Phil Ivey's Reputation Now Tarnished In New Jersey
April 14, 2014 4:04 pmPhil Ivey is considered perhaps the greatest poker player of all time, having notched up 9 WSOP bracelets to go with the $21,252,119 he has won playing live tournaments, and the $19,242,744 he has won playing online as a Full Tilt Poker pro.
The 38 year-old also has strong roots in New Jersey, having moved there with his family when he was just three months old. However, Ivey’s first major foray into professional gambling was not without controversy as he was a teenager and managed to perfect his game by gaining illegal access to Atlantic City’s casinos. As it explains on his website iveypoker.com:
“At the age of 17, Phil Ivey would take a bus along with his fake ID to Atlantic City in order to play at the casinos every day. It was these early days that would help him develop a bankroll which he would later use to begin his career in the world of poker.”
The world’s top poker pro has since been held up as an epitome of the archetypal poker pro with his darting eyes and intense stare around the green felt enough to freeze the best players in their tracks. Ivey’s reputation suffered back in August 2012, however, after top London casino, Crockfords, refused payment of the £7.3 million ($11 million) he won at their establishment playing Punto Banco, accusing him of cheating through a practice known as “edge sorting.”
Now, Atlantic City’s Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa threatens to tarnish Ivey’s reputation further after filing a federal lawsuit against him on Tuesday claiming he won $9.6 million at baccarat through a similar scheme by exploiting a defect in pattern on the back of the cards. The event was supposed to have taken place between April and October 2012, and according to the casino lawsuit,Ivey won the following amounts during that period:
– $2.4 million on April 11, 2012
– $1.6 million on May 3, 2012
– $4.8 million on July 26, 2012
– $824,000 on Oct. 7, 2012
As a poker sharp, Ivey is a master of observation and being able to spot patterns of behaviour in order to exploit the tendencies of his opponents. Whereas noticing and taking advantage of defective playing cards would be considered sacrilege whilst playing against other players, doing so to gain an advantage over the casino at one of its gambling games will most likely attract little sympathy from most gamblers.
Nonetheless, having his name blemished by yet another casino is sure to deal a further blow to the poker professional, whose whole career is mostly spent inside the gambling venues at their owners’ discretion, as he competes at various tournaments and cash games around the world.