When should you surrender in Blackjack? Everything you need do know

Blackjack is a fascinating online casino game. Just score 21 points or have a better score than the dealer and you win the game. The simplicity of this online game is one of the main reasons blackjack is one of the most popular online games, loved by players from all parts of the world like South Africa, Malaysia, Japan and so on.   

Because of its simplicity, many players are unaware of some of its possibilities. One of them is the surrender option.

There are many names given to the possibility that the player does not continue with the match: surrender, give up and resign are just some of them. But why when playing blackjack online would a player give up? Although the term surrender has a somewhat contrary connotation to the impetus of some bettors, “to win”, we will see that in fact surrender is an important tool for technical players and can be a great blackjack strategy. 

Let's get to the topic!

What is surrender in blackjack?

Surrender is a possibility of an early end of the game after the initial distribution of cards and as we will see, surrender can only be requested by the bettor after examining his own cards and the dealer's cards.

A technical player will always surrender when the odds of beating the house are significantly lower than the dealers’ in the specific condition, plus, of course, the conditions allow. With the surrender, the player takes back 50% of the bet amount and with that manages to reduce the damage he would have in the specific match.

Is the surrender option always available?

No, you cannot surrender in some versions of online blackjack, including the traditional blackjack version. 

Surrendering is an optional rule that some casinos online may offer, but it is not a standard feature of the blackjack game. These days surrender is more commonly offered by casinos in Europe as well as Asia. As it is a rule that greatly benefits the player and can reduce the house advantage by up to 0.62%, it was gradually no longer offered by gaming houses.

In the traditional blackjack game, players typically have the options to hit, stand, double down, split pairs, or take insurance if the dealer's face-up card is an Ace. Surrendering allows players to give up their hand and retrieve half of their initial bet instead of playing out the hand. 

So, if you want the benefit of surrendering, it's important that you look for a blackjack table that offers that possibility. It's important to note that surrendering rules can vary between different casinos and blackjack variations, so it's always a good idea to check the specific rules of the game you're playing.

Tuskcasino offers many types of blackjack games, some with the possibility of surrender and other benefits that will increase your chances of winning. 

It is worth reading the rules of the table well as there are two types of surrender, one early and one late and they differ greatly in terms of the advantage for the player. Understand the difference between surrender types in the next chapter. 

Surrender Types

Like we said, not all online casinos offer the surrender option, and even when it is available, it may be limited to either early surrender or late surrender. 

That’s why it is so important to always check the specific rules of the blackjack game you're playing to determine if surrender is allowed and what type of surrender is offered. 

There are two main types of surrender in blackjack: early surrender and late surrender.

Let’s check out the differences between them. 

Early Surrender

In early surrender, it is possible for the player to give up the round and receive half of the stake after seeing his first two cards and the dealer's open card. However, the bettor can only ask for surrender if the dealer's open card is an Ace or another card with a value of 10.

Surrendering early against the ace gives the bettor a 0.39% advantage, and against a 10 value card gives the bettor a 0.24% advantage, making the total value to the player 0.63% for a game 17 mole in a six-deck pack.

Early surrender allows players to surrender and forfeit half of their bet if they believe the dealer has a strong hand. This option is not commonly offered in most casinos.

Late surrender

Late surrender is the more common type of surrender in blackjack.

Like in early surrender, the dealer must have an  Ace or a 10 value card as an upcard. The difference is, in late surrender the player can only give up their hand after the dealer checks for blackjack. 

If the dealer does not have blackjack, players can choose to surrender and forfeit half of their bet. If the dealer has a blackjack then the surrender option will not be available and you will lose the entire bet unless you also have a blackjack.

Late surrender provides players with an opportunity to minimize their losses if they have a weak hand and believe that continuing to play would likely result in a loss.

By using late surrender correctly, a bettor will be able to reduce the house edge by 0.07% in a multi-deck blackjack game.

Basic blackjack strategy: when to surrender?

There are several online blackjack tables that show the player when he should or should not surrender according to the number of decks used and the cards on the table. Let's leave these tables aside and tell you in a simple way how to know when to surrender in blackjack.

If the table you are playing blackjack at offers the option of surrender, you may withdraw from the game after the initial two cards are dealt. Basic blackjack strategy advises players to surrender when they have:

• Hard 16 against Dealer 9, 10, or Ace: If you have a hard total of 16 (no Ace) and the dealer's upcard is a 9, 10, or Ace, it can be advantageous to surrender. This is because the dealer's strong upcard indicates a higher likelihood of the dealer having a strong hand and potentially hitting a total of 17 or higher.
• Hard 15 against Dealer's 10: When you have a hard 15 and the dealer's upcard is a 10, surrendering is often recommended. Again, the dealer's 10-value upcard suggests a strong hand, and surrendering helps to minimize losses.

The statistic behind surrender

If you have been playing online casino’s games for some time you must know statistics and games of chance come hand in hand. When playing a casino game like online blackjack, online roulette or even online poker, the best way to be in control is to understand the statistics behind the game. 

The best blackjack strategy is to always know your chances. This way you are in control, and you make better decisions. 

Surrender is a way for you to take back at least part of what you bet, so you must surrender in a game where your chance of winning is less than one in four rounds, i.e. your expected loss is greater than 50%.

So, mathematically speaking, if when playing the hand, you have less than a 25% chance of winning, that is, you have a greater than 75% chance of losing, you should ask for surrender, if available.

While it may not seem "honorable" to ask for surrender, it can be a smart decision that will save your bankroll in the long run, and therefore move you towards your end goal.

How to Announce a Surrender

It is important for the player to know the rules before sitting down to play a blackjack game, as each variant of the game has different rules, but in general surrender is requested in two ways:

• Expressly: when wanting to surrender, the player must announce in a loud and clear tone to the dealer that he wants to surrender.
• By sign: the player must make a sign by placing his index finger on the felt of the table and tracing an arc from left to right behind his bet.

Keep an eye out, because some houses ask the player to do both: verbally express the desire to surrender and give the signal.

If you want to play blackjack online, surrender is even easier. If it is possible to ask for surrender, there will be a “Surrender” button available, and the player will only have to press it.

Conclusion

Despite the uninspiring name, surrender is not a humiliation, but an option that should be used by technical players as part of their strategy.

We hope that what you have learned here has been enriching and that with it you will continue to improve more and more in the techniques of the wonderful card games.