Was a famous poker star caught cheating? One casino in Great Britain claims he was. The Genting Group, a Malaysian casino operator claims Phil Ivey and an accomplice cheated at baccarat at Crockfords Casino in London.
A British affidavit said that Ivey, 37, of the United States, allegedly won $11.9 million over two days in August 2012 "based upon illegal acts", according to the management of Crockfords.
Phil Ivey responded by denying the allegations and countersuing the Genting Group: "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," Ivey, a World Series of Poker champion, said in a statement.
The Genting Group voided Ivey's winnings at Crockfords after they concluded that Ivey allegedly cheated at the French card game. Claiming the American had established an illicit "significant advantage" by finding a way to discover before a hand is dealt whether the first card is a strong or weak one.
The specific version of Baccarat that Ivey was playing was Punto Banco Baccarat, in which the goal for a player is to get closest to nine points, similar to Blackjack. Participants bet whether they will win the hand or the house will win the hand or whether a tie will occur.
Ivey and his partner allegedly found a deck of cards with what the Guardian called an "asymmetrical design", and convinced the dealer to lay certain revealed cards a certain way, as well as request the use of an automatic shuffling machine.
Crockfords management also said that they believe the fact that Ivey's partner, who spoke Cantonese, a Chinese dialect, intentionally sought an Asian dealer in order to be able to better communicate with them.
Lance Bradley of Bluff magazine sided with Ivey on the situation: "There's nothing in his past that would hint at his being a cheater or unethical in any way," Bradley said.
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