Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy
Does the concept of the surrender rule in blackjack confuse
you?
The dealer holds a natural blackjack, while late surrender rules allow you to give up half your wager only if the dealer doesn’t hold a natural. Surrender Strategy. The strategy for games with early surrender and games with late surrender rules is different enough that even the ideal playing styles are different. Here’s a basic guide to the proper. Surrender is probably one of the most confusing rules in Blackjack. It allows players to give up on a hand when they believe that they cannot beat the dealer and save half of their original bet. However, to make use of this rule, one must know when they should go for it.
- There is no “one” Basic Strategy. It should change based on the rules of the specific table you’re sitting at. The basic strategy table I’ve created uses the Blackjack rules on Crown Perth (not Blackjack Plus). The rules are: Hit on soft 17; 6 decks (continuously shuffled, not that it makes any difference to basic strategy) No surrender.
- 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.
- Blackjack Strategy for Australians 2021. You will find a lot of Blackjack strategies online. However, the trick is in understanding the chances available to you based on the amount of cards in play. Early or Late Surrender. Surrender is also known as a late surrender or SL.
You’re not alone.
We think this is the least-understood rule in blackjack. The
difference between early surrender and late surrender is
important. Improving your understanding of blackjack surrender
rules means improving your overall game strategy.
Some blackjack games allow players the option of giving up
(or “surrendering”) their hands right after the initial deal is
complete, for the cost of half of their ante bet. The idea is to
quit while you’re ahead if you feel like you don’t have a shot
at winning the hand. Surrender rules are an advantage for the
player, in that she can choose to keep half of her original bet
rather than play out her hand and lose the entire thing.
Blackjack surrenders come in two flavors: early and late.
To use the surrender rule to your advantage, it’s important
to understand the differences between the two types of
surrender.
What Is Early Surrender?
An early surrender is when the player chooses to give up on
their hand immediately after the cards are dealt but before the
dealer checks for a natural blackjack. The early surrender
requires that players forfeit half their original wager.
The early surrender rule is the most desirable type of
surrender because it’s available regardless of whether or not
the dealer was dealt a natural. As is often the case with rules
that favor the player, the early surrender rule is rare these
days.
Why has the early surrender disappeared?
According to the Wizard of Odds, the addition of an early
surrender rules cuts into the casino’s built-in edge by 0.63%.
To put that in perspective, changing a game’s shoe from eight
decks to one affects the house edge less (+0.59%) than the
addition of an early surrender rule.
This doesn’t means that casinos won’t offer early surrender –
some do–especially online casinos.
But they compensate with other rule changes that chisel away
at the advantage you gain from the early surrender rule.
What Is Late Surrender?
The late surrender rule allows a player to give up on their
hand for the cost of half their ante, just like an early
surrender.
But unlike an early surrender, this rule requires that you
wait to see if the dealer has been dealt a natural blackjack
first. If the dealer did catch a natural, you can’t surrender,
and you’ll lose your whole wager just like if you never chose
the surrender option in the first place.
Late surrender rules don’t lower the casino’s edge anywhere
near the amount that early surrender rules do.
According to the same source at Wizard of Odds, a late
surrender rule cuts into the casino’s edge by about 0.1%–about
as much as a Doubling rule. As a consequence of its smaller
negative impact on the casino’s bottom line, you’re more likely
to see this form of the surrender rule than the early version.
Even though the reduction in the house edge is small, it’s an
advantage that’s worth seeking out.
A note on blackjack etiquette and surrender rules – it’s
common for land-based casinos to offer a late surrender without
advertising it. You should always ask your dealer if there’s a
late surrender option. Even though the player advantage is
small, the casino isn’t in the business of giving any amount of
money away.
The Difference Between Early & Late Surrender
The difference between the two is simple – early surrender
rules allow you to give up your hand for half your wager even if
the dealer holds a natural blackjack, while late surrender rules
allow you to give up half your wager only if the dealer doesn’t
hold a natural.
Surrender Strategy
The strategy for games with early surrender and games with
late surrender rules is different enough that even the ideal
playing styles are different. Here’s a basic guide to the proper
ways to play for both early and late surrender blackjack games.
When You Should Take an Early Surrender
Though the early surrender is a tempting move when you find a
table that offers it, we only recommend you consider abandoning
your wager in the following three situations:
- When the dealer shows Ace and you hold a hard total of 5 – 7 or 12 – 17.
- When the dealer shows Ace and you hold 33, 66, 77, or 88.
- When the dealer shows any 10 and you hold a hard total of 14-16.
You should hit on hard totals between 8 and 11, but up
against an Ace the early surrender rule gives you the best
possible return on pretty much every other hard hand.
