Ivey Files Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit
Phil Ivey is no stranger to the poker world. This legendary poker star has won competitions at the highest level, but now he’s facing a lawsuit from the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. They charge that he cheated them out of $9.6 million in winnings when he was playing baccarat. Ivey has decided to hit back, and he’s seeking a full dismissal of the charges. Ivey’s spokesman – John Falcicchio made the announcement this week.
Back in April, the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City decided to sue Phil Ivey, claiming that he and an associate of his had exploited a card defect. That in turn allowed them to arrange the good cards and sort them accordingly. They claim that the technique that he used gave him an unfair advantage over the house, on 4 separate occasions from April 2012 through October 2012. The specific charge that has been levelled against Ivey is edge sorting.
Ivey Wins and Casinos Complain
But Ivey’s lawyers are not taking it lightly. They claim in their counterargument that he won every single cent fair and square – the result of skill and card smarts. There’s been no immediate comment forthcoming from the Borgata Casino. His legal counsel approached the lawsuit in 3 ways:
- Ivey and his playing partner were not cheating in any way
- The six-month statute of limitations has already expired
- Violations of state casino regulations can only be pursued by state gambling regulators
Based on those 3 fundamental tenets, Ivey’s legal team is confident that the charges against him will be dropped. The cards that were used were supposedly defective, because there was an irregular pattern on the back of them. The Borgata claims that some of the cards featured half diamonds or even quarter diamonds, not what they were supposed to have. The lawsuit goes into depth about how Ivey and his associate instructed the dealer to flip over the cards. The good cards were apparently flipped over in a certain way, while bad cards were flipped over in a different way. This allowed Ivey to be able to spot the good cards from the bad cards. Further, it has been suggested that Ivey requested an automatic card shuffler. This would have the effect of not altering the alignment of each card.
Ivey Refutes Charges – Claims Skills Helped Him Win
This is not the first time that a casino has levelled charges against Phil Ivey. The Genting Group also claims that Ivey and his accomplice cheated at baccarat, and a lawsuit was filed in the High Court in Britain. Ivey recently won a 10th WSOP bracelet in June 2014. You can read more about the latest casino news right here at StarsCasino. Feel free to browse our comprehensive database of regulated online casinos in the UK. We cover the news from the gaming world and bring it to you as it happens.
