In fact it is found more often as a mistake by poorly trained dealers than as an intentional rule. You may have noticed that our Blackjack Basic Strategy Engine offers three choices for the surrender rule: No Surrender, Early Surrender, and Late Surrender.įirst, let me be very clear, especially for people generating strategies with the Strategy Engine… Late Surrender is far more common. What is the difference between Early Surrender and Late Surrender?

You can think of that motion as cutting off your bet. The other version is to hold up both hands, with your palms facing the dealer, as in “I give up.” Because these hand signals are not universal, you should always tell the dealer verbally that you want to surrender. The most common is to use your finger to draw a horizontal line behind your bet. There are two different hand signals that are often used for this play. If you have already hit, doubled, or split, you won’t be allowed to surrender. If you want to surrender a hand, you must do so as the very first action on the hand. Still another group of players seem to understand it may have value, but they have some aversion to using the option anyway. Most players don’t even know what surrender is, and other players mistakenly think that it is always a bad choice. If you decide to surrender some of your hands, be prepared for some odd looks from the other players. It is rarely mentioned on any signs at the table, so you’ll generally have to ask the dealer if surrender is allowed. Surrender is not offered at all casinos, or even on all tables in the same casino. Obviously this is an option that should only be used with really bad starting hands. Instead of playing out the hand, you can surrender and automatically lose half your bet. Surrender is a blackjack option that allows you to fold your hand and receive half your bet back. In this article, I’ll explain exactly what Surrender is, what the two variations are, and when you should utilize this option. Because surrender is not offered at all casinos, and is rarely advertised or posted even when it is available, many beginning players don’t know much about it. Blackjack Surrender Explained Posted Jby Ken SmithĪmong the many questions I answer by email, blackjack surrender is a common topic.

Blackjack handsign for surrender