Last updated on March 12th, 2025 at 10:43 am
Victory isn’t something you typically associate with surrender. But within the iGaming context, a well-timed early or late blackjack surrender can save you next time the dealer has a 21 with YOUR name on it. It can substantially cut the house edge, helping highly skilled blackjack players minimize their losses.
Although the rule isn’t as well-known as it once was, blackjack surrender can still be found in some physical casinos and at online casinos like Mega Dice.
What is the Surrender Rule?
Blackjack offers an optional “surrender” rule as part of the actions you can take besides hitting, standing, splitting, doubling down, and taking insurance.
Surrender allows you to give up half your wager instead of any other action after you’ve seen your first two cards and the dealer’s face-up card. This could be advantageous when the dealer has a strong upcard and you have a weak hand. In such cases, you have slim chances of winning the round.
If you surrender, you’ll have 50% of your original stake returned to you and be immediately withdrawn from the round.
When there’s money staked, it’s good to have the option to quit and eat just a 50% loss before it’s too late—BUT YOU HAVE TO TIME IT RIGHT. That means you don’t surrender immediately just because you sense weakness.
Types of Surrender
There are two types of surrender available in blackjack: early surrender and late surrender.
Early Surrender
Early surrender is extremely rare to find in its original form. It was introduced before the era of basic strategy and before the mathematics of blackjack were revealed. Since then, early surrender has been diluted by newer rule changes favoring the house. You won’t find tables with this rule unless it’s a specialty game that dilutes it to make it less advantageous.
The early surrender option allows you to forfeit the round and pay only half of your initial stake before the dealer checks for blackjack. It favors the player since early surrender reduces the house edge by 62%. This is VERY profitable since you have a 31% (or 4/13) chance of losing half your bet instead of losing it all.
Since the early surrender rule has a lower house edge, it attracts more serious blackjack pros who are in it to win.
Late Surrender
Late surrender was a recent introduction to blackjack, first gaining popularity in American casinos during the late 20th to early 21st century. It has since become the predominant blackjack surrender rule in most physical and online blackjack tables due to it being more favorable to the house.
This option is available when the dealer’s upcard is a 10, ace, or a face card. Late surrender allows you to withdraw from the round and take back half your original bet only after the dealer checks their face-down card to see if they have a natural blackjack. If they don’t have blackjack, you get half your stake returned. Otherwise, you cannot surrender and lose your entire bet. This makes late surrender less favorable to players and has very little effect on the house edge.
Why Use the Surrender Option?
Surrender adds more nuance to blackjack strategy. If you feel like you have a much weaker starting hand and the dealer is showing a strong upcard like a 10 or face card, surrender could mitigate your losses. A good rule of thumb is to consider surrendering if your hand has less than a 50% chance of winning—especially when you’re playing big stakes. Using the surrender option largely depends on the specific variant, your cards, and the dealer’s upcard.
When to Surrender in Blackjack
There are only very specific scenarios where the law of probabilities and most blackjack strategies will actively recommend surrender. These all revolve around you having an initial hand worth between 15 and 17 and the dealer showing an ace or a face/10 card.
If you have an opening hand worth 16 and it’s not a pair of eights, it’s advisable to surrender when the dealer shows a 9, 10, or ace. You’re only winning in this scenario if the dealer busts out. The probability of a dealer bust in these situations is:
- 23.4% when the dealer shows 9;
- 21.4% when the dealer shows a face card or 10; and
- 11.7% when the dealer shows an ace.
Hitting in this situation gives you the following probabilities:
- 61.6% of you going bust;
- 30.8% of getting a hand value between 18 to 21 compared to the dealer’s 57.1%
As you can see, the odds are heavily stacked against you regardless of your approach, making surrender the logical choice.
The same principle applies when you have a hand worth 17, and the dealer shows an ace. Standing at 17 gives the dealer a 61.5% chance of getting a second card that will top yours or hit until building a better hand than yours with a soft 17. If you hit, your odds of busting out are 69.2%, which suggests surrender is the best action.
Standing at a 15 when the dealer shows a 10 or an ace gives the dealer up to a 78.6% and 88.3% chance of winning, respectively. If you hit, you have a 58.1% chance of busting out and just a 15.3% chance of getting a 20 or 21. The dealer, meanwhile, has a much larger chance of getting a 20 or blackjack.
