No casino game garners more debate over the balance of skill and luck than blackjack. The question has even been the subject of legal debates aimed at clarifying the matter. Yet, we do know that some level of skill is advantageous for succeeding in blackjack. It’s for that very reason we have good blackjack players and poor ones.
Yet, if it is accepted that good players use strategy to win, there is some debate over the type of winning blackjack strategy employed. And few tactics divide opinion more than the surrender option. Whether you are playing blackjack online or in a physical casino, you may be offered surrender – but should you be using it all? Let’s dive in to parse out whether surrender is a good option or a good way to lose your money.
What is Surrender in Blackjack
Surrender is either an option in blackjack or the title of a game itself, i.e., Blackjack Surrender. Effectively, the concept allows the player to fold their hand after the initial cards have been dealt. The player will usually play half of the original bet to take up the surrender option. Thus, they ‘surrender’ their hand, escaping with half of their stake intact.
Why play Surrender?
Inexperienced players reading about surrender will likely think, “Why in the world would anyone pay half their bet to lose the game?”. But that’s the rub: the surrender is a tactic based on probability. The experienced player will look at their hand, weighing up whether it is weak or not in comparison to the dealer’s hand. Thus, the calculation is made that it might be worth forfeiting half the bet.
A Surrender example
To give you an example of when a player might surrender, consider if you have been dealt a hand of hard 16 from your first two cards. If the dealer is showing a 10 or Ace from their face-up card, this might be a point where surrender is considered. Why? Because on the balance of probability, the dealer’s second card will lead them to a score of greater than 16. The strategy might be influenced by the player counting cards, allowing them to have a rough idea of what cards remain in the deck.
Surrender drawbacks
There are two main areas of criticism when using surrender. The first is that it is simply a grenade in the hands of inexperienced players. We set out a broad rule for using surrender above, but it is a lot more nuanced than that. And if you really don’t know what you are doing, your wallet may lighten considerably quite quickly. The second is a debate over whether the strategy works at all or whether the gains are too marginal to count.
Does surrender lower house edge?
So, those gains we mentioned above – can they be quantified? Yes. There are estimates that early surrender (explained below) can lower the house edge by up to 0.6% (if you play blackjack, you’ll know that this figure is significant), and later surrender can lower the house edge by 0.07% (a smaller figure, but one not to be sniffed at). Of course, the caveat is that these figures will only apply when playing with optimum strategy. Learning is key to everything.
The types of Surrender
There are two types of surrender – early and late. In a nutshell, early surrender is offered before a dealer checks for blackjack (showing an Ace or 10). Late surrender comes after the dealer checks for blackjack, so you will lose without being able to surrender should the dealer, indeed, have blackjack. Some casino tables will offer early surrender, some will offer late surrender, and some will offer neither.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, we have made clear that surrender can be useful, with the clear admission that it should only be used by players who fully understand the strategy. But even if you do understand it fully, there are pitfalls that can arise. As with any type of blackjack strategy, practice and an understanding of the probabilities involved will help you along the way.
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