Ivey's Edge-Sorting Accomplice, Cheng Yin Sun, Files Lawsuit Against Foxwoods
Earlier this year, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa filed a lawsuit against Phil Ivey claiming the poker pro of cheating the casino out of $9.6 million in 2012 by using a baccarat technique called “edge sorting.” In addition to Ivey, who filed a motion to dismiss that lawsuit claiming his wins were a result of skill, his alleged accomplice, Cheng Yin Sun, was also named.
Now, according to The Day Connecticut, Sun, who resides in Las Vegas, is one of three Chinese nationals — along with Long Mei Fang and Zong Yang Li, who both live in Los Angeles — who have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Connecticut against Foxwoods Resort Casino claiming the property owes them more than $1.1 million in mini-baccarat winnings from December 2011. In addition, they seek $1.6 million they had deposited with the casino. Foxwoods refuses to pay alleging the three cheated by edge sorting.
"I can confirm that Cheung Yin Sun was also Phil Ivey's playing partner in mini-baccarat sessions that gave rise to the Borgata lawsuit in New Jersey and the Crockfords lawsuit in London," said Marvin Vining, who is one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs. "She played with different playing partners at Foxwoods, and the circumstances of all three lawsuits are slightly different. But the Foxwoods plaintiffs did employ essentially the same type of edge-sorting strategy as involved in the other two lawsuits."
According to the suit, the plaintiffs deposited the $1.6 million with Foxwoods before visiting the property on Dec. 23-24, 2011. It was during that time they won $1.148 million playing mini-baccarat. Foxwoods then allegedly refused to pay out the win and refund the deposit because the three plaintiffs gained an unfair advantage over the house.
"Basically, edge-sorting is possible because some brands of playing cards are not cut symmetrically across their backs and some players are gifted with eyesight keen enough to tell the difference," the suit says. "… 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 also alleges that edge sorting is legal in Connecticut and other U.S. gaming jurisdictions, though the director of the Mashantucket gaming commission's Inspection Division disagreed. In February 2012, the three players, who are being represented by New London attorney Sebastian DeSantis, were found to have violated Foxwoods' gaming regulations, a ruling the commission later upheld.
In the Borgata suit, Ivey and Sun, as well as card manufacturer Gemaco Inc., are accused of breach of contract, racketeering, fraud, conversion, unjust enrichment, and civil conspiracy. Ivey’s name was not listed in the Sun’s lawsuit against Foxwoods, which has yet to file a response to the suit.
PokerNews will have more on this story as details become available. For more information, check out The Day.
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In this Series
- 1 Ivey Claims He Used "Edge Sorting" in £7.8 Million Lawsuit With Crockfords
- 2 Top 10 Stories of 2013: #10, Ivey, Kagawa, Smith, and Others Face Legal Trouble
- 3 Borgata Files $9.6 Million Lawsuit Against Phil Ivey for Alleged Baccarat Cheating
- 4 Details Emerge in Borgata's Lawsuit Against Phil Ivey
- 5 Sorting Out the Law Behind Phil Ivey's Edge Sorting Debacle at Borgata
- 6 Phil Ivey Files Motion to Dismiss Borgata Lawsuit, Claims Win Was "All Skill"
- 7 Ivey's Edge-Sorting Accomplice, Cheng Yin Sun, Files Lawsuit Against Foxwoods
- 8 Breaking Down the Legality of Cheung Yin Sun's Edge-Sorting Lawsuit Against Foxwoods
- 9 Phil Ivey to Discuss "Edge Sorting" Lawsuits on 60 Minutes
- 10 Phil Ivey Loses £7.7 Million "Edge Sorting" Court Battle Against Crockfords Casino
- 11 Phil Ivey Appeals Against Crockford’s Ruling
- 12 Top 10 Stories of 2014: #2, Phil Ivey Endures More Legal Drama
- 13 Judge Rules Borgata Lawsuit Against Phil Ivey Can Proceed
- 14 Phil Ivey Appears in Car Commercial for 2015 Chrysler 300
- 15 Foxwoods Survives Edge Sorting Lawsuit from Phil Ivey's "Queen of Sorts" Accomplice
- 16 Phil Ivey Files Countersuit Against Borgata Regarding $9.6M in Baccarat Winnings
- 17 Highlights from Ivey/Borgata Deposition: Booze, Pretty Cocktail Waitresses and More
- 18 Borgata Contests Phil Ivey Counter-Claims
- 19 Ivey Granted Permission to Appeal £7.8 Million Edge-Sorting Case Against Crockfords
- 20 Phil Ivey's £7.8 Million Appeal in Crockfords Case Began Yesterday
- 21 Court Opinion Split on Phil Ivey's $9.6M Baccarat Win
- 22 Phil Ivey Contests Borgata Request for His Baccarat Winnings
- 23 Court Orders Phil Ivey to Return $10.1M to Borgata
- 24 The Mysterious Year for Phil Ivey
- 25 Poker Pro Phil Ivey Will Try to Appeal Borgata $10M Ruling
- 26 UK Supreme Court Grants Phil Ivey Permission to Appeal Crockfords Case
- 27 Phil Ivey Loses £7.7M Supreme Court Appeal in London Edge Sorting Case
- 28 Top 10 Stories of 2017, #7: Phil Ivey Loses $19 Million in Court Battles
- 29 Gemaco Playing Cards Off the Hook in Borgata Ivey Edge-Sorting Debacle
- 30 Phil Ivey Looks to Delay Payment of $10.1M to Borgata
- 31 Phil Ivey in Danger of Losing More to Borgata
- 32 Borgata Given Clearance to Seize Phil Ivey's Nevada Assets
- 33 Film Based on Phil Ivey's Baccarat Partner Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun in the Works
- 34 Report: Borgata Seeking Phil Ivey's WSOP Winnings Plus $214K Interest
- 35 Report: Borgata Secured Phil Ivey's $50K PPC Winnings
- 36 Ivey Borgata Case Takes Another Turn as Cates and Trincher File Objection
- 37 Ivey Versus Borgata Continues With Legal Proceedings
