The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa has responded to Phil Ivey’s edge sorting baccarat countersuit, and Daniel ‘Jungleman’ Cates loses $5m in high stakes cash games in Manila.
Louis C.K once made a great point about sharks, “Do you think that sharks would be embarrassed if they knew we could see their fins? They think they are so slick. Swimming underneath the sea laughing because nobody has any idea they are down there. Yet we are standing there saying there is totally a shark right there.”
When The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa welcomed Phil Ivey into their ostentatious and grandiose baccarat boudoir they could see his fin. They knew how sharp his teeth were. Yet in their hyperlogical worldview there was no way they were being eaten alive. This had nothing to do with the barbarity of man, and everything to do with the barbarity of the house. The one that always wins. Only it didn’t win on this occasion.
I am, of course, talking about the $9.6m that Ivey and his colleague, Cheng Yin Sun, won, fair and square, whilst playing mini-baccarat at the aforementioned casino during four mouth-watering trips that took place during 2012.
It appears that several decks of cards, designed by card manufacturer Gemaco, bore tiny imperfections on the back, allowing Ivey and his colleague to use a technique known in the trade as ‘edge sorting’ to win that rather large sum of dosh.
Legal representatives for The Borgata sued both Ivey and Sun for a variety of offences including breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and fraud. Gemaco were also sued.
Ivey and Sun reacted by counter suing The Borgata (Gemaco steered clear) alleging the casino deliberately destroyed the cards used at the time so it couldn’t be proven they conformed to the agreement held between the casino and card manufacturer, and also casino regulations.
On Friday, this ridiculous tale of tosh continued after bright sparks representing The Borgata filed their own legal response to the countersuit in which they state that it was normal for used cards to be destroyed, claims ‘edge sorting’ violates New Jersey casino gaming regulations and that Ivey and his colleague cannot sue them because any injury they suffered was of their own doing.
You may remember that Ivey was also sued by Crockford’s Casino in Mayfair, London, after both him and Sun won £7.7m under similar circumstances. The pair lost that case, and the £7.7m, after Judge John Mitting deemed that the pair had unlawfully influenced the Crockford’s croupier into manipulating the cards to their advantage.
“This is in my view cheating for the purpose of civil law.” Stated Mitting at the time of his pronouncement.
Cheating?
Really?
How about allowing customers to drink as much alcohol as they want, whilst they play? How about we give the alcohol away for free? Do you see pubs and clubs giving away alcohol for free? Of course not, but with a casino it’s a loss leader. They know the more out of your head you get the more likely you are to lose.
I hear you. You have a choice to drink or not. I am pretty sure the Crockford’s croupier had a choice whether or not to turn the cards when politely asked to do so by Sun. It’s another case of a giant corporation stamping on the little man, and the fact that the judge supported them, makes me spew forth my roast potatoes and cabbage.
Smart black guy and gambling Asian woman ask croupier to turn cards during a game of baccarat.
Cheats!
Hang them!
Bring back Albert Pierrepoint.
What do you mean he’s dead?
Well find someone else. This is a joke. What will happen to our stiff upper lips if we let this yank get away with this!
He didn’t cheat.
He didn’t go all Clark Kent and use x-ray vision. He didn’t go all Hiro Nakamura, froze everyone in time, peeked under the cards and then put them back down.
They asked the casino for certain requirements, and they complied.
They saw the fin.
Some would have saw death.
They saw pound signs.
They deserved what they got, and so do The Borgata.
The Jungleman Loses $5m Swinging Through the Trees in Manila
So where is Ivey whilst all of this suing and counter suing is going on?
He’s in Manila trying to make an honest buck playing in the biggest cash game in the world (I mean come on he has so many court cases to pay for). Daniel ‘Jungleman’ Cates is also playing in that game. It’s not going so well.
Sooo manila didn’t go well, only lost about 38m hkd(5m usd)… Gonna play some 5/10 online and take another shot
— Daniel Cates (@junglemandan) August 13, 2015
On the plus side he has won the Raising for Effective Giving (REG) charity High Roller at the Kings Casino in Rozvadov. That means he is a back-to-back REG HR champ. I bet he has forgotten about that $5m already,
