Early Surrender

Early surrender is a betting option in blackjack that allows a player to save half of their bet if they don’t like their initial hand. Players who count cards use early surrender to minimize their losses on bad hands.

The direct opposite of this is doubling down, which is when the player doubles their bet because of how confident they are in their hand. Other betting options include splitting and insurance bets.

When to Surrender in Blackjack

When playing using basic strategy, it is commonly recommended that you early surrender in the following situations:

• When the dealer has a 10 and you have a hard 14-16 or a pair of 7s or 8s. 
• When the dealer has an ace and you have a hard 5-7, hard 12-17, or pairs of 3s, 6s, 7s, and 8s.

In other cases, you should use your best judgment. If you are counting cards, then you also have to take into account the information afforded to you by this practice.

Early Surrender:

• A betting option in blackjack that allows a player to save half of their bet if they don’t like their initial hand.