Edge Sorting – How the House Edge Was Turned Into a Player Edge?

In 2012 the poker player Phil Ivey and his associate, Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun, introduced the world of gambling to the edge sorting technique – a method that prior to its exploitation was not widely known and most casinos had no idea it existed. In this edge sorting blog, we will look at how this daring duo turned the standard house edge into their advantage. Of course, before proceeding with their story, we will first review the exact edge sorting strategy and how does it work.

Anyhow, before we go any further with this edge sorting review, we would like to point out that this page is solely informative. Apart from discussing all important details regarding the exploit, you will not find a guide nor instructions on how to use this method.

What is Edge Sorting?

The edge sorting technique is all about recognising and tracking small irregularities in the patterns on the backs of the play cards. As shown in the picture above, there is a really tiny difference that can be noticed in the left edge of the cards. If you manage to read the pattern, it will help you to recognise if the next card is going to help you or not. On a game like baccarat, edge sorting would give you a huge advantage.

Who are Kelly Sun and Phil Ivey?

Actually, Cheung Yin ‘Kelly’ Sun was the mastermind behind the so-called Phil Ivey edge sorting plan. Kelly is an heiress of a rich Chinese family, and she had been a regular customer of US casinos for a while. After three weeks in a Las Vegas prison due to an unpaid casino-marker, she wanted to take her revenge on the casino industry. Hence, she began training herself in the ways of the edge sorting technique. However, she could not have done it alone, as she was rather unpopular in the gambling world.

Here comes the other star of the show, Phil Ivey. Ivey has been a well-known figure on the gambling scene and named as one of the best poker players since the turn of the century. Once, he even participated in one of the Corporation’s high-stakes struggles against the gambling billionaire Andrew Beal. The clash of these two titans resulted in the Dallas-based businessman losing $16.6 million to Phil Ivey.

How Did Phil and Kelly Do it?

Anyhow, due to Phil Ivey’s VIP status, he was the perfect candidate for Kelly. The way they proceeded was to enter into a casino and get a private baccarat table with a Mandarin-speaking croupier. When it is just the three of them, Kelly would ask the croupier to rotate specific cards for ‘good luck’ and then watch out for them. By doing that, the Chinese heiress could accurately track the deck and signal Phil Ivey, when to up the stakes. It turned out into a big success.

However, after scoring a few big wins, Phil and Kelly’s baccarat edge sorting was noticed by two of the operators who followed suit. Eventually, the act of edge sorting cards was considered as cheating by the authorities, and Phil Ivey lost both court cases. This edge sorting scandal has been surrounded by a lot of publicity, including by some of the best gambling books of the last decade.

FAQ

Edge sorting is a truly fascinating topic and is the subject to many queries. Therefore, we gathered some of the most frequently asked questions and answered them for you. Without further ado, let us dive right at them!