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How A Professional Poker Player Conned a Casino Out of $9.6 Million (washingtonpost.com)
Phil Ivey is a professional poker player who's won ten World Series of Poker bracelets -- but he's also got a new game. An anonymous reader write:
In 2012, Ivey requested that the Borgata casino let him play baccarat with an assistant named Cheng Yin Sun while using a specific brand of playing cards -- purple Gemaco Borgata playing cards -- and an automatic shuffler. He then proceeded to win $9.6 million over four visits. The pair would rotate certain cards 180 degrees, which allowed them to recognize those cards the next time they passed through the deck. (They were exploiting a minute lack of a symmetry in the pattern on the backs of the cards...)
But last month a U.S. district judge ruled that Ivey and his partner had a "mutual obligation" to the casino, in which their "primary obligation" was to not use cards whose values would be known to them -- and ordered them to return the $9.6 million [PDF]. "What this ruling says is a player is prohibited from combining his skill and intellect and visual acuity to beat the casino at its own game," Ivey's attorney told the AP, adding that the judge's ruling will be appealed.
The judge also ruled Ivey had to return the money he later won playing craps with his winnings from the baccarat game -- though the judge denied the casino's request for restitution over the additional $250,000 worth of goods and services they'd "comped" Ivey during his stay.
But last month a U.S. district judge ruled that Ivey and his partner had a "mutual obligation" to the casino, in which their "primary obligation" was to not use cards whose values would be known to them -- and ordered them to return the $9.6 million [PDF]. "What this ruling says is a player is prohibited from combining his skill and intellect and visual acuity to beat the casino at its own game," Ivey's attorney told the AP, adding that the judge's ruling will be appealed.
The judge also ruled Ivey had to return the money he later won playing craps with his winnings from the baccarat game -- though the judge denied the casino's request for restitution over the additional $250,000 worth of goods and services they'd "comped" Ivey during his stay.
I once went to LV and came back with 10x more than I took. It was the only time I've been there and no desire to go back
Same thing happened to me, Shit, I was on intravenous antibiotics for a month, my dick nearly fell off. Never going back there again.
Makes sense. :)
Typo - change that sig - it should read "you were molested as a foal"
Poor Trigger, he ended up being Rogered on TV for years.
Unless your name is Donald J. Trump
So let me get this right? Realizing the great damage gambling causes poor families, Trump, out of the kindness of his heart, took over some casinos to put them out of business for the greater public good and at considerable personal loss I might add ... And this is the thanks he gets from you libtards? I can only imagine how ungrateful you're gonna be once he makes America great again!
I went there in a $20,000 dollar car. I came home on a $300,000 bus.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."