Surrender is a good blackjack rule for the player
Two weeks ago, we talked about how all the new gimmick side bets that are popping on the blackjack tables are basically bad propositions for the player. This is quite true. None of those propositions however, should be confused with an old player's option called "Surrender." So today, I'll differentiate it from the newer "Casino Surrender" option, which has recently begun popping up on some blackjack tables.
The old player's "Surrender" rule is an available option at maybe one casino out of five, nationwide. Here's how it works.
On your first two cards, providing the dealer doesn't have blackjack, if you don't like your chances, when it comes to your turn you can announce, "Surrender." At that point, the dealer will take half your bet and your cards, getting you out of the hand.
It's a simple enough rule, yet even at casinos where it's available, most players never use it. The typical gambler's philosophy is that it's "treason" to give up your hand without a fight. Not only that, but some players believe that since surrendering rather than just hitting must be wrong, a player who surrenders is messing up the "holy order" of the cards for everybody else. How's that for compounding one lame-brained notion into another?
A couple of local casinos used to have the player's surrender option but took it out after a while. When asked why, one pit boss explained that they received too many complaints from players who objected to others at the table changing the "flow" of the cards by not playing their hands out.
Fact is, surrender is a darn good move for the player if he does it with the right hands. Here's a prime example. Suppose you're dealt a two-card 16 against the dealer's 10. This will happen about once every 40 minutes, on average. Do you suppose you'll be able to win that hand even one-fourth of the time? The answer is no, you won't!
Well, anytime you've got less than one chance in four to win your hand, you're better off surrendering it! Here's why. Suppose you play a few hours today and have that dreaded two-card 16 against a 10 four times. If you gave up half your bet and surrendered it all four times, you'd be down two full bets on the four hands, right? But if you played those four hands out, you'd need to win one and lose three to be down those same two full bets -- and, on average, you can't do it!
There are a few other blackjack hands that give you less than one chance in four to win it, but 16 against a 10 is the classic example. It's the key hand to remember to surrender and will save you the most money over time. What are all the proper "Surrender" hands? If the dealer stands on soft 17, you should surrender:
15 against a 10
16 against a 9
16 against a 10
16 against an Ace
When the dealer hits on soft 17, you also should surrender these three additional hands along with the four above:
15 against an Ace
17 against an Ace
8/8 against an Ace
Remember, you must exercise your surrender option before you take any hits to your hand, and you won't even get the chance to do it if the dealer has blackjack.
So how much is this precious surrender option worth to a solid player if he plays it "by the book"? It's not enough to make an overall winner out of a good basic strategy player, but it will cut his long-term dollar losses by about 15 percent. If you know all your other hand plays and lost $1,000 last year at blackjack, it probably would've been around $850 with surrender.