What Is Surrender Blackjack

While the surrender option isn’t easy to find in online casinos, there are a number of live dealer games that offer this option. But despite being available for so long, in both land-based and online casinos, most players still find it hard to make up their mind on when to surrender. If you’re one of those people or you are a beginner weighing the pros and cons, check out our article for more info and tips about this much-debated move.

Surrender is just one of the blackjack betting options and more important than you think: if you know when and under what circumstances you should make this decision, blackjack surrender rule can become a highly effective blackjack basic playing strategy. Surrender (only available as first decision of a hand): Some games offer the option to 'surrender' directly after the dealer has checked for blackjack (see below for variations). When the player surrenders, the house takes half the player's bet and returns the other half to the player; this terminates the player's interest in the hand. Surrender is an optional blackjack move provided by some online casinos. When players surrender, they get half of their bet and the casino gets to keep the other half. Players are done with that hand and don’t play it.

What is Surrender?

Surrender is basically a safe way out for players who aren’t sure of a hand’s outcome. When you get an option to surrender, you are being given a chance to forfeit the hand and lose half of your wager, on the assumption of the dealer having a card in the hole that might make a blackjack. Once you accept to surrender, you are given half your wager back, while the casino takes the other half.

The surrender option is especially popular among those who know little of blackjack strategy as it is often seen as a way to fold but still keep some money. However, those who understand the probability behind the option know that, just like folding, surrendering too prematurely can be worse than not taking the option.

Types of Surrender

Those casinos that offer surrender, offer two types of it: early and late. An early surrender is when you accept to give up your hand before the dealer checks his hole card for Blackjack. It is also the cheaper option, when it comes to how much of your wager you risk losing, as well as pretty rare in online casinos.

A late surrender, on the other hand, is when you surrender after the dealer has checked the hole card. This option offers lower returns and is often used by those who believe in their statistical advantage. In the end, it’s all up to a player’s personal preference.

Why Use it at All?

The key argument that many players make is that surrendering is only there to make you doubt your hand and quit when you might win. This brings casinos plenty of money in the long run, from inexperienced players who surrender when they have strong hands. It’s basic logic really, when you offer a clueless player ways out you are not only taking half of his money, but you’re also making sure you lose less.

Blackjack Surrender Rule

But while the profitability of the surrender option for casinos is clearly visible, this doesn’t mean that it can’t be profitable to the player also. As long as you use it only when you need to, you will actually have better chances of making money.

When to Use it?

As said, surrender is best used when you have weak or medium-strength hands. For example, if the dealer holds an ace and you are left with a hard 14, then winning your hand is not the most logical of assumptions and surrender seems like a good option.

The general consensus is that you should surrender when the chances of losing your hand are higher than 50%. But while this is true, one should always take the statistical probability over time in mind, and not just a single hand. In the end, surrendering with 60% chances, for example, might end up costing you more in the long run. Thus, this is best done when you have 75% chances of losing and lower.

However, if you’re new to blackjack and have hard time figuring out the math, you can find a basic surrender strategy below.

Basic Blackjack surrender Strategy

There are two surrender strategies in Blackjack, depending on whether you are allowed an early or a late surrender. Namely, the following hands are statistically the most convenient to surrender.

Online Blackjack With Surrender

Late Surrender Blackjack Strategy:

• Any hand of 17 on a Dealer Ace (when dealer doesn’t hit on soft 17);
• Any hand of 16 on a Dealer Ace or any 10 (every game);
• Any hand of 15 on a Dealer Ace (when dealer doesn’t hit on soft 17);

Early Surrender Blackjack Strategy:

• A hard hand of 5-7 or 12-17 on dealer Ace;
• Double 3s, 6s,7s, and 8s on dealer ace;
• A hard hand of 14-16 on dealer 10.