While the official announcement doesn’t suggest, many believe the move has a lot to do with Ivey’s ongoing legal battles.
The high-stakes cash game room, named after the living legend opened its doors 9 years ago, clearly intending to move the biggest games from Bellagio’s Bobby’s Room ARIA. Back when the room opened, Phil Ivey was in his prime, making insane amounts both in live and online cash games and tournaments.
Ivey, however, has been away from the spotlight in recent years, mainly focusing on the world of private Asian cash-games.
The opening of the room
Whenever his name popped up in the news, it always had something to do with his high-profile "edge sorting" case, against Borgata Hotel and Casino and Crockfords Casino. ARIA’s decision of moving Ivey’s rusty name from their prestigious poker room clearly shows that Phil’s reputation suffered a lot in the past few years.
The casino, however, had a simpler explanation for their decision. As ARIA Director of Poker Operations Sean McCormack said: “We thought it was time to rename the room,” he started. “The idea to call it ‘Table 1’ actually came from Elayne [Teitelbaum], our host. It’s so fitting because a lot of players have been calling it ‘Table 1’ for a while now anyway. [They were] coming in and asking if table 1 had a game going or was available.”
“Nothing lasts forever,” said McCormack. “Obviously Phil is still an incredible player and still very much relevant in the poker world, but we thought it was time for a rebrand,” he added.
Even though Bobby’s Room still is still the home of the high-limit games, the ARIA has successfully been running high-stakes "big bet" games in the Ivey Room since its opening.
