Whether it’s because of the overall simplicity of its rules, the low house edge, or the James Bondishness of hitting the casino floor dressed to the nines to play the favorite game of the world’s most famous spy, baccarat has long been one of the most popular table games.
In recent years, the game has also drawn quite a lot of attention due to a multi-million-dollar lawsuit between an Atlantic City casino and two high roller players who deployed the so-called edge sorting technique while playing baccarat at said casino to surpass the inherent advantage enjoyed by gambling venues.
Of course, we are talking about Phil Ivey and his companion player Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun, who were sued by the Borgata Casino for using edge sorting to transform the game of baccarat into a profit machine not for the casino, but for the players.
The prolonged legal battle became so massive, after all, it involved two of the world’s most skilled casino players, that we believe it is important to throw some light on what edge sorting is and how it is used in the game of baccarat.
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What Is Edge Sorting?
In card games, edge sorting is a way of identifying the value of the cards by their backs. Here it is important to note that in most cases even cards of the finest quality are not cut perfectly symmetrically, which is where edge sorters get their advantage.
To most players, discrepancies on the backs of playing cards, whether natural or ones present in their cut patterns are normally so tiny that they are almost impossible to distinguish.
But while the majority of those playing card games at casinos may find it close to impossible to observe such nearly indiscernible irregularities, there are some players who use them to identify the values of the cards or groups of cards they are playing with and then use that knowledge to improve their edge.
In other words, edge sorting is not difficult at all to those gifted with a sharp eye and quick wits.
How Does Edge Sorting Work Exactly?
Edge sorting can be deployed when the cards dealt at a table have repeated patterns on their backs. Players may be able to identify tiny discrepancies along the left and right or top and bottom edges of the cards.
Generally speaking, edge sorting can be used in any card game in which certain groups of cards are more valuable than the rest of the cards in the deck. Advantage players use the technique to distinguish all important cards from the rest and thus generate a larger profit than what they would normally win at a casino if they abide strictly by its rules.
Once players manage to sort the important cards from the less important ones, they can base their decisions at the table on that knowledge to turn the edge that usually favors the casino into their favor. The edge remains in their favor for as long as the cards of the deck or the shoe remain in the same order.
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Baccarat Terminology
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Baccarat Shoes
Edge Sorting in Baccarat
Edge sorting gained quite a lot of attention in recent years namely because Ivey and Sun used the technique during their notorious baccarat sessions at the Borgata.
We can say that nines, eights, and sevens are perhaps the most important cards in the game of baccarat. If a player knows for sure that the first card that will be dealt by the dealer belongs to that group of important cards, they can make an informed choice on whether to place money on the player hand, the banker hand, or on a tie.
The technique can help a baccarat player gain a 6.76% edge over the house.
Is Edge Sorting Cheating?
Edge sorting is a form of advantage play and while casinos prefer to regard it as illegal or against their rules at the very least, classifying it as cheating would probably not be entirely accurate.
It is true that edge sorters reduce the established house edge, but unlike card marking, where playing cards are altered specifically for the purpose of gaining an edge against the house, in edge sorting players use manufacturing defects.
Cheating or not, edge sorting is a practice that is frowned upon by casinos around the world and can spell big trouble for any player caught using it, from being banished from the casino premise to having charges pressed against them.
How Edge Sorting Helped Ivey and Sun Win Millions
Widely regarded as one of the world’s best poker players, Phil Ivey has shown unmatched skills in other card games, as well.
In his pursuit of big baccarat wins, Ivey found the most fitting partner in Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun, an advantage player who had mastered the edge sorting technique to the degree of getting herself 86ed from a number of casinos.
In 2012, Ivey and Sun went to play baccarat at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. Ahead of their baccarat sessions, Ivey had made a series of special requests and paid a small fortune to be granted those by the casino.
For what Ivey and Sun had said were superstitious reasons, the two players had asked the Borgata to be provided with a private area in which they could play and a Mandarin-speaking dealer.
They had further requested an eight-deck shoe of purple Gemaco cards. The same cards were used for the entirety of the two players’ playing sessions. It should be noted that purple Gemaco cards have tiny discrepancies on their backs that experienced card players like Ivey and Sun can easily observe.
Ivey and his companion were additionally provided with an automatic card shuffling device. Such devices shuffle cards without rotating them 180 degrees.
During each baccarat session, Sun gave the Mandarin-speaking dealer instructions on how to flip and lay the cards on the table. Sun and Ivey maintained that their requests were based on superstitions.
However, it later became known that their requests were part of an elaborate edge sorting scheme that helped them win $9.6 million.
The Borgata paid out the winnings, but upon realizing that Ivey and Sun used their advantage play skills to gain edge, filed a lawsuit against the players to get the money back.
Ivey’s use of the controversial technique got him entangled in one of the most highly publicized and longest running legal battles involving a casino and a player in history. Eventually, he lost the case and the Borgata has been after his property and money to recoup what it lost in 2012.
Ivey lost a similar case against London’s Crockfords casino where he had edge-sorted his way to £7.7 million in punto banco winnings.
