Blackjack Surrender Strategy: The Game’s Best-Kept Secret

Blackjack Surrender - Perhaps the most under-utilized opportunity in Blackjack. Dive into the advanced strategies and learn more!

In today’s article, we’re going to explore that opportunity and discover from blackjack expert Peter Nairn himself when to surrender in Blackjack and why it can be a good thing for you to do.

You can also watch our informative video on what is Surrender in Blackjack below:

Here’s what you’ll uncover:

• What is Surrender in Blackjack?
• How to Surrender in Blackjack  
• Early Surrender vs. Late Surrender: What is The Difference?
• How to Play Using Surrender in Blackjack
• Total Dependent vs Composition Dependent 
• When to Incorporate Surrender if You’re Card Counting
• Blackjack Surrender Online: Is It Possible?
• Expert Advice: The Strategy Behind Surrendering
• Key Takeaway - Is Surrendering Worth it?

Let’s get started. 

What is Surrender in Blackjack?

It’s a strategy that allows the player to give up half of their bet by folding their hand.  It’s used when the player has a weak hand, and the dealer has a strong hand.

There are two options for surrendering your hand: 

• Late Surrender 
• Early Surrender

Both options occur after all the players and the dealer have been dealt their initial two cards, and before any further cards have been dealt.

This article is for the Basic Strategy player although it works for the seat-of-the-pants player too.  

I’m going to go through the various options and give you a detailed blackjack surrender strategy that you can use going forward.

Later in the article we’re going to discuss how to make deviations to your surrender strategy based on the count, for the card counters out there.  

How to Surrender in Blackjack 

Well, it’s a bit like being on Tinder (ahem … well, so I’m told)!  Don’t like your hand and want to get rid of it? 

Swipe Left!

Make a right to left straight line about 6 inches (15 cms) behind your bet with your fingers while simultaneously saying ‘Surrender’ loud enough for the dealer to hear you.  

Make sure your signal isn’t going to be confused with a ‘Hit’ or ‘Stand’ signal.

The dealer will return half of your bet to you, take the other half and then place your cards in the discard rack.

Done - surrendered!

Early Surrender vs. Late Surrender: What is The Difference?

Early Surrender was instituted in Atlantic City in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and it quickly became apparent that it was not such a good idea from the casino’s point of view.  

It is perhaps the perfect example of what happens when people with good intentions, but little gaming knowledge, are allowed to make the rules for casinos to follow.

Consequently, it didn’t last very long, and has essentially disappeared from the game completely. 

Let’s just put it this way - in 35 years and as a consultant in more than 15 casino openings in 8 jurisdictions and three countries, I’ve never seen Early Surrender offered on any blackjack game.

If you ever see it and are tempted to play, take a close look at the other rules in place.  

It’s almost certain that where the casino is giving you that big chunk, they are taking it back by adjusting the rules somewhere else.

Late Surrender, on the other hand, is still offered in many jurisdictions in the USA and abroad.  It offers a viable strategy for the player and can be part of an overall way to play that helps reduce the house advantage against you. 

I’ve included the strategies for double deck and 6-deck shoe which pay 3 to 2 for a blackjack. 

So you’re not going to play a 6 to 5 game, are you?  No, of course you’re not.

Good decision!

How to Play Using Surrender in Blackjack

Let’s explore some scenarios where using surrender may actually make sense:

Late Surrender

The hands to surrender in Late Surrender blackjack are: 

As you can see, the only difference between the 6-deck shoe and the double deck is that when playing the shoe, if you have a hard 16 vs. a 9 you should surrender, but on the double deck, you should not.

Early Surrender

If you happen to find a game with early surrender (and some online games do offer it), here is how you play it 

I’ve included some single deck information here, because if they’re offering Early Surrender and you’re comfortable with the other rules, you may want to give it a go.

Single deck variances:

There are some variables that may be taken into consideration in Early Surrender and Late Surrender.

Whether the dealer stands or hits a Soft 17, the number of decks in play, and the composition of the player’s hand are all potential factors in the ‘Surrender’ decision. 

Here’s a chart that shows when you should surrender.  This is for those who play Basic Strategy.

Total Dependent vs Composition Dependent 

Now we’re getting into the really deep waters of playing blackjack.  Total Dependent means it’s the total of your first two cards.  

There are different ways to play them, based upon the composition of your hand.  It only matters when playing a single deck, and even then, it is a miniscule difference.  

The difference in the above example can be as small as 0.036% - which translates into one additional bet every 2,800 hands.  

And for more decks, the amount drops like a stone.

So it’s really more trouble than it’s worth.

When to Incorporate Surrender if You’re Card Counting

Don Schlesinger, a highly respected gaming mathematician and member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame, published a book called ‘Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pro’s Way’ that listed how to change the Surrender decision based on the count.  

They are called ‘The Fab Four’.

They’re called ‘count adjusted deviations’, and here they are:

Blackjack Surrender Online: Is It Possible?

When playing online, Surrender may be offered as part of the software suite that allows you to play blackjack online.  

Simply select the ‘Surrender’ button and the program will take 50% of your bet, return the other 50% to your balance and remove your cards from play.  

It is possible to find an online game that includes Early Surrender.  Be aware that to offer that, the online casino will probably be taking back some of their House Advantage by changing the other rules.  

Expert Advice: The Strategy Behind Surrendering

Many players like to think that Surrender is an admission of failure, or perhaps ‘I’m not trying hard enough’. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The casino has a suite of rules in place to arrive at their House Advantage that suits their marketing positioning plan and competitive edge.  

By not surrendering when you should, you’re knowingly increasing the House Advantage against you, and giving up a piece of the pie that the casino has already given to you.

There are some hands that you have little opportunity to win, and it makes sense to surrender those hands and accept a 50% loss, rather than try to win a hand where you have (for example) a 20% chance to win.  

Key Takeaway - Is Surrendering Worth it?

Surrender is an underappreciated opportunity for the players to reduce the House Advantage against them.  Often the player doesn’t even know that Surrender exists, or what hands should be surrendered.

When I was working the casino floor in Las Vegas, I rarely saw anyone surrender - perhaps once or twice, and that was in more than seven years. 

Look at the hands that I recommend should be surrendered in this article and start doing so when you’re playing blackjack.  

They will help you and improve your odds of winning when playing blackjack.

We have many articles about how to improve your overall blackjack play in the Academy, from learning Basic Strategy to How to Count Cards.

There are also some in-depth articles that focus on one specific part of the game, including Doubling Down, Splitting Pairs, and Insurance

Final Thoughts

There you have the details about how to play Surrender in blackjack.

It can be a good thing to do in the right circumstances and should be one of the tools at your disposal when you’re playing blackjack.

And good luck.