Edge Sorting – Meaning and Usage
People have been looking for ways to beat the house since the introduction of the first casinos. The house always has the upper edge, so discovering a way to flip the tables sounds like a sweet plan. When it comes to edge sorting, the law favours the casino operators, even if the activity isn’t officially claimed to be illegal. The technique is all about differentiating and tracking slight differences in the patterns on the backs of the cards.
Further in the article, we mention essential details clearing the air around the edge sorting cards technique and which games it targets. Read on and find out how high rollers use the method. Use the buttons above to see and visit the main sections.
Edge Sorting – Cards & Technique Explained
Gaming cards manufacturers can inadvertently produce “imperfect” cards with distinguishable patterns. The untrained eye sees them alike, but experts know the difference. Professional gamblers use the edge sorting technique to tilt the scales in their favour. The advantage here is based on the imperfections on the backs of the cards to help identify specific ones. Even though the cards seem ordinary at first glimpse, the patterns on their backs aren’t symmetrical.
Edge Sorting Cards – Decks and Patterns
For starters, poker edge sorting and edge sorting baccarat require the same base – a defective deck of cards. That means cards with slightly different cuts or patterns. That technique also requires strong vision and attention to detail. While many decks have a standard border and an image on the back, many use a series of diamonds or circles instead.
When the cards are produced, they aren’t cut 100% symmetrical. Usually, one side of the card shows the entire diamond or circle, while the other shows half of the shape. However, just seeing this difference in pattern doesn’t do anything. You will need to do some sorting. For example, two cards can be distinguished when one card is rotated 180 degrees.
You should know that you can’t be sorting through cards in land-based gambling destinations as well as in the UK online casinos just like that. It requires to be done with a keen eye or by making use of clever techniques and requests.
Edge Sorting Technique – How Do You Edge Sort
Even if every manufacturer tries their best to avoid mistakes, they happen. That leads to finding a casino using such cards. Once you are at such a location and are familiar with the card patterns used, you can try the edge sorting technique. After conducting our research, we can say that this method works the best for baccarat. Here are the main steps related to edge sorting cards:
- Find casino using imperfect card decks;
- Get acquainted with the card patterns used at the casino of your choice;
- Research while observing or playing;
- Spot the changing element;
- Use clever requests to make the dealer unknowingly rotate the cards and separate the high from the low;
- Request not to change decks.
Usually, players ask the casino croupier to rearrange the shoe until the high cards face in a specific direction and the low ones in another. You can use good luck charms, luck phrases, or even superstitions to persuade the croupier. While you can freely observe the cards at the brick-and-mortar gaming halls, the live online casinos in the UK lack free rounds allowing you to explore the decks.
Poker Edge Sorting & Edge Sorting Baccarat
Let’s start by getting familiar with the rules of the games. You will realise that baccarat has some good cards and some bad ones. You aim for as many 6, 7, 8, and 9 in the hand that you’re betting on. You can gain an advantage if you can identify the initial card using the edge sorting baccarat technique and determine whether it is among the important ones.
The same technique is used when playing blackjack too. It helps to get as close to 21 as possible. A similar strategy is applied when poker edge sorting is in play. You look for cards and their colours. Players also try to convince the croupier to rotate the cards, so you can predict what the next one will be – high or low. That can be a winning or a losing move, just like Phil Ivey’s story reveals.
Phil Ivey Edge Sorting – A Scandal Costing Millions
The Phil Ivey edge sorting scandal involving a skilful technique proves how local gambling laws rule in favour of the house. It all happened in 2012 in London, where one of the richest gamblers in the world, the poker star Phil Ivey, played baccarat. That attempt caused him millions. One of the world’s best poker players ended with an edge sorting scandal. The court found him guilty of using cheating methods to beat the house. That is a bright example showing how the local laws rule in favour of the casinos.
“After the scandal, the casino representatives listed a few tell-tale signs that something fishy was about to happen:
- Namely, as a famous and reputable player, Ivey was granted the wish to play with purple Gemaco Borgata cards.
- Additionally, Ivey wanted to play in private.
- The dealer was asked to speak Mandarin Chinese.
- His associate Cheng Yin Sun was the only other player at the table.”
Edge sorting cards is not illegal by law, but the ruling was in favour of the casino in this case. The court ruled that based on the Gambling Act of 2005, the technique gave Ivey an unfair advantage, which falls under the definition of cheating despite the lack of deceitful intentions. In addition, the casino did not have an obligation to pay the gambler his winnings from the session.
Edge Sorting – Legal Perspectives and Challenges
The Ivey scandal proves that edge sorting is hard enough to pull off from a skill-based perspective. He took advantage of the apparent imperfections induced. Edge sorting is not strictly an illegal activity, and the casinos and other gambling establishments are private property. It is the casino’s word against yours. It becomes even more complicated when considering the following challenges.
| 🤑 Easy for wealthy gamblers | It relates to the special requests |
| ⚖️ Not exactly on the legal side | Lies in the grey area between taking legit advantage and cheating |
| 🤔 Hard to perform | You go through many decks and sort the cards while you play |
| ☝️ Laws are against you | In case you get caught, the court usually rules for the casino |
Just like with every other gambling strategy – don’t overdo it, or you risk getting caught. What is more, stick to the games you know well when you want to bet big. Many professional gamblers have benefited from the edge sorting technique. Mistakes like the one Phil Ivey did draw attention to some irregularities. Nowadays, that makes some strategies even harder to pull off.
Edge Sorting Interesting Questions
You have reached the final part of our take on edge sorting in the casino world. The article turns many stones revealing details related to that strategy. However, there are some answers to the common questions on the topic. We have gathered the most frequently asked ones in our Q&A section below.
