The Surrender Option and When to Use it in Blackjack

Blackjack Surrender Option

With hard hands, your worst total to have is 16. You should always surrender with a hard 16 if you are facing a dealer nine, ten or ace. This is the same no matter how the dealer plays a soft 17. With a hard 15, always surrender against a ten. Strangely enough, it’s slightly better to hit than surrender with a hard 15 when facing an ace if the dealer stands on a soft 17. If the dealer hits on a soft 17, then you should just surrender. As you can see from these examples, the dealer has a bigger advantage in these situations if he or she hits on a soft 17.

Another rule to remember with the surrender rule in blackjack has to do with when you have a hard 17. Most people think you must stand with soft 17s. That’s almost true, but if you’re facing an ace with a dealer who hits on a soft 17, then you should surrender instead.