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Phil Ivey Settles Edge Sorting Case With Borgata

The Phil Ivey edge sorting saga is finally over. According to reports, Ivey has settled with Borgata. This ends his six-year legal battle surrounding millions won in edge-sorting back in 2012.

Terms of the settlement were not revealed, but one has to assume that it is will cost Ivey a lot less than continuing a legal battle and facing future garnishments.

Ivey and Borgata Settle

According to various reports, Phil Ivey and Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City have settled a six-year legal battle over Ivey’s edge sorting. If you remember, Ivey and an accomplice won millions from the Borgata in Baccarat in 2012 using edge sorting.

Edge sorting takes advantage of flaws in the playing cards used by the Borgata to alert Ivey on the value of cards. This allowed Ivey to gain a huge edge and win millions. Borgata later discovered this and filed a lawsuit in 2014.

In 2016, an NJ judge ruled in favor of Borgata and order Ivey and his accomplice to return over $10 million to the Borgata. Ivey and his accomplice never paid the money and the casino attempted to pursue other means.

Congrats on finally settling this case @philivey – I think it’s time for my infamous Ivey investigation video about this case. https://t.co/4ewhjJskaB

— Joey Ingram #passion (@Joeingram1) July 9, 2020

Ivey went the appellate route with the case and some law experts believed that Ivey had a shot to win on appeal. However, during the entire time, many felt that Ivey and Borgata should settle. That didn’t happen until recently.

A July 2nd court filing shows that Ivey and Borgata have reached a settlement in this case. As such, the appeal ceases and Ivey and his accomplice can move on with their lives. Like most settlements, details of the settlement were not revealed, but we can assume that Ivey will pay out a lot less than the $10 million in the judgment.

What Prompted the Settlement

While we may never know the exact reasons behind the settlement between Ivey and Borgata, we can speculate as to the cause. As you may know, Ivey has largely been absent from the tournament poker scene minus a few random appearances at the World Series of Poker or Triton High Roller Series.

Last year, Ivey made the final table of the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship at the 2019 World Series of Poker. After finishing in eighth place, his earnings were seized. Borgata was successful in their legal attempt to attack Ivey’s Nevada assets and the WSOP was forced to send Ivey’s winnings to New Jersey.

After this, many predicted that Ivey would not play poker in the United States until his legal matters were resolved. This could have been a key factor in Ivey pursuing a settlement. Since the majority of major poker events like the Poker Master are played in Las Vegas, this seriously hampers Ivey’s ability to play live poker.

It is not surprising that Ivey moved forward with the settlement. This will allow him to freely play in the US without having to worry about having his winnings seized.

Ivey Can Now Go Back to Focusing on Poker

Phil Ivey has not been the dominant force in poker over the last few years because of his legal battles. His appearances in the US poker scene have typically been brief. Outside of some success in the Triton Poker series, he has not been a serious threat for years.

That should all change now that Ivey has resolved his court battles. This will allow him to come back and focus on poker rather than having that albatross around his neck.

What will this mean? It will likely mean a much more focused Phil Ivey when he does return to live tournaments and poker cash games in the United States. I would not be surprised to see Ivey start racking up live results once again once the COVID-19 pandemic passes.

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