Sunset Station is owned by Station Casinos, a company that dominates the locals gaming market in Las Vegas. It is located in the southeastern part of the Las Vegas Valley in Henderson. It is on Sunset Road near Boulder Highway.
Sunset Station is a middle tier locals casino. It opened on June 10, 1997. It uses a Spanish theme. There are 448 hotel rooms and 80,000 square feet of gaming space. Sunset Station declined some when Green Valley Ranch opened in 2003. Green Valley Ranch became the preferred higher end casino in Henderson. Sunset Station is on the more luxurious side than its sister casino in the area, Boulder Station.
There are many locals amenities at Sunset Station. These include a sports book, movie theater, bowling alley and arcade.
Sunset Station Tables and Games
There are 18 blackjack tables at Sunset Station. These are spread across two types of games. There are 14 tables of double deck blackjack. Limits are $5 to $500, although one table is $25 to $1,000. Players may double down before and after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17. Blackjack pays 3-2. The house edge is 0.4%.
There are four tables that spread six-deck shoes. These games start at $3 and the max is $500. There is one $3 table open 24 hours a day. The other three tables are usually $5 when they are open. Players may double down before and after splitting. Surrender is also permitted. The dealer hits soft 17. Blackjack pays 3-2. The house edge is 0.55%.
It is rare for locals casinos to offer blackjack side bets but Sunset Station does. There are three versions available. The double deck tables have the Pair Square bet where a suited pair pays 25-1, while an unsuited pair pays 10-1.
There is a Lucky Lucky side bet at the six-deck tables that pays starting at a 19. Bonus hands include 678 and 777 and pay out even more when all cards in the hand are suited. A suited 777 pays 200-1 for the jackpot.
One shoe table also has the Lucky Ladies side bet. This pays when a player is dealt a 20. The jackpot is when the player has a pair of heart queens when the dealer also has blackjack. This pays 1000-1. A pair of queens that are hearts pays 200 if the dealer does not have a blackjack. Other bonus payouts include matched (same rank and suit) and suited pairs.
Boarding Pass for Frequent Blackjack Players
Sunset Station uses the Boarding Pass players club. This is used by all Station Casinos in Las Vegas. This includes Red Rock Resort, Green Valley Ranch, Wildfire, Fiesta and Station brands. It is difficult to get comps from playing blackjack on the Boarding Pass card at any Station Casino, much less one with the low minimum bets found at Sunset Station. Free food and hotel rooms are nearly impossible to receive unless betting $25 or higher.
Players will get a free bet each week based on the average bet. The amount tends to equal the average single hand wager. The free bet voucher is printed on the Boarding Pass kiosk machines that are accessible when swiping a Boarding Pass card.
Video poker and slot players receive much better offers from the Boarding Pass program than blackjack players. Cash back is equal to 0.3% of coin-in. Free play and multiplier days are also awarded.
What’s Different?
Sunset Station offers three blackjack side bets. This is unusual for a locals casino. The best one is the Lucky Lucky, which gives big payouts to unusual 21 hands. The $5 double deck game is typical of what is offered in the area. The $3 shoe game is also not that abnormal for Boulder Highway, although it offering surrender is a plus.
The Inside View
Sunset Station is a great place for low limit blackjack. It is in a much nicer neighborhood than its competitors on Boulder Highway. Sunset Station also offers amenities and dining options that are a step above other casinos in the area.
The $3 shoe game is better at Sunset Station than other casinos in the area with the same minimum bet. That is because it offers surrender and pays 3-2 on a natural.
The $5 double deck game is comparable to all other casinos on the Boulder Strip, except Arizona Charlie’s, where players can re-split aces. Station Casinos removed re-split aces from all games in July 2015. This added 0.07% to the house edge on all double deck and shoe blackjack games offered by Station Casinos.
It is difficult to get comps playing blackjack. You will probably get one free bet each week. It is only worth half of its face value because they only match it if you win the bet.
Players may want to mix up video poker with blackjack. There are many video poker machines with games that return 100% to players. Another alternative is to play craps, where 10 times odds are available.