Surrender in blackjack is an optional rule that allows the player to give up half their bet after seeing their first two cards and the dealers up card. There are two types of surrender in blackjack:
-
Early Surrender: This is when the player can forfeit their hand and half their bet before the dealer checks for blackjack. Early surrender is only available in some blackjack variants, and the strategy is different from late surrender only when the dealer has a ten or ace showing.
-
Late Surrender: This is when the player can surrender their hand and lose half their bet only after the dealer checks for blackjack. Late surrender is more common than early surrender and can be found in some land-based casinos, as well as many online casinos and electronic table games.
Surrendering can be a useful strategy in blackjack, as it can help decrease the house edge when used correctly. However, it's important to know when to surrender. Generally, surrendering is recommended when the player's hand has less than a 50% chance of winning against the dealer. The following are some situations where surrendering may be a good option:
- Early Surrender: If the dealer shows an ace or a ten, and before the dealer checks if they have blackjack.
- Late Surrender: If the dealer shows a ten, only take the late surrender if the player holds a hard 14 to 16 or pairs of 7s and 8s (but 8s only in a single deck version of blackjack) .
