When You Should Surrender at Blackjack - All You Need to Know About Surrender

With the transition to the internet, blackjack has become hugely popular all over the world, including in Arab countries. There are many online casinos that offer a huge selection of versions of blackjack, from Classic Blackjack to Double Attack, Spanish and Atlantic City. Each of these versions differs in casino advantage and what winning chances a player has. However, what makes some versions appealing to many players is the Surrender option. Of course, not everyone is prepared to give up psychologically. However, sometimes there are game situations where refusing to continue is the right thing to do. What's more, surrendering gets you half your bet back, and that's better than losing it all. Seasoned blackjack players have made Surrender a part of their strategy and use it from time to time. However, it's a move that many new blackjack players avoid, preferring to play even a deceptively weak hand that's doomed to fail. We're here to tell you what Surrender in Blackjack is, what early and late Surrender means, and when you should use it. 

What is Surrender in Blackjack?

Whatever the players themselves may say about gambling, the truth is that most of us come to online casinos to win money in the first place. Although the entertainment aspect is important, the very idea of losing money on gambling entertainment can be alarming to many. Despite the fact that casinos have an advantage in the long run, many of us are willing to take risks in the hope of winning something substantial. And since many blackjack players look for ways to increase their winnings - rather than decrease their potential losses - you probably know what Double Down is rather than Surrender. 

Imagine you have the option to surrender if the starting hand seems unpromising. What's more, if you give up, you can get half the money you made for the playing round. Sounds tempting, doesn't it? So, surrender in blackjack is your own voluntary refusal to continue playing, with the possibility of getting half of your bet back. However, Surrender is not a panacea for losing, as you will still forfeit some of your money. However, there are game scenarios where Surrender is the best move, and you should not neglect it. So, here are a few things about Surrender in blackjack that you should know about:

• You can use this option as soon as the cards are dealt. Blackjack is a game where your goal is to make a hand that is more valuable than the dealer's (but without going over 21 points). While you have the Hit option with the ability to draw an almost unlimited number of additional cards, this does not always guarantee that you win, as there is a risk of going over a 21-point hand. After assessing your starting hand - and seeing the dealer's open card - you can make a perfectly reasonable decision to surrender, and there's nothing tragic about that for you and your bankroll.
• There is no standard etiquette as to how you should signal your intention to surrender in blackjack. In land-based casinos, players would draw a horizontal line with their finger behind their bet to signal their intention to surrender. Today, however, most Arabian gamblers prefer to play blackjack at online casinos. Whether you prefer RNG-based or live dealer blackjack, you'll have a Surrender button that you can use whenever you feel up to it.
• As soon as you signal your intention to surrender, the playing round will stop and you'll get half of your bet back in your bankroll. By doing this, you lose your Stand, Hit, Split or Double Down options. Your only option is to wait until the next game round to test your luck and knowledge of basic blackjack strategy again. 

Note that you can only surrender after you've got two cards forming your starting hand. Although Surrender seems like a simple option, it's not as obvious as it may seem at first glance. There are at least two strategies for using Surrender, and we'll talk about them below. 

Types of Surrender in Blackjack

As mentioned above, there are two options for surrender - early and late. Keep in mind that not every version of blackjack supports early or late surrender, and you should keep this in mind before sitting down at the virtual blackjack table. Regardless of which version you use, this can reduce the house's advantage. However, if you give up almost every time, the casino's edge will skyrocket. So, let's take a closer look at both blackjack surrender options. 

Early Surrender

By choosing the blackjack version with early surrender, you will be able to use this option as soon as the dealer has laid his face card on the table. For example, if the hole card is a 10 or Ace (and your initial hand is extremely weak), then this can be a signal for you to surrender and try your luck in the next round. Keep in mind that the next step is for the dealer to check for a blackjack, and you should surrender before this is done. 

Blackjack is a mathematically precise game. In the last century, many mathematical simulations were performed which made it possible to determine the optimal moves for various game situations. The results of mathematical simulations show that an early surrender - if used skillfully - can reduce the casino's edge by 0.60%. That's the main reason why blackjack with early surrender is such a rare option in Arabic online casinos. Here are some important tips on using the early deal option that you need to take into account:

• If your starting hand has a value of 14-16 and the dealer's face-up card is a 10, then you should surrender.
• If your starting hand is valued at 12-17 and the dealer's face-up card is an Ace, you should also surrender.
• In both of the above cases, the odds of losing your entire bet (unless you use the surrender option) are extremely high.  

Keep in mind that some online casinos impose additional rules to compensate for their losses. Start by choosing a good Arabian online casino that offers transparent conditions for gamblers. One of them is VipArabClub, a trustworthy iGaming platform with many RNG-based and Live Dealer blackjack versions on offer. 

Late Surrender

As you may have guessed, late surrender is an opportunity to give up after the dealer has checked for blackjack. So, let's say the dealer doesn't have blackjack in his starting hand. That means he has to draw a third card. You can surrender before he does, thus saving half your bet. Here are some game situations when you should use this option:

• Your starting hand is 14-15 and the dealer's face-up card is an Ace.
• Your initial hand is a 16, but the dealer's face-up card is a 10.
• Your starting hand is worth 17, and the dealer's face-up card is an Ace. 

Note that dealer rules in some versions of blackjack require the dealer to draw an extra card at soft 17. Late surrender also decreases the house advantage, but to a much lesser extent than its early counterpart. However, when played optimally, late surrender can save a significant chunk of your bankroll in cases where fortune isn't on your side. Moreover, using late surrender in combination with a card-counting technique can give you a nice edge over the house. However, note that the card-counting technique only works when you're playing live dealer blackjack. As for RNG-based blackjack, it actually uses an infinite number of card decks since each newly dealt card is the result of a Random Number Generator. 

Example of Using Surrender

To see how this option works in practice, let's look at a simple example. Let's say your starting hand has a value of 16 points. With that, the dealer's face-up card is a Jack. According to the basic blackjack strategy, the dealer has a higher chance of winning. In this situation, surrender is an opportunity to get back 50% of the bet, which is much better than losing your entire bet. As you know, a starting hand of value 16 is probably the worst option in blackjack in general. You can Stand or Hit, but the odds of you going over 21 - or of the dealer drawing a higher-valued hand - are too high. If you're playing blackjack with a late surrender option available, then taking advantage of it would be your best move in such a situation. 

Closing Thoughts

For blackjack, as for any other game of chance, no formula has been invented to guarantee a 100% positive result for the player, as the advantage is on the casino's side. However, if you want to win more often, you should improve your skills every day. You can do so by playing RNG-based blackjack in the risk-free mode right on the VipArabClub website. Surprisingly, many players only use Hit/Stand/Split/Double Down moves, neglecting Surrender as though it didn't exist. However, the above example shows that sometimes it makes sense to surrender in order to save at least half your bet when you're literally destined to lose. This can be a difficult decision from a psychological point of view. However, skillful use of the Surrender option is the best way to keep your bankroll in play longer.