Card Maker in Phil Ivey Edge Sorting Case Held Liable…for $27

When Phil Ivey walked into the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City six years ago with winning on his mind and edge sorting in his toolkit, was he taking advantage of a flaw that the playing card manufacturer should have know about? That’s the question that was put forth to U.S. District Court Judge Noel Hillman. The case, which was brought to Judge Hillman by the Borgata alleged that Gemaco, a Kansas City-based playing card manufacturer, should have know that its product could be exploited by advantage play players like Ivey.
In his ruling, Judge Hillman declared that the cards made by Gemaco were only part of the reason Ivey and a partner were able to win more than $10 million during an epic baccarat run at the casino. Ivey exploited small irregularities on the edge of the cards to figure out which cards were dealt, even before they’d been flipped over.
While Ivey and his companion were held liable for the $10 million by another judge (a decision they’re appealing) Judge Hillman ruled that Gemaco was liable for only $27. That $27 covers the cost of the packs of playing cards used by the Borgata’s baccarat room while Ivey was playing.
For Gemaco this is, sadly, not the first time they’ve been involved in a court case involving baccarat. Back in 2012 the Golden Nugget Casino sued the card maker after one of their shuffling machines allegedly spit out cards in a predictable manner. That led to some clever players making more than $1.5 million during 41 consecutive hands of mini-baccarat, according to the New York Times.