Blackjack Surrender Strategy Explained

Imagine the following scenario. You are currently in the middle of a game of online blackjack and just made a substantial bet. Your current hand totals at 15, and when the dealer turns his cards over, there is a ten on display. Your experience tells you that this is a situation that is fast spiralling out of control, and so your main priority is damage limitation.

In this sort of scenario, surrendering is indeed the best option available to you.  This may seem cowardly, not to mention counter-productive, but the reason that surrendering is such a good idea is that you will be guaranteed to receive 50% of your initial bet back. This means you do not throw good money after bad, and you recycle that 50% rebate on another round.

Too many blackjack player simply refuse to give up or relinquish their stubbornness, absolutely convinced that they can somehow magically turn the corner. Please that surrendering DOES constitute a legitimate and valid blackjack strategy although is important to appreciate that there is two separate types of surrender. Make sure that you educate yourself as to the difference between the two.

These strategies are as follows.

Early surrender

With this strategy, you will basically cut your losses and resign from the game before the dealer has had a chance to check their hole card. Early surrender is most beneficial in situations where the dealer already has an Ace on display, because if the dealer manages to turn over a royal card or a 10, then they will have a blackjack which means you lose your full bet.

Put bluntly, if the dealer has an Ace for an up card, then the chances of them getting a blackjack are too high for you to even gamble against. So don’t bother!

Late surrender

Unlike early surrender, the player will wait until after the hole card has been turned over by the dealer before they choose to exercise this particular remedy. By far, late surrender is the type of surrender that is most commonly offered to players, primarily because early surrender significantly reduces the odds and therefore profits of the casino.

Please do not make the mistake of assuming that surrender of any sort is on offer, make sure that you verify with the casino whether or not this particular option is provided. If you are playing online blackjack, then read the terms and conditions as well as the rules of the site to get a feel as to what the situation is.

Quality online casinos such as Virgin Casino & 7Red Casino will have versions of blackjack that include the surrender option.

If you are playing in a physical casino, then you should ensure that you check with the dealer at the table you are planning to play at. Different tables may have different rules, so make sure you check!