Surrender is a blackjack rule available in all Pennsylvania casinos and many others in states like Nevada and New Jersey offer this feature. There are only a few instances where a player should surrender. Unfortunately, many regulated online gambling companies publish wrong surrender information. US Casino Advantage is here to clear this up.
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What is surrender?
In blackjack, surrender refers to the ability of a player to fold a hand before acting. When a player surrenders, the dealer takes their cards and half of the original bet. The other half of the bet is returned. The player is then out of the hand. If the dealer busts, this does not affect the surrendered hand. The same can be said if the dealer makes a 21. None of that matters to the folded hand.
Early versus late surrender
There are two types of surrender. One is early. The other is late. However, late surrender is the only type that exists in the real world. Early surrender is a thing of the past. BetMGM claimed to offer it. US Casino Advantage found no games at that online casino with it. When we contacted the casino asking which blackjack games it offers with early surrender, the company did not respond. However, the claim was removed from its site.


Players may act before the dealer checks for blackjack in early surrender. This allows players a chance to receive half their original wager back before the dealer peeks. This removes 0.62% from the house edge. That is why the rule does not exist at US casinos.
Late surrender is offered after the dealer checks for blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, players are unable to surrender. All original wagers are lost, unless insurance is purchased – a wager with a 6-8% house edge depending on the number of decks. This rule is mandated In Pennsylvania and offered at most Las Vegas Strip casinos. When available, it reduces the house edge by 0.07%.
When to late surrender
There are only a few times when players should surrender. It is generally only available at six and eight-deck blackjack tables. Nearly all Las Vegas Strip casinos permit late surrender at these tables, even when the game only pays 6/5. Six-deck games at Station Casinos also have surrender. Pennsylvania gaming policy requires late surrender. It is also available in some regional markets like Atlantic City and Biloxi.
Six and eight-deck games that stand on soft 17
There are four times that a player should surrender when the dealer stands on soft 17. Those are when the player has 15 versus a dealer 10 and 16 against a 9, 10, or ace, according to the Wizard of Odds.
All other 15s and 16s should be hit against a 7 or higher. Stand on these hands when the dealer shows a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. These are also the correct play if the player hits into a 15 or 16 and surrender is no longer available.
Six and eight-deck games that hit soft 17
Two new surrender opportunities appear when the dealer hits soft 17, making it the right play in six scenarios. When the player has 15, surrender when the dealer shows a 10 or ace. When the player is dealt 16, surrender it against a 9, 10, or ace. A 17 is also surrendered into an ace when the dealer hits soft 17.
Double-deck blackjack surrender
Barona Resort & Casino is in Southern California. It permits surrender on double-deck blackjack games. It is the only casino with this rule in a two-deck game that we know about. There are five times to surrender in this game. With 15 or 16, surrender against a 10 or ace. The other time this is the proper move is with 17 when the dealer shows an ace.
Online casinos and affiliates give bad surrender information
One of the reasons we published this article is because we keep finding bad strategy advice on websites. When players follow bad strategy advice, it makes affiliates and online casinos more money. US Casino Advantage’s goal is to fight this misinformation found in irresponsible content. This is the first of a series of articles related to the topic.