What Is Surrender Blackjack

Surrender is probably one of the most confusing rules in Blackjack. It allows players to give up on a hand when they believe that they cannot beat the dealer and save half of their original bet. However, to make use of this rule, one must know when they should go for it. There are two options when it comes to this rule in Blackjack, early and late surrender. Knowing whether you should play early or late surrender makes all the difference, so let’s learn more about the rule and how to make the most of it.

How Early Surrender Works?

Just like its name suggests, early surrender is giving up on your hand immediately after you receive the first two cards and before you know whether the dealer has a natural Blackjack. It comes at a price of half of your original bet. While it is considered the most desirable way of surrender, it is not always available at Blackjack tables. However, the good news is that you can still find it at online casinos.

What

Surrender is rare as it gives the player quite a significant advantage. Blackjack Single Deck is a surrender blackjack game. To balance the game, though, returns on getting a blackjack are 6:5. In the game, you can still double down and double after a split, with the dealer standing on 17 and drawing to 16. Depending on the Blackjack game you play, you can split more than once during the game, split Aces, etc. This is a good move in some situations. To use this move to your benefit, you should consider the dealer’s hand as well. Surrender is a decision that allows you to save 50% of your bet. It considers that you can stop the game if. Blackjack Late Surrender. Late surrender allows you to surrender your hand for the cost of half your original bet, but only after the dealer has checked his hand to make sure they did not get a natural blackjack. If the dealer has a natural blackjack then you will not be allowed to surrender and will lose your entire original bet. While the Illustrious 18 are variations to the basic strategy for any blackjack game, the Fab Four are variations to help a player increase his/her profit in a game where the surrender option is offered. What is Blackjack Surrender The surrender is a type of optional side bet that is included in some blackjack game rules. And it can be most commonly found in high roller games. The surrender rule allows you to escape from a dealer hand that would otherwise wipe you out.

What makes early surrender particularly attractive is the fact that it reduces the house edge by 0.63%. If you have found a Blackjack game that offers early surrender, you should use this rule in the following situations:

  • The dealer has an A and you have been dealt a hard 5-7 or 12-17
  • The dealer has an A and you have been dealt a pair of 3s, 6s, 7s or 8s
  • The dealer has a card worth 10 and you have been dealt a hard 14-16 or a pair of 7s or 8s
  • If 2 decks are in play, the dealer has a soft 17 and you have received a pair of 2s.
What Is Surrender Blackjack

These are the situations in which you should not go for early surrender:

  • When you play a single-deck Blackjack game, never surrender on a card worth 10 when the dealer has a 4 and 10 or a 5 and 9
  • In a 2-deck game, never surrender on a card worth 10 when the dealer has a 4 and 10.

How Late Surrender Works?

Late surrender comes at the same cost as an early surrender – half of your initial bet. However, just like its name says, you play it after you see whether the dealer has a natural Blackjack. If the dealer has been dealt a natural Blackjack, you won’t be able to surrender. In this case, you lose your original bet, just like you haven’t played surrender. In effect, this rule won’t decrease the house edge as early surrender does. According to some sources, the late surrender rule lowers the house edge by 0.1% only.

Here are the situations in which you should play late surrender:

What Is Surrender Blackjack
  • The dealer has an A or a card worth 10 and you have been dealt a hand worth 15
  • The dealer has an A or a card worth 10 and you have been dealt a hand worth 16 including a pair of 8s
  • The dealer has an A and you have been dealt a hand worth 17
Blackjack surrender odds

In these cases, you should not go for late surrender:

  • When you play a single-deck Blackjack and the dealer stands on a soft 17, don’t play a late surrender when the dealer has a 9, 10 or an A and your hand is worth 15
  • When you play a single-deck game and the dealer has a 9 and your hand is worth 16
  • When you play a single-deck Blackjack game with the dealer standing on a soft 17, don’t play a late surrender when the dealer has a 9 or 10 and your hand is worth 17.

To learn more about Blackjack Surrender and give it a try, click here!

Blackjack Surrender

Having the same concept as other forms of this popular game, Blackjack Surrender is named after one of the most beneficial rules – the surrender alternative. There are some variants where this is not a viable option, however, most versions incorporate this feature, allowing the players to keep a portion of their bet and forfeit the round before or after the dealer checks if he has a Blackjack hand.

Game Rules & Features

The Playtech Blackjack Surrender can be played with one or up to five active hands. The game starts after a player has selected the bet amount and placed the chip on the marked fields. After the cards are dealt, the player can either request a new card by clicking deal or double tabs. With the second choice, the bet will be automatically increased and a new card drawn.

After the dealer peeks for Blackjack the player can renounce half of their stake and leave the round by choosing a surrender button. Players win if their hand is higher than the dealer's but not over 21. Matching hands are known as push, which is equivalent to the term “tie”. An extra option the player can use is called an insurance. This option is offered if the dealer's upcard is an Ace and players are actually insuring against the dealer having a Blackjack. Same denomination cards can be split and played as two regular hands, with the exception of split Aces where only one card is dealt for each.

Payouts & RTP

The payout comes in format 1 to 1 and 2 for 1, depending on your betting position. First ratio usually applies to standard hands (blackjack and insurance have a different payout) where the cashout is equal to the original amount times two. For example, investing a $1 chip will result in $2 profit – casino will return your investment and award you with the equivalent amount. The max bet is $300 per hand, with the chip value ranging from $0.10 to $100 and RTP of 99.62%.

Blackjack Surrender Chart

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Free Blackjack Surrender

When it comes to strategies, Blackjack Surrender is no different than any other game variant. Certain combinations, such as hard 17, 19 etc will call for a stand, while smaller cards will require a hit. Most players will split the Aces and 8s but keep the 10s. Surrender move is recommended when the player has hard 16 and the dealer has 9, 10 or Ace. The same goes for the pair of 8s and a hard 15 against the dealer's Ace.

Playtech Blackjack Surrender Summary

Pretty much a standard style Blackjack with the benefit of a surrender option and multi-hand feature. The game runs smoothly and does not make difficult for the player to beat the dealer and win. People that are used to playing with a single hand only may at first be put off by the additional hands option, but rest assured that it can significantly increase your winning chances and add an extra level of excitement.