Blackjack surrender might not be commonly allowed in casinos but it is an option that blackjack players must be aware of. There are some situations or hands where surrendering should be preferred, but can you surrender in blackjack after hitting? The rules of blackjack differentiate between early surrender and late surrender, too.
Surrender in Blackjack Explained
Surrendering in blackjack is an option that allows the player to fold their hand after they have seen their cards and the dealer’s upcard, and receive half of the bet back in return.
However, not all casinos or tables allow this, so make sure to ask this beforehand. There are two hand signals to consider when surrendering:
- You can use your finger to draw a horizontal line behind the bet, like “cutting”.
- You can also hold up both hands with the palms facing the dealer, indicating giving up.
As these signals might vary, telling the dealer verbally that you want to surrender is necessary.
Surrendering After Hitting
There are two types of surrender in blackjack. Early surrender is when the player decides to give up the hand right after the cards have been dealt and before the dealer checks if he has got a natural blackjack. Early surrender requires players to forfeit half of their original bet amount.
Late surrender, on the other hand, is when the player can surrender their hand but only after the dealer has checked for a natural blackjack first. If the dealer has already got a natural blackjack, the player will not be able to surrender and he will lose the entire wager.
Advantage of Surrendering in Blackjack
Players often think twice before giving up a hand. However, surrendering in the right situation can sometimes help the player save himself from substantial losses. Surrendering is the best and the wisest decision when you seem to have a hand or in a situation that cannot be improved and will certainly lead to losses.
When the odds are not in the player’s favor at all, surrendering ensures getting back at least part of the bet. Stiff hands that do not hold against the dealer’s strong-up cards like 9, 10, J, Q, K, and Ace are better to forfeit.
Surrendering allows a player to reduce long-term losses in very disadvantageous situations, seeing that the probability of losing is over 50% most of the time. A 16 of the player against the dealer’s upcard, Jack, is also a hand worth surrendering.
The early surrender option, which is almost obsolete these days, has been shown to decrease the house edge by 0.39% when played against the dealer’s ace and by 0.24% against the dealer’s 10-value card.
Hands to Surrender after Hitting in Blackjack
Late surrender is an option that players are able to take after the cards have been dealt and the dealer has checked for a natural blackjack. Late surrender might seem to be a profitable option for the player but again, it should be chosen only in a few situations.
When the dealer shows an Ace and the player holds a total of 15, it becomes a situation that leads to losses only except in games where the rule requires the dealer to hit on a soft 17. The same rule holds true when the player has a total of 17 against the dealer’s ace.
On the other hand, late surrender is a must when the dealer shows an ace or any 10 against the player’s 16, regardless of how the dealer acts on 17.
Players must remember that surrendering should be the preferred option when a hand loses 75% of the time because that is when the player ends up losing half of the bet on average.
Hands to Surrender before Hitting in Blackjack
Early surrender in blackjack may sound like a tempting option since the player gets back his original wager. However, this route should be taken with extreme caution. One such instance is when the dealer has an ace and the player has a hard total of 5-7 or 12-17. In this scenario, surrendering early is the best bet. Also, when the dealer shows an ace and the player holds 3-3, 6-6, 7-7, or 8-8.
While these are acceptable split hands, surrendering is the ideal play against the soft hand of the dealer. Finally, players must surrender early when they have a hard total of 14-16 against the dealer’s 10. Surrendering would be the only way to cut down the impending losses in the game.
Can you surrender in blackjack after hitting? Yes, you can. However, understanding why and when to surrender in blackjack is necessary as this enables a player to strategize his blackjack playing actions precisely and carefully.
