Some casinos offer an option for blackjack called blackjack surrender. A player can only surrender their hand when the dealer has an Ace or a Ten valued card showing. If you do not believe you can beat the dealer after receiving your first two cards, you can announce surrender to the dealer. You must decide to surrender your hand before you take any other action on your hand. The surrender announcement is the only play in blackjack that is made verbally.

There are two types of surrender available, early surrender or late surrender. Depending on which casino you are in is going to determine the type of surrender offered. In “Late surrender”, you announce your intentions, and the dealer marks your bet, by either placing a plastic chip (lamer) or by placing your chips on top of your cards. If the dealer does have a blackjack, you lose your entire bet. However if the dealer does not have a blackjack, you get half of your bet back.

In “Early surrender”, after you announce your intentions, the dealer will take half your bet without waiting or checking to see if they have a blackjack. Obviously the “Early surrender” is the best type of surrender.