Henderson is a suburb of Las Vegas. It is located on the southeast side of the Las Vegas Valley. Las Vegas visitors that enter from Arizona will drive through Henderson on the way to the Las Vegas Strip or downtown Las Vegas.
Henderson has numerous locals casinos. These range from small-scale resorts to casinos that offer little more than slots and video poker. Most of these casinos offer locals a great deal when it comes to gambling, dining, and where applicable, hotel accommodations. The biggest reason for this is that there is steep competition in the Henderson locals market. Another factor is that locals tend to be savvy gamblers. This means more video poker machines, fewer slots, and better odds on table games when compared to resorts that cater to tourists.
Fiesta Henderson
Fiesta Henderson is the largest casino in the Henderson locals market. It offers a 224-room hotel, buffet, steakhouse, café, Mexican restaurant and food court. There is also a movie theater and weekend live entertainment at the lounges. Most of these amenities are not found at other casinos near downtown Henderson.
Fiesta Henderson is located where I-215 and US 95 intersect. This makes it convenient for players entering from Arizona and locals coming from other parts of the valley.
Fiesta Henderson has a 73,000 square-foot casino floor. It includes more than 1,000 slots and video poker machines. Most of the video poker machines offer high returns. This includes full pay tables on Deuces Wild, Joker Poker, Loose Deuces, Double Double Bonus Poker and Double Bonus Poker.
There is also a large table game pit. There are two craps tables with 10 times odds. Unfortunately, the field only pays double on 12. The minimum bet is $2. There is a $5 roulette table with two zeros. Ultimate Texas Hold’em has $5 to $25 limits. There is also a $5 No Commission Pai Gow Poker table.
The blackjack at Fiesta Henderson leaves a lot to be desired for serious players. There are three blackjack tables with continuous shuffle machines that pay 6-5 on a blackjack. The minimum bet there is $3. There are four shoe blackjack games that pay 3-2 with a $5 minimum bet. Players may double down on any two cards and after splitting. Surrender is also available.
The only single deck game blackjack at Fiesta Henderson is Free Bet Blackjack. It pays 6-5 on a natural. This game gives players free double downs and splits. The minimum bet is $5.
The best real money blackjack game at Fiesta Henderson is the $5 double decks. Players may double down before and after splitting. The house edge for this game is 0.4%, which is great for a $5 game.
The dealer hits soft 17 at all blackjack games at Fiesta Henderson. The maximum bet is always $500.
Skyline Casino
Skyline Casino is located on Boulder Highway near the intersection of Sunset Rd. It is an older casino in terms of condition and clientele. Skyline Casino is one of the smokiest casinos we have ever encountered.
There are three $5 blackjack tables at Skyline Casino. Players may double down before and after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17. Blackjack pays 3-2. There is a single poker table at Skyline Casino. The typical game is 2/4 Fixed Limit Hold’em. The rake is 10% up to $3. The blackjack and poker tables are only open after 5pm Thursday through Sunday.
The video poker at Skyline Casino is excellent. There is an entire room full of $.25 full pay Deuces Wild. Some of the machines require 10 coins to hit the jackpot. There are also nine 10/7/5 Double Bonus Poker machines. A majority of the video poker machines at Skyline Casino operate on coins, including all of the ones with great pay tables.
The only amenities at Skyline Casino are a video poker bar and a small café. We found the drink service at Skyline Casino to be exceptional during our visit.
Jokers Wild
Jokers Wild is located on Boulder Highway at Warm Springs Dr. It is a Boyd Gaming property. You wouldn’t know it by looking around. It is a grind joint with low limits and good games.
There are five table games at Jokers Wild. One is a $1 craps game with 10 times odds. The Field bet pays triple on 12. This is the best deal for craps in all of the Las Vegas area. There is a $3 shoe blackjack table that pays 3-2 on a natural and only permits double down on the first two cards. The other three blackjack tables are double deck. These permit double down before and after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17. The minimum bet for Jokers Wild double deck blackjack is $5. The maximum bet is $300.
There are four video poker machines at Jokers Wild that return more than 100%. That is 10/7/5 Double Bonus Poker. There is also a Super Aces machine with a payback just under 100%.
Railroad Pass
Railroad Pass is one of the oldest gaming licenses in Nevada. The casino opened in 1931. It is located just west of the US95/US 93 interchange outside of Boulder City. Since gambling is illegal in Boulder City, Railroad Pass is the closest casino to most of those residents. Railroad Pass offers a 120-room hotel, 24-hour café and a steakhouse that is open on weekends.
There are four blackjack tables at Railroad Pass. One is a six-deck shoe with a $3 minimum bet. The other three are $5 double deck blackjack tables. All four tables have the same rules. Players may double down before and after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17.
There are a variety of Triple Bonus Plus video poker machines. The return is 99.8% with perfect play and five coins. The denominations are $.25, $.50 and $1. Some of these games operate on coins.
Downtown Henderson Casinos
There are three casinos located in downtown Henderson. Those are Eldorado, Rainbow Club and Emerald Island. There is little difference between these casinos. All three offer a 24-hour café. None offer table games.
Eldorado has a bingo room and sportsbook. The best video poker is 10/7/5 Double Bonus in the $.25 denomination. Like Jokers Wild, Eldorado is owned by Boyd Gaming, even though it is not on the same tier as the company’s other properties.
Emerald Island specializes in penny and nickel games. The best video poker is 10/6 Double Double Bonus. This is available on 3, 5 and 10 play machines with 10-coin caps. Emerald Island is the only casino in the world with 10/6 Double Double Bonus on a multi-play machine. The same machines also spread “Not-So-Ugly-Deuces” and 9/6 Jacks or Better.
Rainbow Club’s video poker is the worst of the downtown Henderson casinos but it is still acceptable in terms of returns. Players will find No-So-Ugly-Deuces and 9/6 Jacks or Better in denominations up to $.25. Some are on multi-hand machines.
