The Right Time to Surrender in Blackjack?

Many people take Winston Churchill’s stirring speech way too seriously when it comes to blackjack, with a never surrender approach.

Although never surrender is a strong concept during war or hardship, in blackjack, it can raise the house edge rather than fall.

If, surrender is a good idea, when should you do it and how?

What does surrender in blackjack means?

You give up your hand if you surrender in blackjack following the initial deals when you see a rare chance of winning the hand.

In blackjack, it’s necessary to play it as an endurance game instead of expecting to win big money from a single bet.

Blackjack Strategy of Early Surrender

Early surrender is often less found at casinos, both online and offline because it’s the most beneficial type of surrender, allowing you to leave your hand before the dealer checks for blackjack.

The strategy of an early surrender against an ace can increase 10 times your return. Most casinos offering early surrender will adjust it with other rules that bring the house edge back up.

If you plan for early surrender, an ideal blackjack strategy should let you surrender when the dealer has an ace if you have the following hands:

Hard 5-7

Hard 12-17

Pair of 3s, 6s, 7s or 8s. You can also surrender against a dealer 10 with:

Hard 14-16

Pair of 7s or 8s

There are some exceptions too to these blackjack strategies driven by the version of blackjack you’re playing. In case of single deck blackjack, better not to surrender to the dealer’s 10 if you have 5+9 or 4+10. Also, don’t surrender to a 10 in double deck blackjack if you have a 4+10.

Blackjack Strategy of Late Surrender

Late surrender is a common rule at a range of blackjack tables, where you can surrender your hand and lose half your bet only after the dealer checks for blackjack.

Again, this strategy varies depending on the rules you’re playing with and how many decks are involved in the game.

If you are dealt a 14:

You should surrender in single-deck blackjack against a dealer’s 10

Surrender with 7+7 against the dealer’s ace if the dealer hits on soft 17 in single-deck blackjack.

In case you‘re dealt a 15:

Surrender in single or double deck blackjack if the dealer is displaying an ace and hits on soft 17 if your hand is 9+6 or 10+5

You should surrender to a dealer’s 10 if your hand is a 9+6 or 10+5 in games with 1-6 decks of cards

In case you dealt a 16:

Surrender to dealer’s 10 or ace in single or double deck blackjack

Surrender to a dealer’s 9, 10 or ace with four or more decks.

Why Surrender?

The goal in blackjack is to beat the dealer. While hitting 21 is ideal and gives you the best chance of doing so, winning blackjack tips can help get a better hand than the dealer.

So the major things are what the dealer is showing and rules regarding hitting or standing on soft 17.

In case your hand cannot beat the dealer’s, it’s better to surrender the hand and move on to the next one than to burn through your chips playing each hand.

Synopsis

It’s great to follow a winning blackjack strategy and cut down the house edge on each hand, leading to a better probability of coming out ahead when you’re finished playing.