Poker Star Phil Ivey Ordered To Repay $10 Million To Borgata

A federal judge has ruled that poker star Phil Ivey and a friend must repay $10 million they won at the Borgata in 2012 while using a technique called edge-sorting to improve their odds.

The damages include $9.6 million they won edge-sorting while playing baccarat during four visits, plus $504,000 Ivey won at Craps with his winnings from Baccarat.

NJ.com has an in-depth explanation, but the quickest version is that the judge decided Ivey and his friend didn't commit fraud, but did fail to obey New Jersey's Casino Controls Act.

I don't know about you, but I am one-hundred-percent on Phil Ivey's side in this. The Casino Controls Act is there to ensure people don't mark cards, but if a player is able to notice inconsistencies in a deck that is supplied by the casino, that's a casino problem, not a player problem. I understand that Ivey insisted his friend sit with him, and also demanded the casino use the same deck of cards during his games, but if those actions were suspicious, the Borgata could have easily turned him down. If Ivey's requirements didn't send up red flags, then Borgata has no one to blame but themselves.

If you're a more nuanced gambler than myself, feel free to try to change my mind in the comments.

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