Making Use of the Surrender Option in Blackjack

Not all blackjack tables will offer the surrender option. But when you do find one that does a good idea is to play on that table. Unfortunately anything good can also turn around and bite you especially in blackjack. The surrender option is useful when it's there but when you don't know how to use it then you'll hurt yourself more in the process.

It is advisable for you start learning basic strategy before surrendering any hand. Unless you know the strategy to use with this option, you shouldn't even try it. The problem with blackjack surrender is that that there are people who surrender too much, even hands they shouldn't. And the opposite is also true, there are those who surrender half as much as they should and lose more money in the end.

The general rule is that you should go for the surrender option when your hand is down to about a 25% chance of beating the dealer's hand. Simply put, given a particular situation in the game, the casino has more than 50% probability of winning. So instead of losing all the money you wagered it is wiser to surrender half of your bet and still have money to fight in another hand. That is how blackjack surrender should be used.

You will get the above mentioned situation if you have a total of 15 in your hand and the dealer shows a ten. This is also true if your dealer shows a ten or Ace and you have a total of 16 in your hand. The scenario is a bit different in a six-deck game where you should surrender if the dealer shows a nine and your total is a 16. Now, unless you know card counting you should never surrender totals from 12 to 14.

Surrendering might seem upsetting to some players at the blackjack table with you. Some would sneer and criticize you for doing it. The reason seems to be that surrendering seems like giving up the fight and acting cowardly. You should have the stomach to face such critiques when they come your way.

Casinos make money out of the surrender option whenever it is found in use in blackjack tables. When people don't know exactly when to surrender they almost always surrender hands when they shouldn't (even when they have a pretty good chance to win) and so they just throw money into the casino's laps. Another group of people that casinos make money from are those who don't surrender as they should. Instead of losing just half of their wagers they lose it all and that is instant cash for the casino.

When the surrender option is open at a blackjack table you should play it. But do so advisedly since you ought to know when to surrender and when not to.