Posted on 05/16/2013 6:58:55 AM PDT by Dave346
LONDON – A major casino operator is accusing Phil Ivey, an American who is one of the world's top professional poker players, of amassing millions of dollars in winnings by cheating at baccarat.
Court papers filed in Britain's High Court by the Malaysia-based Genting Group say that Ivey and an accomplice successfully used a scam to rack up winnings of roughly 7.8 million pounds ($11.9 million) last summer.
The case has rocked the world of professional poker by pitting one of its most charismatic young stars against a major resort and casino operator. The game in question took place on Aug. 20-21 at Crockfords, one of London's oldest and most respected casinos.
The long-simmering dispute was first made public last month when Ivey filed a claim against the Genting Group in London's High Court. His lawyers said the casino refused to pay Ivey the money he had won playing baccarat at Crockfords, which is part of the Genting Group.
The casino responded in court Tuesday by accusing Ivey of cheating, saying his winnings were invalid because they were "based upon illegal acts."
On Wednesday, Ivey issued a statement through his lawyers denying any misconduct.
"The fact that I have issued a lawsuit in the face of what they are alleging says everything about how comfortable I am with my conduct and the validity of my win," he said. "Any allegations of wrongdoing by Crockfords are denied by me in the very strongest of terms."
Ivey, a 37-year-old American, has been phenomenally successful, winning numerous World Series of Poker Championship bracelets. He has attracted a large fan base and been active with several charities since winning millions of dollars at poker.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Cheating? In POKER!?! What is the world coming to?
Cheating? In POKER!?! What is the world coming to?
Oh, cause he’s black you mean. Nice dog whistle!
It sounds like a sore loser, if they have proof of cheating that’s one thing. Otherwise just an accusation with no proof is just a means of smearing this man’s reputation.
Only time will tell I suppose.
Serious question; how would someone cheat at Baccarat?
Is Ivey a cheating caublanasian too?
>The court papers say that Ivey and his accomplice, after some trial and error, found a “shoe” that contained decks of cards with an asymmetrical design.
Using a backside identifiable deck when playing for millions? The casino should pay up for being stupid.
It’s difficult for me to see how a player cheats at Baccarat. The player never touches the cards and bets against the bank as cards are dealt from a shoe.
I imagine that the player could keep track of cards as played, but isn’t that exactly what a player is SUPPOSED to do? It sure isn’t “cheating”.
“Big blow to his reputation here.”
Um, everyone expects poker players to try to cheat if given the opportunity. Par for the course.
They "found" such a shoe? Where, pray tell other than at the casino's own Baccarat table, would such a thing be "found". And I'm sorry but the "trial and error" reference also goes right over my head.
This entire story is suspect in the extreme.
Supposedly, he was reading the flaws on the backs of the cards. Not that he put the flaws or marks there, since he didn’t touch the cards. Just that he observed them, and used that information to his advantage. Which still isn’t cheating.
Gee, so a player cheated by using his head?
That’s not cheating, that’s intelligence.
Pay up or go f*ck yourself.
A tell is a tell is a tell.
Pay up, limeys!
Casino’s always have the advantage. When a player gets an advantage, that’s called “cheating”.
That’s why the Mob runs the Casinos.
The players don’t touch the cards in what USA casinos call “mini-baccarat”.
However, in the big casinos like the Wynn in Las Vegas, where the players sit around a long table somewhat shaped like an egg timer, the shoe moves from player to player, and a player actually flicks the cards out of the shoe. The dealer’s hand is passed face down (by a croupier or other house employee who is standing opposite the dealer) to the “dealer” sitting at the middle of the table who arranges them for all to see. The player is allowed to privately look at the “player hand” before flipping them over and tossing them to the center.
The minimum bets to sit in this type of game start at $100, but are often much higher.
To a modern casino, "cheating" is defined as "player beating the house by a statistically anomalous amount."
They know exactly how much they are going to allow you to win - anything over that they will take back, by force if necessary.
I find it interesting that the house can use everything to ITS advantage, but the moment the player uses the houses own rules or materials to his advantage, then HE is cheating.
Serious question: why don't people read the linked article? ;)
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