Phil Ivey Sits Out WSOP, Sues Full Tilt Poker
In a message posted on Facebookon Tuesday, Full Tilt Pokerpro Phil Ivey (pictured) revealed that he would be sitting out the 2011 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas and had filed a lawsuit against Tiltware. Wicked Chops vouched for the veracity of the Facebook post, which has been the talk of PocketFives.com members in a Poker Community thread. The 2011 WSOP got underway on Tuesday with the first two bracelet events.
Ivey, an eight-time WSOP bracelet winner, began his post by discussing the rather frustrating situation that most Full Tilt members in the United States find themselves in: “I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed. I am equally embarrassed that as a result many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm. I am not playing in the World Series of Poker, as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot.”
Ivey added that he had “electronically filed a lawsuit” against Tiltware and argued, “My name and reputation have been dragged through the mud through the inactivity and indecision of others and, on behalf of all poker players, I refuse to remain silent any longer.” Full Tilt Poker cut off real money U.S. players shortly after the April 15th indictments were handed down. Read the lawsuit.
Ivey owns nearly $5.3 million in career WSOP earnings, good for 13th overall. He’s #3 on poker’s all-time money list behind Erik Seidel and Daniel Negreanu, according to the Hendon Mob, and owned the top spot on ESPN’s poker rankings dubbed “The Nuts” for about a year until Seidel trumped him last month.
He concluded his jaw-dropping statement by clarifying that he hopes his actions will turn heads: “I sincerely hope this statement will ignite those capable of resolving the problems into immediate action and would like to clarify that until a solution is reached that cements the security of all players, both U.S. and international, I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment.”
Full Tilt, PokerStars, and Absolute Poker each inked agreements with the U.S. Department of Justice following the Black Friday indictments of their founders. However, only PokerStars has begun the process of cashing players out. In late April, Full Tilt warned in a message to users that despite the accord with the U.S. Government, “There exists no authorized U.S. payment channel through which to make refunds.”
On Monday, Full Tilt representative ftpdougannounced on the PocketFives.com forums that the site was “raising capital” to pay back U.S. players. To date, no time line for U.S. refunds has been given by Full Tilt, which remains the second largest online poker site in the world according to PokerScout.com. Read more.
In a lively thread in the Poker Community forum, one poster contended that Full Tilt’s reputation could be permanently harmed as a result: “This marks a definitive downfall for Full Tilt. Once the smoke clears and the American market is given its freedom back, I don’t think Full Tilt can recover when PokerStars is now the clear choice for security, player volume, and integrity.”
Another member of the community added, “Ivey has gained respect on so many levels. The fact that he refuses to play in the WSOP is also huge on so many levels. I’m sure he is losing millions in props by not playing events, let alone skipping a year for bracelets.”
According to a 2010 PokerListings article, Ivey and Full Tilt front man Howard Lederer have an ongoing $5 million bet that hinges on Ivey winning two bracelets in the 2010 and 2011 WSOPs. Let’s not forget that he won a piece of hardware last year and is seemingly one bracelet away from winning the seven-figure prop bet.
Despite player cashouts being in limbo, a handful of Full Tilt Poker pros took to the felts for Day 1 of the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship at the WSOP on Tuesday. Those surviving to see Day 2 in the 128-player field included Tom Dwan, Gus Hansen, Carlos Mortensen, John Juanda, and David Benyamine.