Basic Strategy for Using Surrender
Late surrender can help you cut your losses in the following situations:
In one-deck blackjack variants, it’s advisable to surrender:
- When the dealer has a hard 17, and you have 15;
- When the dealer has a 10 or a soft/hard 17, and you have 16;
- when the dealer has a hard 17, and you have 17.
In two-deck blackjack variants, surrender may be advisable:
- When the dealer has a 10 or hard 17, and you have 15;
- When the dealer has a 10, soft/hard 17, and you have 16;
- When the dealer has a hard 17, and you have 17.
In blackjack variants using four or more decks, surrender is advisable:
- When the dealer has a 10 or hard 17, and you have 15;
- When the dealer has a 9, 10, or soft/hard 17, and you have 16;
- When the dealer has a hard 17, and you have 17.
If you’ve lucked out at finding a table offering the early surrender rule, here’s how to maximize it to your advantage. It deviates from late surrender only when the dealer has a 10 or ace upcard.
Early surrender is a seldom-found rule in which the player may forfeit his hand and half his bet before the dealer checks for blackjack
- Dealer shows ace versus your hard 5 or 7;
- Dealer shows ace against your hard 12 to 17;
- Dealer shows ace versus your pair 3s, 6s, 7s, or 8s;
- Dealer shows 10 versus your hard 14 to 16;
- Dealer shows 10 versus your pair 7s or 8s;
Here’s when you shouldn’t surrender:
- Do not surrender when you have 10 against the dealer with 4 and 10 or 5 and 9 in single-deck blackjack.
- Do not surrender when you have a 10 against the dealer with a 4 and 10 in double-deck blackjack.
- Do not surrender when you have a pair of 2s against the dealer’s ace, leading to a soft 17.
- Do not surrender when you have a pair of 8s against a dealer 10 in single-deck blackjack in tables where doubling after a split is allowed.
Rules for Surrender in Different Blackjack Variants
American blackjack dominates the game meta. Ever since the late surrender rule was introduced in American tables during the early 2000s, it has become the standard in most physical and online casinos.
While late surrender is the most common blackjack surrender rule in American casinos, early surrender can still be found in blackjack tables across Europe, South America, and Asia. Here at Mega Dice, you’ll find Blackjack Surrender, a variant allowing you to take advantage of both blackjack surrender rules. It’s perfect for serious players who want to give themselves the best chance at profitability. The best part? You can play it in demo mode without wagering real money.
Mathematical Edge of Surrender
As discussed earlier, the exact mathematical probabilities and expected outcomes depend on various factors such as rules, values, and the dealer’s upcard. In general, surrendering on a hard 15 to 17 gives you around a 20% to 30% probability of winning and 70% to 80% of losing to the dealer showing a 10, face, or ace. Surrendering isn’t recommended for other hand values or situations since you may have better chances of winning than the dealer.
Common Misconceptions About Surrender
Let’s round out this guide to blackjack surrender by dispelling the common misconceptions around the rule.
- Surrendering shows weakness at the blackjack table. On the contrary, surrendering is purely a strategic decision. It doesn’t make you less of a player by surrendering—it’s about recognizing the long odds and mitigating your risk of losing.
- Surrendering is always a bad move. As we’ve outlined earlier, surrendering can be the most logical move in certain situations. For instance, holding a 15 to 17 against a dealer showing a 10 or an ace can mitigate your potential losses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the surrender rule in blackjack?
The surrender rule allows you to withdraw your hand and receive half of your initial stake back.
How does early surrender differ from late surrender?
Early surrender allows you to surrender before the dealer checks for a natural blackjack. Late surrender allows you to do so only if the dealer does not have a natural blackjack.
When should I surrender in blackjack?
Surrendering is most commonly advised when you’re holding a weak hand, like a hard 15 or 16, against a dealer leading off with a face card, 10, or ace as their upcard.
Is surrendering considered a good strategy?
Surrendering is considered good blackjack play in very specific situations. It allows you to minimize your losses when the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of the dealer. Blackjack surrender is useful when you’re betting big on a specific hand or round.
Are there blackjack games that don’t allow surrender?
Yes, many blackjack games do not offer the surrender rule. In such games, the house edge is higher. Therefore, they are less advantageous to play.