Phil Ivey looks up during the World Series of Poker at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, July 15, 2009.
Laura Rauch/AP Photo
Phil Ivey might call himself the "Michael Jordan" of poker, but he is the subject of a federal lawsuit by the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa that accuses him of card-cheating.
Even though Ivey has been called the "Best Poker Player" in the world, he is not exactly a household name. We've put together a rundown of Ivey and his career below.
The 'Tiger Woods of Poker'
Ivey, 38, is young but already has an impressive record in poker. He is the youngest player to have won nine World Series of Poker bracelets and has called himself the "Michael Jordan" or "Tiger Woods" of poker.
According to the World Series of Poker website, Ivey has won $6, 343,022 in earnings from World Series of Poker and circuit events.
Before 2011 he ranked No. 1 in the world of online poker game earnings with $19.24 million, according to his website.
Ivey started to play poker at casinos at just 17 by using a fake ID to get into Atlantic City casinos. According to ESPN, he spent so much time playing he was given the nickname "No Home Jerome."
Ivey grew up in northern New Jersey and according to ESPN was taught to play poker by his grandfather Bud.
Ivey also has his own "Team Ivey" of other poker pros, as well as an "Ivey Pro" app that lets players learn poker and sometimes get online lessons from pros.
Accusations of Cheating
This week the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa accused Ivey of "card-cheating" by taking advantage of a defect in the playing cards.
The lawsuit alleges Ivey was able to win $9.6 million by asking that the dealer flip the cards in a specific manner.
This is not the first time Ivey has been accused of cheating.
In 2011 the player was accused of cheating by a UK casino when he won $11.5 million in the course of two days. The casino refused to pay out all of Ivey's winnings after accusing him of cheating by finding imperfections in the cards.
Calls to a lawyer who represented Ivey in 2012 and to the Borgata Casino and Spa were not immediately returned.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
