Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy

Posted onby

Does the concept of the surrender rule in blackjack confuse
you?

You can choose between early/ late surrender. Because Surrender is not a typical Blackjack tactic and not many gamblers are aware of its benefits, we’ve put together a brief guide about it. We’ll cover the main features, the basic Surrender strategy, the different rules and details of how it differs from other Blackjack games. The dealer holds a natural blackjack, while late surrender rules allow you to give up half your wager only if the dealer doesn’t hold a natural. Surrender Strategy. The strategy for games with early surrender and games with late surrender rules is different enough that even the ideal playing styles are different. Here’s a basic guide to the proper.

You’re not alone.

We think this is the least-understood rule in blackjack. The
difference between early surrender and late surrender is
important. Improving your understanding of blackjack surrender
rules means improving your overall game strategy.

Some blackjack games allow players the option of giving up
(or “surrendering”) their hands right after the initial deal is
complete, for the cost of half of their ante bet. The idea is to
quit while you’re ahead if you feel like you don’t have a shot
at winning the hand. Surrender rules are an advantage for the
player, in that she can choose to keep half of her original bet
rather than play out her hand and lose the entire thing.

Blackjack surrenders come in two flavors: early and late.

To use the surrender rule to your advantage, it’s important
to understand the differences between the two types of
surrender.

What Is Early Surrender?

An early surrender is when the player chooses to give up on
their hand immediately after the cards are dealt but before the
dealer checks for a natural blackjack. The early surrender
requires that players forfeit half their original wager.

The early surrender rule is the most desirable type of
surrender because it’s available regardless of whether or not
the dealer was dealt a natural. As is often the case with rules
that favor the player, the early surrender rule is rare these
days.

Why has the early surrender disappeared?

According to the Wizard of Odds, the addition of an early
surrender rules cuts into the casino’s built-in edge by 0.63%.
To put that in perspective, changing a game’s shoe from eight
decks to one affects the house edge less (+0.59%) than the
addition of an early surrender rule.

This doesn’t means that casinos won’t offer early surrender –
some do–especially online casinos.

But they compensate with other rule changes that chisel away
at the advantage you gain from the early surrender rule.

What Is Late Surrender?

The late surrender rule allows a player to give up on their
hand for the cost of half their ante, just like an early
surrender.

But unlike an early surrender, this rule requires that you
wait to see if the dealer has been dealt a natural blackjack
first. If the dealer did catch a natural, you can’t surrender,
and you’ll lose your whole wager just like if you never chose
the surrender option in the first place.

Late surrender rules don’t lower the casino’s edge anywhere
near the amount that early surrender rules do.

Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy

According to the same source at Wizard of Odds, a late
surrender rule cuts into the casino’s edge by about 0.1%–about
as much as a Doubling rule. As a consequence of its smaller
negative impact on the casino’s bottom line, you’re more likely
to see this form of the surrender rule than the early version.

Even though the reduction in the house edge is small, it’s an
advantage that’s worth seeking out.

A note on blackjack etiquette and surrender rules – it’s
common for land-based casinos to offer a late surrender without
advertising it. You should always ask your dealer if there’s a
late surrender option. Even though the player advantage is
small, the casino isn’t in the business of giving any amount of
money away.

The Difference Between Early & Late Surrender

Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy Against

The difference between the two is simple – early surrender
rules allow you to give up your hand for half your wager even if
the dealer holds a natural blackjack, while late surrender rules
allow you to give up half your wager only if the dealer doesn’t
hold a natural.

Surrender Strategy

The strategy for games with early surrender and games with
late surrender rules is different enough that even the ideal
playing styles are different. Here’s a basic guide to the proper
ways to play for both early and late surrender blackjack games.

When You Should Take an Early Surrender

Though the early surrender is a tempting move when you find a
table that offers it, we only recommend you consider abandoning
your wager in the following three situations:

  1. When the dealer shows Ace and you hold a hard total of 5 – 7 or 12 – 17.
  2. You should hit on hard totals between 8 and 11, but up
    against an Ace the early surrender rule gives you the best
    possible return on pretty much every other hard hand.

