What does surrender actually do?
You end the hand before playing it, forfeiting half your bet and keeping the other half. It is only offered on your first two cards.
Guru
Blackjack Surrender Guide: When Late Surrender Is Correct
Updated
Surrender lets you give up your hand immediately and lose only half your bet instead of playing it out. It is only correct in a handful of spots where your hand is so bad that your expected loss from playing exceeds 50 percent of the bet. In those spots, it is clearly right; everywhere else it is a mistake.
The trainer models a game without surrender, so none of the plays below appear in its chart. If your casino offers late surrender, this guide tells you where to use it and how the rest of the chart adjusts.
Late versus early surrender
Late surrender, the common form, is offered after the dealer has checked for blackjack. If the dealer has a natural you lose your full bet; otherwise you may surrender half. Early surrender, which lets you give up before the dealer checks, is extremely rare today because it is worth about 0.6 percent to the player.
Late surrender is worth about 0.08 percent in a 4-deck S17 game when used correctly. That is small, but it comes for free: the correct surrenders are easy to memorise and there are only a few of them.
The surrender spots in a 4-deck S17 game
Surrender hard 16 against a 9, 10 or ace. Hard 16 against a 10 loses about 54 percent of the bet whether you hit or stand, so taking a guaranteed 50 percent loss is better. Do not surrender a pair of 8s; splitting them is better still.
Surrender hard 15 against a 10. Hitting 15 against a 10 loses about 50.4 percent of the bet, which is marginally worse than surrendering, so this one is close. In an H17 game you also surrender 15 against an ace and 17 against an ace, but under S17 you play those out.
Hands you should not surrender
Never surrender 16 against a 7 or 8, 15 against a 9 or ace, or 14 against anything. Those hands are bad but not bad enough: your expected loss is below 50 percent, so you are better off playing. Surrendering hard 12 or 13 'to avoid the mess' is a significant error.
Never surrender a hand of 17 or better under S17, and never surrender a soft hand. Soft 16 against a 10 cannot bust on the next card and plays out far better than a 50 percent loss.
When the table has no surrender
Without surrender you fall back to the normal chart: hit 16 against 9, 10 and ace, and hit 15 against a 10. These are the correct plays in the trainer's game. Players who have learned surrender sometimes stand in these spots at no-surrender tables as a substitute, which is worse than either option.
Check the table rules before sitting down. Surrender is often not posted on the felt; ask the dealer. If it is available and you use only the four spots above, you will never surrender incorrectly.
Late Surrender Chart (4 Decks, S17)
| Your Hand | Dealer Upcard | Surrender? | Play Without Surrender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 16 (not 8,8) | 9 | Yes | Hit |
| Hard 16 (not 8,8) | 10 | Yes | Hit |
| Hard 16 (not 8,8) | Ace | Yes | Hit |
| Hard 15 | 10 | Yes | Hit |
| 8,8 | Any | No, split | Split |
| Hard 15 | 9 or Ace | No | Hit |
| Hard 14 or less | Any | No | Chart |
FAQ
Should I surrender 8,8 against a 10?
No. Splitting 8s against a 10 loses less than surrendering in a game where you can double after split, so you split.
How much is surrender worth?
Used correctly in a 4-deck S17 game, late surrender reduces the house edge by roughly 0.08 percent. Used incorrectly on hands like 14 or 12, it increases it.
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