Blackjack, also known as 21, is one of the most-played casino games in the world. It is popular due to its simplicity and higher returns. Blackjack is a game of chance, skill, and strategy that is played against the dealer. During the gameplay, players dealt all the cards face-up, and only the first card of the dealer is face-up while the second one is face-down. The main aim of blackjack is to achieve a hand closer to 21 than the dealer without exceeding 21. If your hand exceeds 21, you lose the game. Players can use several strategies to avoid huge losses in blackjack. Surrendering is such a tactic players can use while playing blackjack. At first, surrendering might sound like a loss, but if you master the basics, it is considered one of the best moves you can use while playing blackjack.
This article will examine whether surrendering is a good idea in blackjack or not by exploring its various aspects.
What Is Surrender In Blackjack?
Surrender is an additional rule that you can use while playing blackjack. The option allows you to reduce your losses by enabling you to throw away half of your hand once you have seen the dealer’s up-card and your initial two cards. You can consider this option as an alternative to either selecting to hit or stand.
If you think your hand has less than 50% success rate, then you can consider surrendering your hand. Your bet will be returned to you and you can participate in the next round if your move wins. The blackjack surrender rule has a lower house edge, attracting more players who want to explore the real money blackjack online.
You are allowed to surrender your hand only after receiving your first two cards. However, there are two types of surrender:
- Early Surrender
- Late Surrender
Early Surrender
In early surrender, you can surrender half of your bet before the dealer checks the hole cards. If the dealer receives an Ace and gets a chance to check for a blackjack, still you can surrender before it. Since you can give up half of your bet against the dealer’s up-card, it significantly influences the house edge. There are certain rules exist, where some rules allow you to surrender early against any of the dealer’s cards and some rules allow you to surrender early against any card except the Ace.
Late Surrender
Late surrender allows you to throw your hand along with half of your bet only after the dealer checks their hand for blackjack. A late surrender is less beneficial when compared to an early surrender because this decreases the significance of surrendering from 0.05% to 0.1 %. However, a late surrender can be used to lower the house edge.
Late surrender rules
- If you are dealt with 16 and the dealer has a 9 up, then you can surrender.
- If you are dealt with 16 and the dealer has a 10, then you can surrender.
- Surrender 16 if they stand on all 17s. It does not matter how many decks are in play. You must surrender 15, 16, and 17 if they hit soft 17.
When To Surrender In Blackjack?
It is important to know the best time to surrender in blackjack in order to increase your chances of success. Actually, you can surrender if the odds are against you. Surrender as soon as possible if you have a weak hand when compared to that of the dealer. It will help you avoid huge losses.
The best time to surrender
| Situation | Hand Value | Dealer’s Card |
| 1 | 16 | 9, 10, Ace |
| 2 | 15 | 10 |
In the first situation, where you get two cards of the value 8, it is better to not surrender. Suppose this happens, you can split them into two hands and play further to increase your chances of winning.
You can save almost 75% of your bet by surrendering a Hard 16 against the Dealer’s 9, 10, or Ace in the long run. However, surrendering a Hard 15 against the Dealer’s 10 will save almost 60% of your bet.
Blackjack Surrender Strategy
| Strategy | Win | Lose | Loss per $100 Bet |
| Surrender | 50% of your bet | 50% of your bet | $50 |
| Hit | 23.4% | 76.6% | $53.20 |
| Stand | 22.8% | 77.2% | $54.40 |
The above percentages explain if you surrender your 10-6 against the dealer’s 10 up-card, you will be losing 50% of your bet for every $100 wagered.
Also Read: Fibonacci Roulette Strategy Explained: How To Win More?
Conclusion
Many people approach blackjack in the hope of doubling down their bets and not giving up their hands. The blackjack surrender rule is more beneficial than the double-down strategy. Not every blackjack table allows players to surrender their hands. So, select a table that includes the surrender rule.
