How to Play Blackjack Surrender

BLACKJACK Updated on: 31 August 2018

In case you have not noticed, leading online casinos now offer various kinds of blackjack, one of which is Blackjack Surrender. This unique blackjack variant has slightly different rules when compared to a regular online blackjack game, and in this article you will get to learn a thing or two about other differences between the two games.

So, Blackjack Surrender is not just a forfeiture move in regular blackjack, it is also the name of a popular version of blackjack. But like in regular land-based blackjack, you can use the surrender tactic in Blackjack Surrender when you feel that your odds of winning have diminished substantially.

1. How Different Is Blackjack Surrender from Regular Blackjack?

Truthfully, not very. When you play blackjack (the traditional variant) in a brick and mortar, surrendering will be within your rights. But in online casinos, this option will be absent from a regular blackjack game by default.

The reason they choose to do things this way is because they wanted to keep the game simple enough for casual players. A surrender option would considerably complicate the game and make it less interesting to recreational players online.

So, blackjack surrender is simply an online blackjack game that comes with a surrender option, just like regular blackjack in physical casinos does. Blackjack has quite a number of play options, many of which would make the game too complicated for casual online playing. This why this option and a few others are usually not part of a regular online blackjack game.

Different Types Of Surrender

Essentially, there are two kinds of surrender: early surrender and late surrender. In either case, the name is indicative of the nature of the surrender. With early surrender, you forfeit the game before the dealer has exposed all his/her cards. So, if the dealer gets an ace as an upward facing card, you can use early surrender to get part of your bet back before a blackjack has been confirmed and your entire bet is lost.

With late surrender, you will have to wait until the dealer confirms that they have a blackjack before you surrender. If the bet is a blackjack, you will obviously lose your bet, but if not, you have the option of surrendering, in which case this is called a late surrender.

When To Surrender

There are certain benefits to surrendering when playing blackjack, especially in case of an early surrender. When a dealer gets an ace or a ten as the upward facing card, there is a considerable chance that they have a blackjack. In such a case, even if you don’t bust, you will lose your entire bet. In other words, there is a very slim chance of getting any money out of your bet in such a scenario. But with an early surrender, you get some of your bet back and cut your potential losses in half.

Late surrender also has its benefits. For instance, if the dealer had an ace or a ten, and even failed to form a blackjack, it is possible that he/she already has a number above seventeen. If you are close to 17 or even slightly above it but still below the dealer’s number, odds are that you will bust and lose your entire bet if you hit, and a stand practically guarantees a loss. Therefore, a surrender becomes the best move you can make because you will only lose part of your bet and not the entire amount.

More specifically, you should surrender if you have a 15 and the dealer has an Ace. You should also surrender if you have a 16 and the dealer has a 9, a 10, or an Ace. A surrender is also a good play if you have a 17 and the dealer has an Ace or a 10.

So, just to sum up, surrendering is a good option to have if your odds of losing the bet are too great to be worth taking. You will still lose some of your bet amount when you surrender, but not more than you would have lost by remaining in the game.

How Online Blackjack Surrender Is Better Than Land-based Blackjack
There are certain perks to playing Blackjack Surrender not available with the blackjack game offered in regular physical casinos. For one, the blackjack game in a physical casino, despite giving you a surrender option, will probably not give you an early surrender option. And those that do will only let you surrender when the dealer’s exposed card is an ace or a 10.

With online Blackjack Surrender, you are given the freedom to surrender pretty much any time you feel like. So, even with early surrender, the dealer does not need to have a card that suggests that they can form a blackjack for you to make this move.

Blackjack Surrender vs Regular Blackjack: Which is Better?
This is not an easy question to answer, because this depends on the individual player. Surrendering is an advanced blackjack move, and you need the skillset to execute it properly. As mentioned above, there are certain situations where surrendering is advantageous. Otherwise, when used recklessly, it could be your ruin as well.

So, as you play Blackjack Surrender, make sure you have the knowledge to use the surrender move to your advantage. For instance, using the move too often will increase the edge the casino has against you considerably. The tips listed above should certainly help you increase your chances of winning when playing blackjack, and not lower them as some people do when they play Blackjack Surrender.

Best Online Casinos for Blackjack Surrender

Although Blackjack Surrender is not yet an ubiquitous blackjack variant, it is still quite common in many casinos. Some of those that offer the game just have regular blackjack with the surrender option, which means playing their blackjack games is no different from playing Blackjack Surrender in online casinos that offer it as a distinct blackjack variant.

But if you are looking for the best places to play Blackjack Surrender, look no further. In this site is a list of the top casinos in the world, and they offer Blackjack Surrender, which you can play for real money and have lots of fun while at it. You can also learn about other blackjack variants from the information on this site.