Phil Ivey Lawsuit Delayed Due To Borgata Error

Without doubt this week’s hottest gambling related news story was the revelation 9 times WSOP bracelet winner Phil Ivey used his incredible observation skills to exploit a defect in a pack of cards to win $9.6 million playing baccarat at the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.
This is not the first time poker’s top pro has been accused of using “edge sorting” to gain an advantage over the house, as in 2012 Ivey was also denied around $12 million in earnings by The Crockford casino in London on a similar charge. The Las Vegas resident now faces the prospect of having numerous other casinos open up their files on him and possibly bring their own lawsuits in the future. Or should  that be Mexican resident?
That is the also the question the Borgata Casino should have fully explored before bringing their lawsuit against him, because the casino now has ten days to fully disclose Ivey’s citizenship, in addition to various other bits of incomplete information, or have their whole case dismissed for “lack of subject matter jurisdiction.”
Amongst the incomplete details noted by U.S. District Court Judge Noel Hillman was the fact that Borgata’s complaint “did not properly allege the citizenship of the parties” with the judge highlighting the fact “the complaint alleges “upon information and belief” that defendant Phillip D. Ivey, Jr., is a “citizen of the United States currently residing in Mexico”; WHEREAS, the complaint does not allege the particular State within the United States in which Ivey is a citizen.”
The Borgata now has until April 24, 2014 to tidy up its lawsuit or face the prospect of having its case thrown out of court.
Meanwhile the poker community has been expressing its views on Phil Ivey’s latest cheating accusation scandal, and it would seem very few players actually hold any sympathy for the casino. Gaming expert Aaron Todd from CasinoCity.com, for instance, offered up a number of reasons why Ivey should not be considered to have cheated, and as he explains:
“The Borgata agreed to Ivey’s terms. The casino is always in charge; they run the game. If it decides to run the game in such a way that a sharp player is able to take advantage, that’s its own fault.”
Aaron Todd also added:
“Ivey succeeded only in flipping the house odds from 1.06 percent in the house’s favor to 6.765 percent in his favor. Obviously, playing a game with an expected return of 106.765 percent is a great deal for the player. But it’s not a guarantee that he will win.”