These are all acceptable split hands in other situations but
against a soft dealer hand, an early surrender is the acceptable
play here.
If you draw is anything about 5-7, you’re bust. Unless you’re
keeping a stellar count, you’re in dangerous territory, and the
early surrender will help you cut your losses.
Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy Definition
When You Should Take a Late Surrender
Once again, the late surrender option may be appealing in
plenty of game situations, but we only think it is
strategically-feasible in the following three:
- When the dealer shows Ace and you hold any total of 15.
- When the dealer shows Ace or any 10 and you hold any total of 16.
- When the dealer shows Ace and you hold any total of 17.
The only exception here is that you don’t surrender if the
game’s rules indicate that the dealer must hit a soft 17.
This rule is true regardless of the game’s rules regarding
how the dealer behaves on a total of 17.
If you’re playing in a game in which the dealer is forced to
hit a soft 17, ignore this rule.
When You Should Refuse a Late Surrender
Here are a couple of common mistakes blackjack players make
with the late surrender rule:
- You should NOT take a late surrender when the dealer stands
on soft 17 while showing a 9, 10, or Ace while you hold any
total of 15 or 17. - You should NOT take a late surrender when the dealer shows a
9 and you hold any total of 16.
This is one of those rules you just have to memorize at first
until it starts to make sense to you at the table.
This is simple mathematics. The dealer is more likely to come
in underneath your point total than you are to bust out by
taking a hit.
Anyone who’s played a round or two of blackjack in the casino
appreciates the appeal of the surrender rule. Sometimes it’s
best to accept the loss of half your ante and hope for a better
deal.
The most obvious example is 16, the worst garbage hand in the
game.
Holding a 16 looks even worse when the dealer is showing a
10.
This is just one example of a time when you’re obviously
better off giving up half the ante and moving past the terrible
deal. If you think of this move as getting back half of a bet
you would have lost, you see the beauty of the blackjack
surrender rule.
Blackjack Surrender enjoys great popularity online because of its favourable rules and relatively low house edge. In this review, we’ll take a detailed look at the game and we’ll provide you with the basic strategy that will bring you optimal results, so make sure you read on.
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The name of Blackjack Surrender derives from the game option ‘surrender’ which allows the players to give up their hand before the dealer reveals the face-down card. If such case, they get half their bet back. This is actually a quite advantageous option as it decreases the house edge with around 0.08%. Below you can see a quick overview of the rules of the game.
- Basic Game Rules
- Return to Player: 99.62% Blackjack pays: 3 to 2
- Decks: 6
- Insurance: yes
- Multihand: yes
- Side bets: no
- Surrender: yes
- Split and Double Rules
- Split: any pair
- Resplit: no
- Double: any two cards
- Double after split: yes
- Hit split aces: no
- Dealer Rules
- Stands: on soft 17
- Peeks for Blackjack: yes
- Special Game Rules: The player can play up to five hands at a time. Only late surrender allowed.
- Bonus:100% up to £150
- Bonus code:not required
- Wagering contribution:20%
- Software:Playtech
- Link:Try now at William Hill
Note that in this review we’ll talk only about the Blackjack Surrender variation which is developed by Playtech, as it is the most popular one. There’s also a Blackjack Surrender game offered by Real Time Gaming but it’s really rare to stumble upon it, so we’ve decided not to cover it in this article.
Rules of the Game
Your goal in Blackjack Surrender, as in any other blackjack game, is to have a better hand than the dealer. That means having a higher hand total without going over 21. If you go over 21, you lose your bet. All the cards count as their natural numbers, all face cards count as 10 and the ace counts as 1 or 11, whichever is more suitable for the player.
The Playtech version of the game is played on a virtual table where there are five betting boxes, given that you can play up to 5 hands at a time. As you can see in the screenshot below, the table also features information about the rules of the game. As in most blackjack variations, here a natural blackjack (an ace and a 10-valued card) pays 3 to 2, insurance pays 2 to 1 and the dealer stands on 17, including on a soft 17 (an ace and a 6).
The game begins after you’ve placed your bet and hit the ‘Deal’ button. You’ll be dealt two face-up cards, while the dealer will receive one face-up and one face-down card. If your initial hand totals 21, then you have a ‘blackjack’ or a ‘natural’ and you automatically win, otherwise the game will continue. If, on the other hand, the dealer’s upcard is ace or ten, then they’ll peek for blackjack before you even have the chance to choose your next move. If they have a blackjack you automatically lose the hand, if not you’ll be able to make your next move.
You have several options to choose from. You can hit (ask for another card), stand (end your turn by accepting your hand as it is), double your bet at the expense of receiving one and only one more card, or surrender your hand if you feel it’s not strong enough. If you surrender your hand before your turn is over you will receive half your bet back and thus cut your loss by 50%. If you have a pair, you’ll also have the option to split it in two.
