An Introduction to Blackjack Surrender
So what is blackjack surrender, you may ask. In simple words, surrender is the fifth option players have when playing blackjack. Let us say you have been dealt a hand by the dealer and just by seeing your first two cards you have the feeling that your hand is too weak, and that no matter what the third card is, you would never be able to beat the dealer’s hand. You can then surrender your hand to the dealer.
There are many ways in which the blackjack surrender option is radically different from the other options we have discussed in other articles here. For starters, the surrender in blackjack is not an option you see very often. That is because many casinos do not offer it to players. Again, the blackjack surrender option is the only option that you are allowed to speak out. There are no hand gestures required for this option, you can just say the word ‘surrender’ out loud to the dealer.
How Surrender in Blackjack Works
In the previous section we have seen briefly that you are allowed to speak this option out loud. When the first two cards of your hand are enough for you to know that the dealer is going to win this one, in casinos supporting the surrender option, you can just mouth the word ‘surrender’ out loud for the dealer to hear.
Once the dealer hears the word being uttered, he takes your cards and you are out of the round. You must realize that while surrender is a good option in blackjack, it is not 100% player friendly. When the dealer takes your cards, he also collects 50% of your original wager, which means you get just 50% of your money back, though a positive way of looking at it would be to say that is better than not getting back any of the wagered money, which is what would happen in the case of an outright loss.
Types of Blackjack Surrender
Basically, there are two main types of blackjack surrender that you get to see. These two are early and late. The surrender is said to be late if the dealer first has to check his hole card to see if it is a blackjack or not. However, if the dealer lets you return your cards even before he checks his hole card for blackjack, it is called an ‘early’ surrender. You should know that the concept of early surrender has been knocked off in all Atlantic City casinos; only the late surrender works in Atlantic City.
Basically, the surrender option will work for you if you know all about it and learn to use it smartly.