when Ivey scored his first live tournament cashes in two years. The player participated in the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Montenegro Budva, took down a HK$250,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short Deck Ante Only 250K tournament for a prize of HK$4,749,200 (approximately $604,992), and finished 3rd in the HK$1 Million No-Limit Hold’em Short Deck Ante Only 1M for HK$13,082,000 (approx. $1,666,480).
It is yet to be seen what the next chapter of the Ivey-Borgata saga will involve. However, poker fans, the author of this article included, are certainly hoping that we will see more of this fantastic player on the felt.
