Ivey to discuss edge-sorting on 60 Minutes

Phil defends his reputation after the Borgata cheating allegations.

Phil Ivey is set to appear on the popular television series '60 Minutes Sports' for an exclusive interview with CBS host James Brown on Tuesday, October 07.

Brown and his team followed Ivey around Las Vegas during this summer's World Series of Poker to learn more about the formally media elusive star of the game, and even played a few hands over at his "wonderful bachelor pad."

However, the real purpose of the interview is to delve slightly further into the baccarat cheating allegations that Ivey's currently caught up in, and to allow Ivey to defend his reputation publicly.

"Yeah, because once you get cheater next to your name, especially in my business, which is the business of gambling, it's really bad", Ivey says in the short teaser released by CBS when asked if the lawsuits present the biggest challenge he's faced in his career.

Check out the full teaser below:

 

"I read the cards but I'm no cheat"

Back in May 2013, Ivey sued London's Crockfords Casino after it refused to pay him the £7.8m ($12m) that he'd won playing baccarat in 2012. The casino alleges that Ivey and his accomplice Cheng Yin Sun cheated using a technique called "edge sorting", which involves reading patterns on the backs of cards to help identify them before they're actually dealt.

Then, less than a year later, Atlantic City's Borgata Casino sued Ivey, accusing him of using the same edge sorting technique to "cheat" it out of almost $10m playing baccarat.

Ivey admits openly that he "read" the backs of the cards, but is adament that the casinos themselves are at fault for using the exploitable decks, and that the technique he used is not illegal.

Should edge-sorting be considered cheating? Are the casinos liable for using the faulty decks in the first place? Do you think Ivey will win in court? Let us know in the comments box.