The world of casino games is filled with fascinating stories and enigmatic characters, one of whom is Cheung Yin Sun, a Chinese gambler who has been in the spotlight for a series of disputed wins. Keep your finger on the pulse of the casino industry and learn everything you need to know about this mysterious player.
Cheung Yin Sun, who also goes by the name of Kelly Sun, dabbled in card games and magic tricks when she performed in Chinese theatres – this is where the controversy began, as Yin Sun gained a shadowy reputation for reportedly skipping bill payments and attempting some scams on customers. Among her many nicknames, Yin Sun is known as ‘the Queen of Edge Sorting’.
What Is Edge Sorting?
‘Edge sorting’ is a gambling technique for tricking the system involving predicting the value of a face-down card based on subtle differences on the back of the card. The trick exploits tiny imperfections in a deck of cards and is particularly useful for identifying cards that have the same value – such as in Blackjack, when all face cards are valued at 10.
Successful Edge Sorting relies on having a keen eye for detail – it may be something as subtle as asymmetrical margins on certain cards that helps the player identify the high value cards and bet accordingly. In professional casinos, the cards tend to be mixed in the same direction, and with a well-trained eye, the mechanism can give the player a real edge over the house.
Cheung Yin Sun & Phil Ivey
The highly publicised story about Yin Sun and Phil Ivey’s meeting has brought her under further scrutiny. In 2012, world-famous Phil Ivey met Yin Sun after she approached him with a money-making strategy: to create a team of pro card players with the aim of banking millions from gambling establishments all over the world.
The plan was a simple one: the pair would enter a casino and select a certain room where a specific kind of card to be used – one with asymmetrical margins around the edge. Ivey’s status as a high rolling poker player preceded him, and he was convincingly able to blame superstition for his next request, which was to see each card of a particular value, to have them turned 180 degrees and for an auto-shuffler to be used.
All these requests were to create the correct conditions for being able to identify the highest value cards, pretty much guaranteeing a win every time. The duo raked in incredible winnings of 10 million in London and 12 million in the States, but their winning streak didn’t go unnoticed for long. The manager of Crockfords Club in London noticed something was awry and refused to pay their winnings. Ivey and Yin Sun took him to court and won, although they were forced to return the money they won at the Borgata Casino in New Jersey.
The Cheung Yin Sun Movie
The tale of these two supposed tricksters has caught the imagination of many besides the tabloid journalists: there is a feature film in the works about Ivey and Sun’s exploits, with the script currently in progress. This certainly won’t be the first movie about card sharps, but there is a significant amount of interest in this particular title as the two main characters are currently still big names in the casino world.
The film is being tentatively named ‘The Baccarat Machine’. So far, casting details are limited but Awkwafina, a Chinese-American actor, is currently touted to play the lead as Yin Sun herself.
Casino Tricks & Strategies
Cheung Yin Sun is certainly not the first to attempt to outwit the house in gambling establishments, and she won’t be the last; other ways in which people try to beat the system is by trying to understand patterns in slot machines, read cards or use probability to predict hands. While these strategies can be profitable, there is no guaranteed success rate and they are nearly always illegal.
If you’re thinking of learning a few casino tricks, be prepared to spend many, many hours learning how to do it, and be careful to study the rules of your chosen casino so you don’t risk breaking them.
Want to Be a Professional Gambler?
Fancy yourself a gambling pro? It takes time and dedication to build your skills in any casino game, and this involves both practice and theoretical study. Understanding the rules isn’t enough: you must also be able to grasp the intricacies and complexities of your chosen game, whether it’s poker, Baccarat or Blackjack, to stand a chance at making any real money.
Keep in mind that a big element of all gambling success is luck, an intangible factor that you can never predict or control. You can be the slickest card sharp in the world and still face the chance of a loss round every corner. Our advice, therefore, is to build up your skills gradually and seek out great online casinos to practise on. Ensure that any UK online casino you visit is fully licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, as this will ensure your money is safe and that you don’t run the risk of being exploited by rigged games.
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