Phil Ivey - Did he cheat to win $7 Million?

Phil Ivey consistently finds ways to make the headlines, however it's more frequently down to results at the poker table. Poker pro Phil Ivey, who is widely considered to be the best poker player in the world, is also known for his love of Punto Banco, a form of Baccarat.

Phil Ivey, who has earned more than $30 Million throughout his poker career, has been accused of using a technique known as 'Edge Sorting'. The technique involves studying the cards for manufacturing imperfections to gain an edge. My Ivey told a London court "I would never cheat in a casino." When questioned about the strategy, Mr Ivey said "I consider that I would not be doing my job very well if I did not seek to use to my benefit weaknesses that I identify in the way that casinos set up or offer particular casino games."

Of course this isn't the first time that Mr Ivey has been in trouble with the law. In April, it was alleged that he cheated Atlantic City Casino out of $9.6 Million in 2012. A further $12.1 Million was withheld from Crockfords Casino in the UK. My Ivey commenced legal proceedings against the casino however later admitted that he had spotted defects in the cards, but insisted he had not been cheating.

Cheating or not?

Mr Ivey added: "We observe the unwritten doctrine: how do I find a legal way to beat the house? Any method that could amount to cheating would breach the doctrine and cause you to be ostracised by your fellow players - we are all very careful to stay the right side of the line and we discuss advantage play strategies at length."