I was going to refer to him by his nickname, the Tiger Woods of Poker, but that just doesn’t work now on so many levels. So let’s just say that Phil Ivey is generally regarded as poker’s biggest star and its best player. This is important because he’s just announced that he’s skipping the World Series of Poker, which began on Tuesday at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Ivey is also suing FullTilt Poker, the company for which he was on the design team, and where he won an estimated $3 million in 2010. The reason for both moves? He’s not happy with FullTilt for not repaying customers in the wake of the federal crackdown on online poker.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Ivey writes:
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.
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 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.
Yes, this means the path to the WSOP championship is open for the taking. My only advice is to get out of Elmo’s way, bi****s.
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Phil Ivey Suing Tiltware; Boycotting the 2011 WSOP [Poker News]
