When to Surrender
Exactly which blackjack hands to surrender, what each one saves and what late surrender is worth overall, calculated.
Late surrender lets you give up a hand after the dealer has checked for blackjack and get half your bet back. It is the only move in blackjack that guarantees a loss, which is why many players never use it. Used on the right hands it is still worth having, because on those hands every other option loses more than half.
When to surrender
With the dealer standing on soft 17 and the right to double after splitting, these are the only two-card hands where surrender beats every alternative. The last column is how much it saves compared with the best other play, in cents per dollar bet.
| Your hand | Dealer shows | Best play without surrender | Saved by surrendering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 16 (10 and 6) | 10 | hit | 4.0c |
| Hard 16 (9 and 7) | 10 | hit | 4.0c |
| Hard 16 (10 and 6) | A | hit | 1.7c |
| Hard 16 (9 and 7) | A | hit | 1.7c |
| Hard 16 (10 and 6) | 9 | hit | 0.9c |
| Hard 16 (9 and 7) | 9 | hit | 0.9c |
| Hard 15 (10 and 5) | 10 | hit | 0.4c |
| Hard 15 (9 and 6) | 10 | hit | 0.4c |
| Hard 15 (8 and 7) | 10 | hit | 0.4c |
In short: surrender hard 16 against a 9, 10 or ace, and hard 15 against a 10. Never surrender a pair of 8s here; splitting them loses less than half a bet even against a 10.
Why surrender loses less
A surrendered hand loses exactly half a bet. Hard 16 against a dealer 10 loses about 54 cents per dollar whether you hit or stand, so giving up for 50 cents is cheaper. The saving is only a few cents, but these hands come up often, and that is where the value adds up.
What surrender is worth overall
Used only on the hands above, late surrender lowers the house edge by 0.086 percentage points. It is not a large rule, but it is a free one: you only use it when it helps. Used wrongly, by surrendering 12s and 13s against strong cards, it quickly turns into a loss, because those hands lose less than half a bet if played properly.
Early surrender is different
A few casinos offer early surrender, where you may give up before the dealer checks for blackjack. That is a much more valuable rule because it also gets you out of losing a full bet to a dealer blackjack, and the hands worth surrendering change. It is rare, and the table on this page does not apply to it.
How to tell if the table offers it
Surrender is not always printed on the felt. Ask the dealer before your first hand. To surrender at the table you say "surrender" clearly; a hand signal is not used for it. The dealer takes half your bet and removes your cards.
The rest of the strategy is unchanged. See the strategy chart for every other hand, and hard 16 against a 10 for the most common surrender hand played without the option.
Stand, hit or surrender: the numbers side by side
This table shows all three options for hard 15, 16 and 17 against the three strongest dealer cards, in cents per dollar bet. Surrender is always exactly minus 50, so it wins whenever both other options are worse than that.
| Your hand | Dealer shows | Stand | Hit | Surrender | Best play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 15 | 9 | -54.3 | -47.2 | -50.0 | Hit |
| Hard 15 | 10 | -54.0 | -50.4 | -50.0 | Surrender |
| Hard 15 | A | -66.7 | -48.0 | -50.0 | Hit |
| Hard 16 | 9 | -54.3 | -50.9 | -50.0 | Surrender |
| Hard 16 | 10 | -54.0 | -54.0 | -50.0 | Surrender |
| Hard 16 | A | -66.7 | -51.7 | -50.0 | Surrender |
| Hard 17 | 9 | -42.3 | -55.4 | -50.0 | Stand |
| Hard 17 | 10 | -42.0 | -58.4 | -50.0 | Stand |
| Hard 17 | A | -47.8 | -55.7 | -50.0 | Stand |
Hard 17 is never a surrender in this game. It loses heavily against a 10 or ace, but standing still loses less than half a bet. Hard 16 against a 10 is the clearest case: hitting loses 54.0 cents and standing 54.0, so surrendering at 50 saves real money every time it comes up.
Frequently asked questions
Should I surrender 8s against a 10?
No. Splitting 8s against a 10 returns -48.9 cents on the original bet, which is better than the minus 50 from surrendering. Split them.
Is surrendering a sign of weak play?
No. It is a precise mathematical tool. Strong players use it on exactly these hands and nowhere else.
Can I surrender after hitting?
No. Surrender is only available as your first decision on your first two cards, and not after splitting.
Does surrender change when the dealer hits soft 17?
Slightly. In that game a few more hands become surrenders, mainly against an ace. The table here is for a dealer who stands on all 17s.
How these numbers were made: every figure on this page is calculated, not quoted. Our blackjack engine works out the exact expected value of every hand for an infinite deck, which lands within about a tenth of a percent of a 6 to 8 deck shoe. It assumes the dealer checks for blackjack, one split per hand, and split aces receiving one card each.
A note on risk. Basic strategy reduces the house edge to roughly half a percent. It does not remove it. Nothing here is gambling advice or a prediction of results. If gambling has stopped being entertainment, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-522-4700, or ncpgambling.org.