No matter how many tools and software solutions online casinos use to prevent players from gaining an edge over the house, experienced gamblers continually develop new strategies to gain a greater advantage. One such technique that has been popularised in recent years is known as edge sorting. It was the professional poker player Phil Ivey who made edge sorting popular among card fans.
While edge sorting is mainly used in baccarat, the technique can also be helpful when playing blackjack or poker. The strategy involves carefully observing the backs of the cards and exploiting small differences in their design. The technique is quite difficult to master and, in some countries, is even considered illegal.
If you are wondering whether this method can also be used when playing online at a live casino, the answer is yes. However, it is even harder to apply the technique when the game is broadcast on a smaller screen instead of seeing the cards dealt in front of you. That said, if you manage to use edge sorting while playing live baccarat, you can gain a significant advantage over the house and enjoy more favourable outcomes.
To learn more about edge sorting and how it can make your baccarat experience more rewarding, we suggest you continue reading.
How to Apply the Technique of Edge Sorting?
Edge sorting is a strategy that enables players to distinguish the cards being dealt by identifying inherent differences in the design on the backs of the cards. As some cards may have slight changes in their back design, noticing differences in patterns can help players determine the value of a card without actually seeing its face.
The technique is mainly used in baccarat, but it can also help when you bet on blackjack or poker. Edge sorting works by paying close attention to the back design of the cards in the deck. While all cards seem exactly the same to most people, players who are devoted to developing the edge sorting technique can spot even small differences between cards. If you have good eyesight and have practised edge sorting for long enough, you should have little trouble spotting even the tiniest differences in every card in the deck.
If you take a deck of cards and carefully inspect the back of every card, you will notice that some cards have been cut in a way that reveals more of the pattern that is seen on the edges. Of course, the difference is ever so slight that untrained players may not spot it at all. However, if you train yourself to use edge sorting for an extensive period and practise the skill, you will be able to tell the cards apart with ease.
As mentioned above, edge sorting was popularised by Phil Ivey who managed to beat the house using this technique. In his case, the cards used by the casino had tiny diamond-shaped patterns on their backs. The differences between the cards were most noticeable at the edges, which were cut so that the patterns were revealed slightly differently. Because the diamond shapes on the backs of the cards were cut in different places, Ivey could distinguish cards simply by looking at these shapes. By differentiating the cards, he could recognise which had lower values and which had higher ones. This is where the name edge sorting came from.
In Ivey’s case, he also persuaded the dealer to participate in his scheme, asking them to rotate the high-value cards upside down. After Ivey had played enough rounds to learn the patterns on the cards’ backs and to have the rotated high-value cards returned to the shoe, he began to exploit the information he had gathered through edge sorting. When the studied cards re-entered play, he could accurately predict their value and bet on the winning side in baccarat.
Can Edge Sorting Really Give Players Advantage?
Even though edge sorting is a difficult technique to develop, it is worth exploring as it can give players a significant advantage over the house. The strategy can help players overcome the casino’s advantage by almost 7%, bringing very generous returns to professional edge sorters.
It should be noted that this strategy is most suitable for high rollers, as one must play several rounds before inspecting the patterns and properly assessing the back designs of cards with different values. Moreover, bigger wins require larger wagers, so you should be prepared to stake substantial sums to earn generous amounts through edge sorting.
Even though this skill is not easy to learn, we believe it is worth trying to implement edge sorting as it can give you a significant advantage over the house. That being said, continuous winnings may alert the casino that something is amiss, signalling that you may be relying on special skills to beat the house.
Can Edge Sorting Be Used in Live Baccarat?
As mentioned above, besides exploiting slight manufacturing differences in the cards, Ivey also received additional help from the dealer handling them. For this reason, the effectiveness of the method may be questioned, especially when you are playing online at a live baccarat table. Despite the extra obstacles, you might still be able to gain an advantage by using edge sorting in live baccarat.
When you join a live baccarat table, you are free to try to spot differences in the patterns on the cards without worrying about appearing too suspicious. However, you cannot ask the dealer via the broadcast to rotate the cards upside down. You should also bear in mind that, although edge sorting is a relatively new strategy, both offline and online casinos are well aware of it and take preventative measures to counter it.