  3. When the dealer shows Ace and you hold 33, 66, 77, or 88.
  4. These are all acceptable split hands in other situations but
    against a soft dealer hand, an early surrender is the acceptable
    play here.

  5. When the dealer shows any 10 and you hold a hard total of 14-16.
  6. If you draw is anything about 5-7, you’re bust. Unless you’re
    keeping a stellar count, you’re in dangerous territory, and the
    early surrender will help you cut your losses.

Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy

When You Should Take a Late Surrender

Once again, the late surrender option may be appealing in
plenty of game situations, but we only think it is
strategically-feasible in the following three:

  1. When the dealer shows Ace and you hold any total of 15.
  2. The only exception here is that you don’t surrender if the
    game’s rules indicate that the dealer must hit a soft 17.

  3. When the dealer shows Ace or any 10 and you hold any total of 16.
  4. This rule is true regardless of the game’s rules regarding
    how the dealer behaves on a total of 17.

  5. When the dealer shows Ace and you hold any total of 17.
  6. If you’re playing in a game in which the dealer is forced to
    hit a soft 17, ignore this rule.

When You Should Refuse a Late Surrender

Here are a couple of common mistakes blackjack players make
with the late surrender rule:

  1. You should NOT take a late surrender when the dealer stands
    on soft 17 while showing a 9, 10, or Ace while you hold any
    total of 15 or 17.
  2. This is one of those rules you just have to memorize at first
    until it starts to make sense to you at the table.

  3. You should NOT take a late surrender when the dealer shows a
    9 and you hold any total of 16.
  4. This is simple mathematics. The dealer is more likely to come
    in underneath your point total than you are to bust out by
    taking a hit.

Summary

Anyone who’s played a round or two of blackjack in the casino
appreciates the appeal of the surrender rule. Sometimes it’s
best to accept the loss of half your ante and hope for a better
deal.

The most obvious example is 16, the worst garbage hand in the
game.

Holding a 16 looks even worse when the dealer is showing a
10.

This is just one example of a time when you’re obviously
better off giving up half the ante and moving past the terrible
deal. If you think of this move as getting back half of a bet
you would have lost, you see the beauty of the blackjack
surrender rule.

Table Of Contents

The 'surrender bet' in blackjack is one of the least known moves in the game.

Available only in the blackjack surrender variant, this move let you save half of your bet by folding your hand before it meets that of the dealer.

Surrender

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
  • and a lot more.

In other words, if you are looking for an all-in-one guide to blackjack surrender, you'll love this one.

Blackjack Surrender Chart

Blackjack Surrender

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:

  1. Some players think blackjack surrender is a game for quitters
  2. Others consider it the best blackjack variant out there.

Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy Meaning

I lean toward the latter as I find blackjack surrender to be a great game.

Thanks to the reduced house edge (which comes from the possibility to surrender 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.

What is Surrender in Blackjack?

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 of the original bet is returned to the stack, and half is forfeited to the dealer.

Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy Rules

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 blackjack surrender, too.

The rules of this game follow the same basic rules of 21.

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:

1. Early Surrender

Blackjack Surrender Rules

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. This option is the best one for players, as the chance to use an early surrender reduces the game's house advantage by 0.62 per cent.

2. Late Surrender

The late surrender one, let you do the same only after the dealer turns their cards. In this case, you get to take half of your bet back only if the dealer's hand is not a blackjack.

When to Surrender in Blackjack?

Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy

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.

The best times to surrender in blackjack are:

SituationYour handDealer's card
#1169, 10, ace
#21510

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.

Blackjack Surrender Online

All the sites in the list below offer games of blackjack surrender online for free and for real money.

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 Late Surrender Strategy

Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy Definition

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Want to know more about blackjack? Check out these articles!

The promotion presented on this page was available at the time of writing. With some Casino promotions changing on daily basis, we suggest you to check on the site if it still available. Also, please do not forget to read the terms and conditions in full before you accept a bonus.