The Borgata Casino is asking a U.S. District Court to award it more than million from poker pro Phil Ivey stemming from the casino’s case against the player for “edge sorting” at baccarat in 2012.
The casino won its case against Phil Ivey and partner Cheung Yin Sun for using the technique while playing at the casino in 2012. Ivey and Sun used a defect in the back of playing cards that allowed them to read the cards and then asked Borgata’s dealer to arrange the cards in the shoe—called edge sorting—so they could read them coming out. The pair won $9.6 million.
U.S. District Court Judge Noel Hillman eventually cleared Ivey of fraud charges, but held that he and Sun had breached the New Jersey Casino Control Act by gaining an unfair advantage in the game. The judge then gave Borgata 20 days to determine its financial damages.
According to a report on Gamblin911, the casino is seeking to have the $9.6 million repaid and also the return of about $250,000 in comps given to Ivey. The casino is also claiming about $500,000 Ivey won at the casino playing craps, which it charges he used to bankroll his baccarat play. The Borgata believes that Ivey should only have his original bankroll refunded as he used the money he won at mini-baccarat to keep funding his bankroll at the craps table, the report said.
The casino is also asking for $5.4 million in expectation damages. Expectation damages is the amount that the casino believes it would have made if Ivey and Sun were playing baccarat with the general house edge.
The Borgata did not include any legal fees or interest charges in its determination.
Ivey has 20 days to file an appeal.
