What is Surrender in Blackjack?

One rule that is often available to players in certain blackjack games is ‘Surrender’. In this guide, we will be looking at exactly what the Blackjack Surrender rules mean and the different scenarios in which you may choose to Surrender.

Introduction to the Surrender Rule in Blackjack

In essence, the surrender rule in blackjack is an optional rule available in some blackjack variations that will allow you to forfeit your hand and you only lose half your bet - basically surrendering your right to continue playing that particular hand.

This is considered a strategic move that can be used if you believe that you have a weak hand, which you feel has little chance of winning, and you are looking to minimise losses.

There are two types of surrender rules in blackjack:

Early Surrender
Late Surrender

Although this can be a valuable tool to mitigate your losses if you think you have a poor hand, especially if the dealer has a strong upcard, it’s important that you use this rule strategically - as overusing it can hurt your long-term chances.

Ultimately, you should only ever consider surrendering in a situation where chances make it more of a favourable option.

When To Use Surrender

Surrendering in blackjack is a decision you might consider when you’re facing specific scenarios where you think that your chances of winning the hand are pretty minimal.

With that being said, here are the most common situations when surrendering is a wise choice:

Facing a Dealer's Strong Upcard: Surrender is often used when the dealer's upcard is an Ace (or a 10-value card), especially if your hand is weak. In this scenario, the dealer has a high probability of having a strong hand, and possibly a blackjack. Surrendering here would prevent you from losing your entire bet.

Hard 15 or 16 vs. Dealer's 10: If you are dealt a hard 15 or 16 (a hand without an Ace), and the dealer has a 10 upcard, then the odds are against you. In this instance, surrendering could be a good option because the likelihood of improving your hand is minimal, and you're likely to go bust if you hit. Reducing your loss to half the bet could be preferable in this situation.

Pair of 8s vs. Dealer's Ace: A pair of 8s can be a difficult hand to play, especially if the dealer has an Ace. By splitting your 8s, you will have a better chance of improving at least one of the hands. However, if you choose not to split, or it isn’t an option, then surrendering is the next best option, as hitting or standing with 16 against an Ace could both end up with negative outcomes.

Late Surrender with a hard 16 vs. Dealer's 9: If late surrender is an option, then surrendering with a hard 16 against a dealer's 9 could be a good decision statistically.

Double Down vs. Dealer's Ace or 10: In a situation where you've doubled your bet, and you still have a weak hand (such as a hard 12 or 13), then it might be a good option to surrender to limit your losses. Surrendering after doubling down is often referred to as a ‘Double Down Rescue’.

In all of these cases, surrendering is often considered to be the most sensible move because all of these are situations where a loss is more likely than a win. However, the game of blackjack ultimately comes down to chance so you can't predict the next move.

However, you should also remember that not all blackjack variations offer the surrender option - and generally, its availability will depend on the specific rules of the game that you're playing. It's important that you always consider the specific circumstances of the game before you decide to surrender your hand, which includes your hand and the dealer's upcard.

Early Surrender vs Late Surrender

As we touched on previously, early surrender and late surrender are two variations of the surrender rule in blackjack - and they differ in terms of when you can choose to forfeit your hand and receive a portion (usually half) of your bet back.

Both types of surrender can be advantageous in specific situations, and, as such, understanding what they are and the differences between them can be important if you are thinking of using the Surrender option.

Early Surrender

Generally, the early surrender rule is considered to be the more favourable of the two options for players. With the early surrender option, you can choose to surrender your hand before the dealer is able to check for a blackjack. This means you can forfeit your hand and receive half of your bet back even if the dealer has a blackjack.

So, let’s have a look at an example of how early surrender works:

You are dealt a hand of 14, and the dealer has an Ace as an upcard.
In this situation, you think there’s a chance that the dealer may have a blackjack - which would be an automatic loss for you.
With early surrender, you can choose to forfeit your hand at this point and get back half of your original bet.

The advantage of early surrender is that it lets you save half of your bet when facing a possible losing situation. This can potentially reduce your losses in those cases where the dealer's face-down card is likely to result in you losing your entire bet.

Late Surrender

Late surrender, on the other hand, is still an option - but is considered slightly less favourable for players. With late surrender, you can only choose to surrender your hand after the dealer has checked for blackjack. If the dealer has a blackjack, you won’t have the option to surrender. Here's an example of how late surrender rules work:

You are dealt a hand of 16 and the dealer has an upcard of 10. In this situation, you think that the dealer may have a strong hand - but you don’t know whether it's a blackjack.
You continue playing, hoping the dealer doesn't have a blackjack.
The dealer checks their hole card and reveals a blackjack. In this scenario, with late surrender, you will no longer be allowed to forfeit your hand and receive half of your bet back. You will then lose your entire bet.

How They Compare

So, let’s look at how the two different options compare in different aspects:

Timing: The main difference between the two types of surrender is the timing. Early surrender happens before the dealer checks for blackjack, while late surrender happens after the dealer has checked for blackjack.

Player Advantage: Early surrender is more advantageous for players because it gives them the chance to surrender - and save half of their bet, even if the dealer has a blackjack. Late surrender, however, doesn’t - and players will lose to a blackjack.

Availability: Early surrender is relatively rare and isn’t usually offered in most blackjack games. However, late surrender is more common and can be found in quite a few variants of blackjack.

Strategy: You will need to adjust your strategies when playing games with late surrender - knowing that you won’t be able to surrender until after the dealer checks for blackjack. Early surrender gives you much more flexibility in your strategy, so you can choose to be more conservative when faced with certain circumstances.

Basically, an early surrender in blackjack is a much more player-friendly option, as you’ll be able to surrender even before the dealer checks for blackjack, which means you have a better chance of reducing your potential losses. Meanwhile, late surrender is a lot more readily available, but it’s a lot less flexible, and while it can be a valuable option when used correctly, it's generally less advantageous overall.