There’s a reason blackjack is the most popular card game at the casino – including our live dealer casino here at Joe Fortune. It’s a simple game to pick up, but with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat with every card that comes off the deck.
Blackjack is even better when you can play live for real money stakes, right here in the Land of Oz. Our online casino is the best of the best is in this beautiful country, and our live blackjack tables are always humming, 24/7 every day of the year.
It’s my absolute pleasure to welcome you to Joe Fortune – that’s my name, by the way. It’s been my mission since we launched in 2016 to make sure we’re giving you the best live blackjack in Australia, because that’s how much I love this game. I reckon you will, too.
Chances are you’ve already played a hand or two of online blackjack here at Joe Fortune. But have you ever played Live Dealer blackjack? These real-time games let you play live blackjack online without having to find your nearest bricks-and-mortar casino, which could be hundreds of miles away if you live out woop woop.
Even if you’ve never played a hand of blackjack before, the live blackjack games here at Joe Fortune are the perfect place to start. We’ve even got special Early Payout games that will show you whether you should hit, stand or make some other move with the cards you’re dealt.
I could yammer on about this great game for days, but let’s get right to it: Here’s our guide for how to play blackjack at Joe Fortune. We’ll show you the basic rules, the different games you can play, and how you can get the most bang for your Aussie dollar.
The standard game of blackjack is simple enough: You’re dealt two cards, face-down, and the dealer gets two cards, one up and one down. The idea is to get a higher score than the dealer, without going over 21 points. Paint cards (Kings, Queens and Jacks) are worth 10 points each, Aces can be either one or 11, and all other cards are face value.
If you have 21 points right away, you’ve got Blackjack – good onya. If you don’t, you can choose to “stand” and keep what you’ve got, or you can get another card. Here are the different ways you can do that:
This is where blackjack strategy comes in. Depending on the cards you have, the dealer’s up-card, and the specific rules of your chosen blackjack game (like whether the dealer hits or stands on “soft” 17, meaning they have an Ace), there’s an optimal way to play your hand.
Our live blackjack games at Joe Fortune also let you do other things you can do at a live casino, like buy insurance when the dealer’s up-card is an Ace, bet on other players, and make side bets. You can even tip the dealer for a job well done.
All you have to do to get started playing real money blackjack is sign up for your free account at Joe Fortune, then make your first deposit with us. We’ll give you more details on how to do that in a moment.
When you sit down at one of Joe Fortune’s Live Dealer tables, you’ll be playing the same blackjack games they play at bricks-and-mortar venues, with professional dealers at the table to hand out the cards and answer any questions you might have.
Our standard blackjack games have six decks in the virtual shoe, which our Live Dealer will shuffle about halfway through. The dealer will hit on soft 17 and stand on hard 17; the dealer will also “peek” to see if they have Blackjack when their up-card is an Ace. If they do, they will immediately show their hand.
Each of these rules has a small effect on your chances of winning, and what your “basic” (i.e., optimal) blackjack strategy should be. So do the payouts; if you get blackjack at Joe Fortune, you’re paid out at 3:2, not that tiny 6:5 payout that so many bricks-and-mortar casinos have switched to.
Like I mentioned earlier, Joe Fortune also has Early Payout Blackjack, where you can cash out your hand at any point; the value of your hand is automatically calculated based on the cards in play. This is the game where you’ll be shown the basic blackjack strategy for your hand in progress, so if you’re new to blackjack, give Early Payout a try.
The other key difference to remember for Early Payout Blackjack at Joe Fortune is that it follows “European” rules rather than “Las Vegas” rules. That means the dealer only receives their up-card at the start of the hand, which means there’s no peeking to see if they already have Blackjack.
All of these blackjack games are available at different stakes, from the micros up to thousands of dollars per hand. Choose your stakes and your preferred Live Dealer from the list provided, and Bob’s your uncle.