Although you have to put in extra effort to utilise edge sorting when playing live baccarat, you can still benefit from the technique when wagering at a live casino. Edge sorting can also familiarise you with how card counting is applied in baccarat. Unlike blackjack, where you try to predict which cards will be dealt next, with baccarat card counting you are simply trying to determine whether high cards will outnumber low cards, or vice versa. Even though knowing whether there are more high-value or low-value cards left in the deck may not guarantee success, it can help you tilt the scales slightly in your favour.
Watching the game on a screen automatically makes edge sorting more difficult. Because you may not be able to see the backs of the cards up close, you could have trouble noticing any differences in their patterns. That said, as live casino software continually improves stream quality, it is now common to find live baccarat games broadcast in 4K. That can help you spot any specifics of the cards used in the game, making edge sorting a bit easier.
Baccarat with squeeze is another variation that can be found at numerous live casinos online. This version often features cameras that zoom in on the cards as the dealer slowly reveals their values. If such games use cards with the right pattern, it may be easier to spot differences along the edges and practise edge sorting online.
Why Edge Sorting Can Be Difficult to Achieve
While successful edge sorting can give players a huge advantage, there are many factors that can prevent players from using this type of strategy. Even Ivey, who made this technique popular among baccarat players, could not use it at just any casino. To be able to spot differences in the backs of cards, the cards must carry patterns that allow players to distinguish certain cards from the rest of the shoe.
Diamonds and squares allow easier edge sorting
Cards that feature diamond or square patterns are the easiest to read when there are differences in the way they have been cut. This is one of the reasons edge sorting is not easy to practise when playing live baccarat. Most live casinos do not use cards that have such patterns on their backs, making it hard to notice any differences in the back design of the cards.
Patterns should spread across cards’ edges
In addition to diamonds and squares being the most suitable patterns for edge sorting, they should also spread across the edges of the cards. It is the way that the shapes have been cut along the edges that will allow edge sorters to notice differences in the cards’ design. You will notice that some cards have a white edge on all four sides of the back design. This type of card makes edge sorting much harder, as there are no differing cuts of shapes along the edges. That said, in some cases, you may notice that the white edges are slightly broader on certain cards in the deck, giving you another way to differentiate high cards from low cards.
Can Players Who Use Edge Sorting Get in Trouble?
It should be noted that most casinos treat edge sorting in baccarat just like card counting in blackjack. This means edge sorting is usually deemed illegal by many casinos. That said, many players regard it as a fair strategy, as they simply take advantage of the way the cards have been manufactured.
Phil Ivey, who made this type of technique very popular, managed to win $9.6 million at the Borgata casino using edge sorting while playing baccarat. As already mentioned, he also enlisted the help of dealer Cheung Ying Sun to distinguish the cards. In 2014, when the casino discovered Ivey’s strategy, it sued both him and his partner for cheating. In 2016, a federal judge ruled that Ivey and his partner were to pay $10 million to the casino as a refund.
Despite this verdict, US District Judge Noel Hillman had a different opinion of this case. He ruled that the player did not commit any fraudulent activity but rather had violated the casino’s no-marking-of-cards rules. That said, the player and his partner did not interfere in any way with the cards but rather took advantage of their manufactured imperfections.
Ivey was also denied his winnings of $11 million from the UK casino Crockfords. He accumulated a massive win in 2012 and decided to sue the casino when he was refused his winnings. However, Ivey lost the case as the UK High Court classified the technique of edge sorting as cheating.
Some speculate that Ivey’s case may have turned out differently had he used simple observations to spot the differences in cards. However, as he also had additional help from his partner, his way of beating the house was considered fraudulent.
Conclusion on Edge Sorting in Live Casino Games
If you are considering using edge sorting, especially when you play baccarat online, you should keep in mind several things. This technique is considered cheating by most brick-and-mortar casinos and you may not be allowed to get your winnings if you are caught using edge sorting. Meanwhile, it is difficult for an online casino to determine whether you are using this strategy when you are playing live baccarat. This means you can be a little more relaxed when practising edge sorting online.
Although the chances of being caught using edge sorting in live baccarat are low, most casinos are not concerned about such cases, as the strategy is quite difficult to employ online. If you are determined to use edge sorting in live baccarat, you can gain a considerable advantage over the house, but you will have several obstacles to overcome.
If you have honed this skill sufficiently and the game you choose uses the right cards, you may have a good chance of tilting the scales in your favour. In conclusion, live baccarat players can benefit from utilising edge sorting, but they will find it difficult to implement the technique when placing wagers on live baccarat.
