Drama in the poker world is at an all-time high after Phil Ivey announced earlier today that he is skipping the WSOP in protest of Full Tilt Poker’s non-payment of player funds. He claims it’s wrong for him to play in the WSOP, when so many affected people cannot play in the event. Going further, he is suing FT’s parent company, Tiltware, for damages in excess of $150 million.
All of this has sparked a he-said-she-said battle with both parties taking to the media/Facebook to win public approval. Ivey expressed his thoughts on the issue by posting these comments on his website:
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. I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible.
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. I have electronically filed a lawsuit against Tiltware related to the unsettled player accounts. As I am sure the public can imagine, this was not an easy decision for me.
I wholeheartedly refuse to accept non-action as to repayment of players funds and I am angered that people who have supported me throughout my career have been treated so poorly.
Full Tilt snapped back by sending out the following statement:
Contrary to his sanctimonious public statements, Phil Ivey’s meritless lawsuit is about helping just one player – himself. In an effort to further enrich himself at the expense of others, Mr. Ivey appears to have timed his lawsuit to thwart pending deals with several parties that would put money back in players’ pockets. In fact, Mr. Ivey has been invited — and has declined — to take actions that could assist the company in these efforts, including paying back a large sum of money he owes the site. Tiltware doubts Mr. Ivey’s frivolous and self-serving lawsuit will ever get to court. But if it does, the company looks forward to presenting facts demonstrating that Mr. Ivey is putting his own narrow financial interests ahead of the players he professes to help.
Whatever the case may be in this controversy, it’s sad that one of the top poker players in the world is skipping out on the World Series in favor of chasing a lawsuit against his own poker site. And what happens to the $5 million prop bet that Ivey has with Lederer over winning two bracelets in two years? Is that bet gone now? I guess we’ll get some answers in the upcoming months about both the prop bet and the lawsuit.
