Blackjack Insurance Vs Surrender

Blackjack Guide

Early surrender blackjack strategy. Early surrender is a rule that you’ll find less often at casinos, both online and offline. That’s because it’s the most advantageous form of surrender. Blackjack Insurance and Surrender Rules Insurance - This nearly universal rule allows an insurance bet against a dealer face up Ace. Note: Not allowed with Double Exposure. Insure Blackjack only - Some casinos in Europe, in particular England, allow insurance bets only when the player has a Blackjack. In most casinos, the rules of surrender are as follows: A player may surrender any two card total. Surrender cannot be executed after otherwise acting on your hand. In other words, you may not surrender after hitting, standing, doubling down, splitting, or taking insurance.

Some blackjack versions allow players to surrender their hands immediately following the initial deal if they feel that they have little chance of winning the hand. The advantage offered by the surrender rule is that it allows the player to retain half of their original bet rather than play the hopeless hand and lose the whole bet.

There are two types of surrender; Early Surrender and Late Surrender. There are fundamental differences between them that you need to be aware of prior to starting to play surrender blackjack.

Blackjack Early Surrender

Early surrender allows you to surrender your hand right after you were dealt your cards and before the dealer checks their own cards to see if they got a natural blackjack. When using early surrender you will forfeit half your original wager.

This form of surrender is the most advantageous type of surrender because you have the option to surrender regardless of the hand the dealer is holding. Unfortunately this type of surrender is slowly disappearing from the casinos.

The reason for that is that a casino that is offering early surrender blackjack games lowers its own house edge over the player. However most casinos that still offer this rule usually compensate for it with a different rule that returns the edge they lost by offering early surrender.

When to opt for Early Surrender

• Dealer shows an Ace and you have a hard 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 or 17
• Dealer shows an Ace and you have a pair of 3’s, 6’s, 7’s or 8’s
• Dealer shows a 10-valued card and you have a hard 14, 15, 16 or a pair of 7’s or 8’s
• In 2 deck game when dealer shows a soft 17 and you have a pair of 2’s.

• In single deck blackjack, you should never surrender a 10-valued card against the dealer’s 4 and 10 or 5 and 9.
• In 2 deck blackjack, you should never surrender a 10-valued card against the dealer’s 4 and 10.

Late surrender allows you to surrender your hand for the cost of half your original bet, but only after the dealer has checked his hand to make sure they did not get a natural blackjack. If the dealer has a natural blackjack then you will not be allowed to surrender and will lose your entire original bet.

This type of surrender does not lower the house edge the same as early surrender does, but it still lowers it and is more advantageous to the player than playing blackjack without the option of surrender.

Late surrender is a common rule that is applied to some blackjack games in casinos all over the world and in most online casinos. In land casinos you will often be required to ask the dealer if late surrender is offered on that blackjack table because most casinos do not overly emphasize this option for obvious reasons.

When to opt for Late Surrender

• Dealer shows an Ace or 10-valued card and you have a hand total of 15
• Dealer shows an Ace or 10-valued card and you have a hand total of 16 (including pair 8’s)
• Dealer shows an Ace and you have a hand total of 17

• In single deck blackjack when dealer stands on soft 17 - if the dealer shows a 9, 10 or an Ace and you have a hand total of 15
• In single deck blackjack when dealer shows a 9 and you have a hand total of 16
• In single deck blackjack when dealer stands on soft 17 – if the dealer shows 9 or 10 and you have a hand total of 17

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Does the concept of the surrender rule in blackjack confuse
you?

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.

Blackjack Insurance Vs Surrender Penalty

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:

1. When the dealer shows Ace and you hold a hard total of 5 – 7 or 12 – 17.

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.

2. When the dealer shows Ace and you hold 33, 66, 77, or 88.

These are all acceptable split hands in other situations but
against a soft dealer hand, an early surrender is the acceptable
play here.

3. When the dealer shows any 10 and you hold a hard total of 14-16.

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.

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:

1. When the dealer shows Ace and you hold any total of 15.

The only exception here is that you don’t surrender if the
game’s rules indicate that the dealer must hit a soft 17.

2. When the dealer shows Ace or any 10 and you hold any total of 16.

This rule is true regardless of the game’s rules regarding
how the dealer behaves on a total of 17.

3. When the dealer shows Ace and you hold any 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

Blackjack Side Bets

Here are a couple of common mistakes blackjack players make
with the late surrender rule:

1. 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.

This is one of those rules you just have to memorize at first
until it starts to make sense to you at the table.

2. You should NOT take a late surrender when the dealer shows a
   9 and you hold any total of 16.

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.

The Wizard's Ace-Five Count

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.