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Of all of the options a player can exercise at the blackjack table, surrender is one of the least used and least understood. In fact, the surrender option has even disappeared from many live casinos because most players never bothered to use it. There is something about blackjack players which makes them want to fight until the bitter end. Never give up, never surrender.
The truth is, surrender can be one of your most powerful weapons at the blackjack table. When used properly, surrender is one of the few player options which can actually reduce the house’s edge and give you a greater chance to win.
What Is Surrender in Blackjack?
Surrender, or late surrender as it most commonly called, is exactly what the name implies. It is basically an option which allows to the player to give up their hand and forfeit half of their original wager after the dealer checks to see if they have blackjack. When a player exercises this option, the dealer collects half of their original bet and the hand is over.
For example, you are dealt a hard total of 16 and the dealer shows a 10. As we will see in just a moment, this is a hand which is usually a good surrender. Your bet on the hand is $10, so when you surrender the hand the dealer will collect $5 and return $5 to you. The hand is over and you will not be allowed to act further.
There is also an option, almost never found in today’s casinos known as early surrender. Early surrender allows you to forfeit your hand before the dealer checks for blackjack. This can reduce the house edge even farther. Unfortunately, many casinos are unwilling to offer the player this option.
How To Surrender in Blackjack
Just like every other player option, surrender is executed at the blackjack table with a specific action. In this case, you simply say the word “surrender” to the dealer and this will alert the dealer to what you wish to do.
There is one important point to note her. In live casino play, always make sure you make eye contact with the dealer and speak in a loud, clear voice whenever you surrender. The casino is a loud place with lots of distractions. If the dealer is not looking at you and does not hear you clearly he may mistake your decision to surrender for something else. This is something we have seen happen in live blackjack play. Sometimes the dealer is not paying attention and carries out another option out of routine.
Do not move your hands when exercising the surrender option. Surrender is one of the few options that must be executed verbally. In fact, all of the other options at the blackjack table can be executed with a hand gesture. Therefore, do not move your hands if you intend to surrender. The dealer can easily mistake your hand movement for a decision to hit or stand.
If you are playing online, surrender is much easier to accomplish. There will be a button on the screen which says SURRENDER. Simply click that button and you have surrendered the hand.
The Rules Of Surrender
In most casinos, the rules of surrender are as follows:
That’s pretty much it where the rules of surrender are concerned. In the case of surrender, what really matters is the strategy behind using it.
The Strategy Of Surrender
Using surrender properly reduces the edge of the casino by 0.07%. Blackjack is a game of percentages and edges. The only way you will ever be a consistent winner at the game of blackjack is to use every means at your disposal to reduce the house edge. That means using surrender when it is wise to do so.
Thankfully, the strategy for using surrender is very easy to remember. In a multiple-deck game you should exercise surrender in the following manner:
That’s it. Those are the only two scenarios in multiple-deck blackjack which cause you to surrender your hand. All other hands must be played according to the basic strategy of blackjack.
This means that you are going to have to “man-up” and hit those stiff hands against a dealer’s 10. You should never surrender hard totals of 12, 13, or 14. The reason why is that, in the long run, you will win more money by hitting these hands. Don’t play hunches at the blackjack table when it comes to surrender. Always act according to the above strategy. No exceptions. To play blackjack for real money we recommend that you try one of the recommended & trusted casinos or play our free blackjack game.
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