As I already mentioned, in the case that the dealer’s upcard is an ace, you’ll be offered another bet, called ‘insurance’. It’s equal to half of your initial bet and it pays 2 to 1 in case that the dealer has a blackjack. That means that if the dealer does have a blackjack, you’ll get the value of your initial and insurance bet and end up not losing anything. If the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack you’ll lose only your insurance money and the game will continue.
After your turn is finished and in the case you haven’t ‘busted’, i.e. the total of your hand is 21 or less, it’s the dealer’s turn. The dealer plays according to preset rules: they hit if the total of their hand is 16 or lower and stand if it’s 17 or more. If the dealer busts and you haven’t, you win the hand. If they stand, then whoever has the higher hand total wins. If it’s a tie, or a ‘push’ as it’s called in blackjack, both you and the dealer get your bets back.
For those who don’t know, there are two types of surrender options in blackjack – late surrender, which is the most common one, and early surrender which is quite rare. The first allows you to surrender a weak hand in exchange for half of your bet only after the dealer has peeked for blackjack, while the second allows you to do that even before the dealer peeks. On that note, Playtech’s Blackjack Surrender features only late surrender.
House Edge – What Are Your Odds?
As any other casino game, Blackjack Surrender’s rules are thought out in such way so that the casino always has a slight advantage and wins in the long run. When it comes to Playtech’s Blackjack Surrender in particular, the rules and the options are set in such way that with an optimal strategy the return-to-player percentage is 99.62%. This means that, with the exception of Blackjack Switch and Pontoon, Blackjack Surrender is the blackjack variation with the lowest house edge – 0.38%.
Blackjack Surrender Strategy Chart
In order to achieve the best theoretical return-to-player percentage when you play Blackjack Surrender, you need to follow the strategy illustrated below. Still, with optimal strategy there will be a house edge of 0.38% which you can decrease and even overcome if you pick a nice bonus which is usable on the game. Of course, you can combine this strategy with a progressive betting strategy, like Martingale or Fibonacci, but if you do so you increase your chances of busting before you can wager your bonus. Therefore, I would advise you to pick a certain bet limit and stick to it throughout the whole process of wagering your bonus.
Bonus Offers Suitable for Playing Blackjack Surrender
Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy Against
As I already mentioned, picking a nice bonus to play Blackjack Surrender with can decrease and even turn around the house edge in your advantage. Of course, the most advantageous bonuses for the users are the welcome offers, so we’ve taken it upon us to check which Playtech casinos offer welcome bonuses that can be wagered on Blackjack Surrender. Here are the results:
| Casino | Bonus | Playthrough | * | Min. Deposit | Read More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Hill | 100% up to £150 | 20x bonus + deposit | 20% | £10 | Review |
| Eurogrand | 25% up to £1000 | 35x bonus + deposit | 20% | £10 | Review |
| Winner | 200% up to £300 | 35x bonus + deposit | 20% | £25 | Review |
| Ladbrokes | 100% up to £500 | 20x bonus + deposit | 5% | £20 | Review |
Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy Rules
As you can see in the table above, the wagering contribution of Blackjack Surrender is set at 20% at all the above-mentioned casinos, except for Ladbrokes where it is 5%. This means that if you, say, bet £100 on this game, only £20 will be considered for the clearing of the bonus. Casinos set this rule because blackjack is to a great extent a game of strategy and players can wager their bonuses way too easily on it, as opposed to on other casino games based purely on luck, such as slots and scratch cards. In fact, the wagering contribution of blackjack surrender is quite high. Take, Blackjack Switch for example. In most casino this game contributes only 5% toward the wagering requirement, while in others it doesn’t at all.
But anyways, the best bonus you can claim for playing this game is the one offered by William Hill. Don’t get distracted by the low bonus amount! It may be true that it’s lower than the ones offered by other casinos, but it is in fact the most advantageous one. If you take into account the house edge and the wagering contribution of the game together with the wagering requirements for the bonus, you can easily calculate that there’s a huge chance you end up with a win.
Blackjack Surrender Rules
Conclusion
Blackjack Surrender Chart
Blackjack Late Surrender Strategy Meaning
Yes, there are a couple of blackjack variations that have lower house edge, but choosing to play Blackjack Surrender with the right bonus might just be the best choice you’ve made in your gambling career so far. And the right bonus, in this case, is the one offered by William Hill because of its favourable conditions. If you’re ready to start playing Blackjack Surrender but want to learn more about the operator and their offer, then make sure you also check out our in-depth William Hill Casino review where we take a really close look at all aspects of this gambling giant.