The scandal involving poker pro Phil Ivey and the Borgata Casino Atlantic City has been in court since U.S. District Court Judge Noel L. Hillman’s decision not to dismiss the case in 2015. A ruling was finally handed down on Friday and it looks like Ivey and his friend, Cheng Yin Sun, violated New Jersey gambling regulations when they won nearly $10 million playing cards at the casino back in 2012.
Judge Hillman determined that Ivey and Sun broke NJ laws by edge sorting at Borgata, which allowed them to predict the next card. The casino claimed that the cards used were defective and that Ivey and his partner exploited this during 4 games with the odds in their favor, a direct violation of the New Jersey Casino Control Act. They asked the dealer to arrange the cards in a particular way, once Sun noticed the defect, allowing them to take advantage of it.
Judge Hillman wrote that Ivey and Sun “view their actions to be akin to cunning, but not rule-breaking, maneuvers performed in many games, such as a play-action pass in American football, or the ‘Marshall swindle’ in chess.”
He noted that “Sun’s mental acumen” in picking up the patterns on the back of the cards was “remarkable” and while edge sorting doesn’t break Baccarat rules, it certainly broke state rules.
“But even though Ivey and Sun’s cunning and skill did not break the rules of Baccarat, what sets Ivey and Sun’s actions apart from deceitful maneuvers in other games is that those maneuvers broke the rules of gambling as defined in this state”, he said.
“Borgata and Ivey had the same goal when they entered into their arrangement: to profit at the other’s expense,” Judge Hillman wrote. “Trust is a misplaced sentiment in this context.”
The penalty? Borgata has 20 days to submit a report of its damages as a result of Ivey and Sun’s activity.
Source:
‘Judge: Poker pro Ivey, pal broke gambling rules in $10M win’, Wayne Parry, Associated Press, cdcgamingreports.com, October 21, 2016.
jumboscampi
7 years ago
Full Member
When I first started enjoying to watch the poker series competitions online it was Phil Ivy that I noticed first before any of the other poker tournament heroes out there to watch. It's really sad to hear that he hasn't been playing on the "up and up" supposedly. People like him have got to remember that there are a lot...
When I first started enjoying to watch the poker series competitions online it was Phil Ivy that I noticed first before any of the other poker tournament heroes out there to watch. It's really sad to hear that he hasn't been playing on the "up and up" supposedly. People like him have got to remember that there are a lot of people who look up to him and players, or call them role models, like him and that means that it's that much more awareness that they should put into themselves on how they conduct themselves and what they do. I sure hate to hear this kind of thing might be true.
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rferry5
7 years ago
Sr. Member
greedy is what that is i mean come on he is quilty and i am not at all surprised by the out come of this and i would ban him from casinso for this even thou they he broke no rules for baccarat yeah right sure he didnt thanks rose
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Kristen Munoz
7 years ago
Jr. Member
yes it sounds like they should be found guilty. I like ivy and I'm most definetly rooting for the players not the house , but I mean come on now that's sounds like real greed on there part this time around sorry guys ! I'm sure it wont break him he has to have won a lot more he is super good poker player . wow I wonder...
yes it sounds like they should be found guilty. I like ivy and I'm most definetly rooting for the players not the house , but I mean come on now that's sounds like real greed on there part this time around sorry guys ! I'm sure it wont break him he has to have won a lot more he is super good poker player . wow I wonder how many times he was able to cheat this way ?
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pokergranni
8 years ago
Super Hero
I do not quite get this? My understanding of this is; the two players (Ivey and Sun) happened to notice (the pattern) a bad deck of cards? So they took advantage of the deck? I do not see how that could be illegal? If the shoe were on the other foot and the deck was in favor of the casino; would the casino then be...
I do not quite get this? My understanding of this is; the two players (Ivey and Sun) happened to notice (the pattern) a bad deck of cards? So they took advantage of the deck? I do not see how that could be illegal? If the shoe were on the other foot and the deck was in favor of the casino; would the casino then be breaking the law by continuing to play with the bad deck? This is just my take on this after reading the news article. I am probably wrong in my comprehension of the situation! Anyone out there that could shed some light on my take-away of this article, would be greatly appreciated. Phil Ivey is one of my favorite players and I do not think he would put himself in an illegal position. Again, I could be wrong about this. Looking forward to some feedback! Good Luck, Pokergranni
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zuga
8 years ago
Admin
not really surprised with the ruling
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