Phil Ivey Associate Fights for Edge-Sorting Wins at Foxwoods

August 11th, 2014 | by Brian Corlisse

While an ssociate sues for her past winnings at Foxwoods, Phil Ivey is currently fighting two legal battles over edge-sorting at several casinos.Â (Image: OnlinePoker.net)

When Phil Ivey was accused of using edge-sorting techniques to win at baccarat in London and Atlantic City, he wasn’t alone in his efforts. In the Borgata edge-sorting case, he was accompanied by an accomplice identified as Cheng Yin Sun. It appears as though Sun’s edge-sorting attempts weren’t restricted to her time with Ivey though, as she’s also involved in a similar case at Foxwoods.

Cheng Yin Sun was one of three individuals involved in a lawsuit at Foxwoods over edge-sorting techniques used in a baccarat game. The other two people involved were identified as Long Mei Fan and Zong Yang Li. In this case, these three individuals are suing Foxwoods Resort Casino over withheld winnings, saying that the techniques they used were legal and that Foxwoods’ behavior was inappropriate.

Plaintiffs Want Winnings and More

According to news reports, the plaintiffs are looking for more than $3 million in damages from the casino resort. The lawsuit says that the trio deposited $1.6 billion with the casino before they gambled on December 23 and 24, 2011. By using edge-sorting, they managed to win $1,148,000 from the casino. The plaintiffs are also asking for $100,000 each for civil rights violations and $50,000 in fees incurred during proceedings with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Gaming Commission.

Edge-sorting has become a hot topic in the world of high-stakes gambling lately, thanks to some very high-profile cases involving poker superstar Phil Ivey. Typically used at baccarat tables, edge-sorting takes advantage of the fact that some sets of playing cards are not cut perfectly symmetrically.

Players who know this can then ask dealers to turn certain cards 180 degrees; for instance, Ivey asked for the high cards in his deck to be turned that way for what he claimed were superstitious reasons. Normally, this would make no difference, but with an imperfectly cut deck, the player will now be able to tell high cards from low ones. This can allow the player to choose to bet on the banker or player hand with a significant advantage over the house.

Gaming Commission Rules Against Players

According to their lawsuit, the plaintiffs in this case believe that edge-sorting is perfectly legal in Connecticut and other jurisdictions. However, in a February 2012 ruling, the director of the Mashantucket Gaming Commission’s Inspection Division said that the players had violated Foxwoods’ gaming regulations, a ruling that was upheld by the commission itself. The players were warned that they could be subject to arrest by Connecticut State Police if they returned to the casino.

However, the plaintiffs say that the dealers were the only ones manipulating the cards, and that if Foxwoods allowed them to play on while realizing something was suspicious, then they were taking advantage of the players.

“…If Foxwoods and Foxwoods management knew that plaintiffs were edge-sorting and let them practice their form of advantage play anyway — intending to keep their losses if they lost but not honor their winnings if they won — this would be intentional fraud,” the suit says.

Earlier this year, the Borgata sued Ivey in an attempt to reclaim $9.6 million the poker pro won by using an edge-sorting technique at a private baccarat table. Similarly, Ivey is suing Crockfords Casino in London in an attempt to receive the Â£7.8 million ($13.1 million) they withheld after he used edge-sorting to win at baccarat in their casino.