One of the prom­ises was a rule called Surrender.

When playing Blackjack, you could invoke the surrender rule whenever you wanted, after being dealt your first two cards. It was a tremendous move, particularly in the hands of a proficient card counter.

For example, if you were dealt sixteen (6, 10) and the dealer showed a King, your prospects for winning would be less than rosy. In fact, you would be in a heck of a lot of trouble. The proper decision would be to surrender.

Surrendering cost you half your bet. If you bet $5, you would surrender half of it ($2.50) and give up your hand. The surrender rule gave you the opportun­ity to save half your bet when you had a bad hand and the dealer was strong.

The surrender rule was a tremendous aid to the knowledgeable player, so, naturally it had to go! As soon as the casinos became entrenched, down came surrender. If ever a rule existed to help Blackjack players cut their losses, surrender is it! Especially if properly used.

Casino Surrender II