Successful gambling is about more than just getting lucky and landing big wins. It’s also about the actions you take when luck doesn’t favor you, too.
Many table games like blackjack give players options for limiting the damage when the deal isn’t kind. In blackjack, that’s the surrender rule. While not available in all versions of blackjack, it’s a common option that players should be familiar with. Surrendering in blackjack isn’t giving up, but about making the best of a frequent situation.
What Is A Surrender in Blackjack?
If you want to play blackjack with confidence, you need to learn what surrender in blackjack is and how surrender in blackjack works.
As the name suggests, a player can choose to surrender part of their bet. In most blackjack variants with the option to surrender, players sacrifice half of their wagers to get the other half back. The logic is that it’s better to only lose half of the bet, so you should take advantage of this rule when you can.
Your blackjack surrender strategy will vary depending on the blackjack game rules and the cards that have been dealt during a particular hand.
There are two common surrender options.
The Differences Between Early and Late Surrender
After first learning of the move, novice blackjack players might ask what’s an early surrender in blackjack and what’s a late surrender in blackjack, along with whether it’s better to surrender early or late. As with most other aspects of blackjack, optimal times to surrender are highly situational.
Early Surrender
Surrendering early means a player gives up their hand after their cards are dealt. When deciding to surrender early, you must select the action before the dealer checks for blackjack.
Once a player chooses to surrender, the dealer pays the player back half of their wager and the house takes the other half. Overall, early surrenders are the most popular of the two versions of surrender, as early surrenders reduce the blackjack house edge by 0.62% by giving you the chance to surrender before the dealer acts.
In most games, the player can activate this option whether the dealer was dealt a natural or not. Some games will restrict early surrenders more and add the option to surrender late.
Late Surrender
A late surrender allows a player to give up their hand for half of the initial bet once the dealer has turned over their cards and reveals that they don’t have a natural blackjack. However, if the dealer reveals a blackjack, you no longer have the option to surrender in some versions of blackjack. In other variants, late surrenders aren’t available at all.
The late surrender’s effect on the house’s edge is reduced when compared to surrendering early. Still, the odds suggest that it can be the best move in some circumstances.
Knowing the Odds and the Rules of Blackjack Surrender
Before you start playing any blackjack game, you should verify whether surrenders are available and if so, when you can choose to surrender at the appropriate times.
The next crucial piece of knowledge is how to initiate the move. Usually, you can communicate this by drawing a horizontal line behind your chips with your index finger. If the dealer doesn’t notice your signal, you can inform the dealer of your choice verbally as well.
Certain blackjack variants might impose minimums that you have to risk to enable a surrender. You might find restrictions regarding surrendering after doubling down or splitting, too.
In both online blackjack and at tables inside physical casinos, players should be aware of the best times to surrender. The odds favor your surrender when there’s little hope of pulling out a win.
When Is a Good Time To Use the Surrender Rule?
BetMGM Casino is the best online casino for blackjack players because it gives them a clear path to understanding when to surrender in blackjack. For each blackjack title in BetMGM’s huge library, all the information you need to assess your chances is readily available, like the number of decks in play and your options for surrendering.
BetMGM’s information for each game also specifies the exact payouts for any bet available in the game, along with betting minimums and maximums. With all this context, making an informed surrender choice is easier.
Early Surrendering
If you want to surrender early, there are specific cards that you and the dealer hold that will influence this decision.
For example, according to the Wizard of Odds article Blackjack Surrender: What it is and When to do it, you should surrender if the dealer places down a 10 and you have pairs of sevens or eights, or you’re holding a hard hand adding up to a 14, 15, or 16.
Other scenarios in which you should consider an early surrender include the dealer holding an ace while you have pairs of threes, sixes, sevens, or eights. This also applies when the dealer shows an ace and you have any hard hands adding up to five, six, seven, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17.
Late Surrendering
Since you can only surrender after the dealer checks his hand with this option, surrendering late should only be done under specific circumstances, according to the article Blackjack Surrender: What it is and When to do it from the Wizard of Odds. When you do this will depend on the number of decks in play.
For example, if you have a hand totaling 15, 16, or 17, you should always surrender against a hard 17, but otherwise, you should only surrender if the dealer has a 10 and soft 17 and you have a 16.
Understanding the Blackjack Surrender Strategy
The expert use of surrenders is one of the many tips to help you master the game of blackjack. That usage starts with the right approach to surrendering.
Many players make the mistake of looking at surrendering as forfeiting half their bet and giving up any chance to win. While it’s true that you sacrifice half of your bet, the smart way to look at surrendering is saving your blackjack bankroll for when the draw favors your bets.
Surrenders allow you to limit your losses when the draw isn’t kind to your interest and use that part of your bankroll you saved to increase your stake when you get the cards you want. It’s all about being selective of when you take your risks and BetMGM is a great place to gain experience with surrendering.
Get Your Online Blackjack Action at BetMGM
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When you register for BetMGM, you get instant access to everything that makes playing blackjack great. With BetMGM, you never have to surrender your love of the game.