You could choose to play blackjack elsewhere, of course, but I’ve staked both my name and my reputation on Joe Fortune being the No. 1 venue here in Australia. That’s why we’ve partnered with Visionary iGaming, the world’s leading provider of Live Dealer games. Their live studio is absolutely top-notch, and they’ve trained their dealers and all their staff to the max – no wuckas. You’ll be treated right from the get-go.
I’ve also made sure things run smoothly on the banking side. Moving money in and out of your Joe Fortune account is a breeze; your deposits and withdrawals are safe and secure, and they’re especially quick when you use cryptocurrency to conduct your transactions – again, more on that coming up.
To make playing blackjack at Joe Fortune even better for you, we’ve got the most generous bonus packages in the business. When you sign up and make your first five deposits with us, you’ll be eligible to claim up to $5,000 in free bonus cash; we’ll match your deposit dollar-for-dollar, for up to $5,000 (plus 450 Free Spins on the pokies).
Joe Fortune is also pleased to offer our “Refer a Friend” bonus, where you’ll receive $50 for every mate you refer to us – and they’ll receive $50 when they sign up and deposit. The more mates you have, the more bonus money you can collect.
On top of all that, we’ve got Joe’s Rewards, our loyalty program where you earn Casino Points for every dollar wagered. There are five tiers to this program; as you collect more points and move up the ladder, those points become more valuable, giving you more cash back in return. Check out our Promotions page to find out more about all the different bonuses you can collect just by playing blackjack with us here at Joe Fortune.
Now we get to the brass tacks: How to lock down your seat at our blackjack tables. If you haven’t done so already, the first step is to sign up for your free Joe Fortune account. Fill out our simple form, and once you’ve been approved (age restrictions and other rules apply), we’ll open your free account for you.
Next, take a moment to browse our virtual casino floor and get the lay of the land. Try some of our games for free using the Practice mode; we’ll start you off with some Play Money credits, so you can get familiar with the games and the software.
Speaking of which, you’ll need a compatible device to play our games on – smartphone (yes, we're a mobile casino too!), tablet, laptop or desktop – and you’ll need to be online. We don’t charge you any internet or cellular fees to play at Joe Fortune, but your provider might.
Once you’ve kicked the tires on our games and gotten comfortable navigating our casino floor, it’s time to make that first deposit. Select your preferred deposit method from the list, choose the amount you want to deposit, and your money should appear in your Joe Fortune account almost instantaneously. Don’t forget to claim that welcome bonus when you make your first deposit with us.
Did I mention we’ll bump up the percentages of each welcome match bonus when you use crypto to make your initial deposit? Crypto is the best way to play at our crypto casino; your transactions will go through even more smoothly, with lower transaction fees and zero chance of being blocked by your credit card provider.
Joe Fortune is proud to accept the following forms of crypto:
Each of these digital coins has its specific advantages and uses, so choose the ones that fit your needs the best; we’ll automatically convert your funds into “fiat” currency when you deposit, and back again to crypto when you withdraw, so you don’t have to worry about the price of Bitcoin, or any other coin you use, going up or down while you play.
It’s not just live blackjack that we’ve got waiting for you. Our Live Dealer games at Joe Fortune also feature live roulette (including Mega Roulette Live) and live baccarat (including Super 6), and we’ve just added some exciting new games: Sweet Bonanza Candyland, Speed Roulette Live, Mega Wheel Live, and Treasure Island.
In addition to our Live Dealer games, we’ve got all the classic online casino games here at Joe Fortune, including some 400 different pokies – many of them with healthy progressive jackpots attached. You’ll also find all sorts of different blackjack variants on our table games menu, along with roulette, baccarat, craps, Caribbean Hold’em and Stud, Pai Gow Poker, and much more.
We’ve even got specialty games like Keno on our Joe Fortune menu, plus a wide range of bingo games – and Thundercrash, our arcade-style video game where you can take home a six-figure payday in a matter of minutes. I’m pleased to make this all happen for you right here at Joe Fortune – the best casino in Oz, bar none.