When it’s right to surrender

In this article, we’re going to explore just when to surrender at Blackjack. We’re going to explain what surrendering is, how it works and when it could be the best choice to make. Ready to find out more? Then keep on reading. 

Blackjack is a casino game that has a great deal going for it. Just one of those things is the fact that players have a whole host of decisions to make. The decisions that are made can have a real impact on the outcome of the game and that’s where the need for skill comes into play. 

Playing blackjack at its most basic, you have to choose between hitting and standing. When you go beyond the basics, you are faced with an array of new choices to make. As well as hitting and standing, you now have the likes of doubling and splitting to consider. One of the other options that exists is that of surrendering.

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Blackjack - When to surrender

What is the surrender option?

First things first. Not every player will know what is meant by surrender so looking at this seemed a good place to start. Surrender works when you have been dealt your two cards and the dealer has their upcard. It could be that when you see these three cards, you decide that your chances of winning are less than great. If that’s the case then you have the option to simply give up/surrender.

By surrendering, your forfeit your playing hand. You also forfeit half of your wager. The dealer will take your two cards and place them in the discard tray before scoping up half of your bet. The remaining half of the best comes back to you. That means that rather than risking the loss of your entire wager, you can reach a compromise and keep half when a hand looks a little tricky.

How players view the surrender option

As with all options that exist in blackjack, players have their own views as to how useful surrendering can be. Some players, recognize the value that exists. They see it as a way of getting out of a tight spot and protecting their bankroll. Others, however, view it much less favorably.

For these players, surrendering makes no sense. They see it as an easy way out and they’d much rather take their chances and see their hand through to the end, regardless of the outcome. The thought is that it’s much better to play for the win than to simply walk away.

So, who’s right? Well, the argument in both camps isn’t without merit. However, what we’re going to show you is that, regardless of your viewpoint, there are times when surrendering is the smartest move to make. 

The maths behind the surrender option

Before we take a look at the surrender playing strategy, it’s worth just pausing to take a look at the maths that come into play. You now know that by surrendering you are forfeiting half of your wager. That means that it makes sense to consider surrendering hands where the expected loss from playing on is greater than 50%. In simpler terms, this means when your chances of a win are less than one out of four hands.

Statistically, when you’re playing a hand that has less than 25% of winning, it also has at least a 75% of losing. In this scenario, you will save money over the long term by surrounding rather than seeing the hand through to its conclusion. 

An example of surrendering 

Let’s say that you’ve taken your seat at a blackjack table and you’re dealt the worst possible hand. This would mean that you have a 10 and a six while the dealer has 10 as their upcard. On seeing these cards, you need to decide whether you should hit, stand or surrender. Each option will have its own probability of leading to a win or a loss. Based on a six-card deck, this is how it looks:

  • Standing on 16 will see you lose the hand around 77.2% of the time. That means that you can expect to lose $54.40 for every $100 wager
  • Hitting on 16 is marginally better. Here you will lose $53.20 for every $100 wager
  • By surrendering we already know exactly how much you’ll lose: 50% which equates to $50

The figures above should tell you one thing: in this scenario, surrender is the right choice. it minimises your losses and protects your bankroll for longer. 

A strategy for surrender 

The most important thing that you can learn when playing blackjack is basic blackjack strategy as this underpins practically everything else. However, there is also a basic strategy that will help you know what to do when it comes to surrender.  This is based on a six-deck game and when the dealer must stand on soft 17:

  • Surrender on hard 16 (excluding 8-8) against a dealer who has either 9, 10 or ace as their upcard 
  • Surrender hard 15 when the dealer has a 10 upcard

You just remember that this will vary slightly depending on the number of decks that are being used.

What else is there to know about surrender?

Here’s a look at other points to keep in mind when you’re looking at surrender as an option in blackjack:

  • Not every casino will offer surrender. If you’re not sure, all that you need to do is ask
  • If you’re playing at a US casino you can’t surrender until the dealer has peeked at their hole card. If the dealer sees that they have blackjack then you can no longer surrender
  • Check if your casino requires you to verbally say surrender or if you need to use a hand signal
  • You will also find the option to surrender in some online casino versions of blackjack 

Final thoughts 

While there is a section of blackjack players who prefer to steer clear of the surrender option, we hope that you can see that it certainly has its place. By using this option wisely you can protect your bankroll and keep yourself playing for longer. 

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