Blackjack Surrender Rule: A Beginner's Guide
The 'surrender bet' in Blackjack is one of the least known moves in the game.
Available only in the blackjack surrender variant of blackjack, this move lets you save half of your bet by folding your hand before it meets the dealer's.
If you've seen the table games section of at least one of these online casinos, you know there are countless blackjack variants online.
Blackjack surrender is one of them.
When it comes to this game, there are two schools of thought:
- Some players think blackjack surrender is a game for 'quitters'.
- Others consider it the best blackjack variant out there.
At PokerNews, we somewhat lean toward the latter as we think blackjack surrender to be a great game.
In this beginner's guide to blackjack surrender, you'll learn:
- What is 'Surrender' in Blackjack?
- The Rules of Blackjack Surrender
- When You Surrender in Blackjack
- Where to Play Online Blackjack with Surrender
...plus lots more!
In other words, if you are looking for an all-in-one guide to blackjack surrender, you'll love this one.
What is Blackjack Surrender?
In essence, the blackjack surrender rule allows you to throw away half your hand as an alternative to either choosing to hit or stand. If this happens, half your bet is returned, and you sit out the round.
As the blackjack surrender rule has a reduced house edge (which comes from the possibility of surrendering early), this variant of the game attracts smart players who like real money blackjack online and take things seriously.
When there's money involved, it's good to have the chance to quit before it's too late.
In a game that features the 'surrender' option, the player can fold a blackjack hand before drawing new cards.
When a player chooses to surrender, half your bet is returned to the stack, and half is forfeited to the dealer.
In a game of live blackjack, a player needs to swipe a finger behind the bet to indicate the intention to surrender and recoup half of it.
In online play, blackjack surrender games feature an extra button to call this special feature.
How to Play Blackjack Surrender
If you know how to play blackjack, you know how to play surrender in blackjack, too
The surrender rules follow the same basic rules of 21, so there is a basic strategy of how to use it.
In addition to knowing when to hit, stand, and split - to win at this game you need to know when it's the best time to surrender and forfeit your hand before you hand your bet to the casino.
A game of blackjack surrender gives you two options - Early Surrender and Late Surrender, both of which we will outline below.
When to Surrender in Blackjack?
To win at blackjack surrender, you need to know when it's the best time to surrender in a game of blackjack. And if you are new to this, it might not be obvious.
In short, you should surrender every time the odds are clearly against you. Employing the surrender rule can be useful if you feel like you have a weak hand (compared to the dealer) and want to cut your losses.
The best times to surrender in blackjack are:
| Situation | Your hand | Dealer's card |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | 16 | 9, 10, ace |
| #2 | 15 | 10 |
In the first case, you should not surrender when you get two cards of the value of eight. If this happens, you have more chances to win if you split them into two separate hands and continue to play.
While there isn't a universal percentage that determines when you should surrender, there are some basic rules to be applied when playing Blackjack Surrender games.
Surrendering a Hard 16 vs. Dealer's 9, 10, or Ace can save you around 75% of your bet in the long run. Meanwhile, surrendering a Hard 15 vs. Dealer's 10 can save you around 60% of your bet also.
Early Surrender
The early surrender option allows you to quit the hand and pay only 1/2 of your initial bet before the dealer checks for a blackjack. The early surrender option is the best one for players, as the chance to use an early surrender reduces the game's house advantage by 62 percent.
Late Surrender
The late surrender option, let you do the same only after the dealer turns their cards. In the case of a late surrender, you get to take half of your bet back only if the dealer's hand is not a blackjack. So late surrender is potentially not the ideal option for players.
Blackjack Surrender in Online Blackjack
All the sites in the list below offer games of blackjack surrender online for free and for real money. Note, these sites will differ depending on your location and whether or not, real money blackjack is allowed. Sometimes, your best option may be playing at a social casino site.
Most of them feature only the late surrender option, so they are not ideal choices. The top three, however, are those where you get the best winning odds, since you have also the early surrender option.
All sites offer a welcome bonus on signup. You can use it to play blackjack surrender if this is the first time you play games there.
Blackjack Surrender FAQs
Should you surrender in blackjack?
In some circumstances, as when the odds are clearly not in your favour, surrender your blackjack hand is the best choice. To find all the combinations when surrender is the best move, check out this table.
Is surrender allowed in Las Vegas blackjack?
The surrender move is not featured on all blackjack tables. If you want to use it to lower the casino advantage, ask the casino staff to direct you to the 'blackjack surrender' games.
What is the hand signal for surrender in blackjack?
To show the dealer that you intend to 'surrender,' you need to run your index finger behind the bet you placed on the blackjack table.
Can you surrender in online blackjack?
Yes. All these sites offer games of blackjack surrender online.