Most people think that Ivory finish is a lot stiffer than Cambric/Air-Cushion. I agree with them, but after a few shuffles you stop noticing.
I have all 12 of the CARC Professional Bicycle decks, half of which are Ivory finish. They're made on Bee stock (casino-grade, I think), and as such handle a lot like Ivory-finish Bees do fresh out of the box. They need some breaking in at first, so shuffle them up for a while and they'll get a bit more pliable and easier to manipulate.
I find it a little weird using smooth Bikes since Air-Cushion was all I knew since I was a kid, but the Pro Bikes in either finish are really, REALLY good decks. After they came out, they became sort of the unofficial demonstration deck over at Tannen's Magic. They're traditionally cut just like Tally Ho and the Richard Turner Bikes; great for faro and other shuffles.