Baccarat side bets that consist of a group of related wagers have a history of big game protection problems. A team of card counters targets the side bet by dividing up the individual wagers among their group. When a team member wagers on his particular side bet, the rest of the team follows by betting on the same side bet.

There have now been three court decisions (and two appeals) in three distinct jurisdictions regarding the question of whether edge sorting at mini-baccarat is advantage play. In every case the decision came down on the side of the casino without a determination of criminal cheating.

The way baccarat usually operates, a winning Banker wager is charged a 5% commission, creating a house edge on the Banker bet of about 1.0579%. Another way of saying this is that a winning Banker wager pays 19-to-20.

The house rules for blackjack at most casinos allow players to "double for less." Simply put, a player can double a hand for an amount less than the amount of their initial wager. Doubling takes place when the player has a big advantage on a hand.

Sometimes I feel like I walk around with blinders on. Such is the case with the advantage play method known as collusion. This method simply means that players share information about their hands with each other. The needle always moves towards the player’s side when information can be used to improve a strategic decision. This has long been known to be the case in blackjack.

Thefactssurrounding Phil Ivey's remarkable win at baccarat at Crockfords Casino in Mayfair, and the subsequent refusal of Crockfordsto pay his winnings, has been an open secret in the game protection community over the last8 months. Finally, the secret is out and we can talk about it: Phil Ivey did, in fact, use edge sorting to beat their baccarat. Here is the story in the U.K. Daily Mail: