Edge Sorting Explained: The Baccarat Technique That Made Headlines

How It Works

Certain playing card manufacturers (Gemaco being the most famous) have slight variations in card thickness depending on how they were printed.

A card printed with specific ink patterns might be slightly thicker on one edge than an identical card printed at a different time.

A sophisticated player can detect these variations through extremely careful observation. They can sort cards so that all cards of a particular type (all nines, all aces, all face cards) are oriented the same direction.

When the dealer deals from a sorted deck, the player knows (with high probability) what the next card will be.

The Baccarat Advantage

Baccarat is a simple game. The bank and player each get two cards. The hand closer to nine wins.

If you know what cards are coming, you can bet accordingly. If you know a low card is coming, the bank hand is more likely to win (in baccarat, the bank has a slight edge). If you know a high card is coming, the player hand has a slight edge.

The advantage is subtle but real. A skilled edge-sorter can get a 5-15% edge over the casino in baccarat.

The Technique

The player asks the dealer to rotate cards as they're dealt. "Rotate that card ninety degrees," they might say. Or, "Can you orient the cards the other way?"

The dealer, following player instructions, inadvertently arranges cards according to the player's sorted sequence.

The player is slowly organizing the deck so that cards they've identified (via edge variation) are oriented consistently.

Once the sort is complete, the player can predict future cards with reasonable accuracy.

The Detection

Casinos detect edge-sorting by:

• Training dealers to notice unusual card requests
• Monitoring player behavior (taking excessive time to analyze cards)
• Reviewing security footage for patterns
• Analyzing winning records for statistical anomalies

A player winning 65% of baccarat hands (when the expected win rate is roughly 50%) is a red flag.

The Phil Ivey Cases

Phil Ivey is a legendary poker player who attempted edge-sorting at Crockfords in London and Borgata in Atlantic City.

He requested specific dealing procedures and deck types. The casinos accommodated him. He won approximately $9.6 million at Crockfords and $9.9 million at Borgata.

Both casinos refused to pay, claiming edge-sorting is cheating.

Ivey sued. The courts sided with the casinos. Edge-sorting, even without explicit rule violations, is considered cheating.

Why It's So Effective

Baccarat is a game of pure chance. No skill is involved. Every outcome should be equally likely.

But edge-sorting removes the randomness. It gives perfect information.

With perfect information, you can't lose over time. You win consistently.

This is why casinos consider it cheating. Not because it violates a written rule, but because it violates the principle that the game is fair.

The Defense

One could argue: if the casino makes a game with a flaw, and a player exploits the flaw, is that cheating or smart play?

The courts decided it's cheating. Even if the casino enabled the exploit, exploiting it without disclosure is dishonest.

The Modern Reality

Modern casinos prevent edge-sorting by:

1. Using decks with consistent card thickness (eliminating the variation)
2. Monitoring card orientations
3. Preventing players from requesting specific dealing procedures
4. Banning known edge-sorters

Edge-sorting is now effectively impossible in professional casinos.