They say "April showers bring May flowers." Well it doesn't rain much in Las Vegas. However, the wind howls in April. This month it seemed to be blowing to the southeast. So, despite yard work requirements and a busy sports month with hockey and baseball playoffs, plus the Major League Baseball season underway, I managed to hoist my sail and let the "blackjack trade winds" blow me to the southeast corner of the Las Vegas Valley to check out a couple of Henderson casinos for this month's issue.

Both the properties visited this month are part of the Station Casinos "empire," which consists of 18 casinos, including the Wildfire Gaming brand. Station Casinos, LLC was founded by Frank Fertitta, Jr. and is based in Summerlin, Nevada; a Las Vegas suburb. The company's first property opened July 1, 1976 as the Bingo Palace, which was later renamed Palace Station. Station Casinos is a dominant player in the Las Vegas locals' casino market and its properties are designed primarily to attract residents of the surrounding area; however, as you'll see after reading this article, they have a lot to offer visitors and locals alike. Let's begin.

Like the other large Station-owned casinos, GVR offers some very playable blackjack. Unfortunately, much of the table games space is consumed with non-blackjack "gems," including one ten-table pit which houses Three Card Poker, Fortune Pai Gow, Pai Gow Progressive, Let It Ride, Crazy 4 Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, Double Draw Poker, and High Card Flush. This "carnival games" pit is one of four pits that circle the Drop Bar in the center of the casino. The other three pits and the High-Limit Room all have some blackjack tables. I noticed a few baccarat tables as well; one with the Dragon Bonus. All told there are nearly 50 table games on-site. These include four craps tables, grouped together; plus three roulette tables.

I counted ten double-deck blackjack tables, five six-deck shoes, and a pair of unplayable single-deck offerings paying 6:5 on player blackjacks. There was also a single-deck version of Free Bet Blackjack that paid 6:5 on player blackjacks. This was the first time I have seen that game offered with only one deck. Generally I've seen it with six decks. However, it's not a game I play.

Green Valley Ranch offers some of the better double-deck blackjack games in the Las Vegas market. All games except the single-deck games mentioned above pay 3:2 on player blackjacks. Players are allowed to double down after any first two cards (DOA) and after splitting (DAS). Aces can be split and re-split to form up to four total hands. Dealers hit their soft 17s and surrender is not offered. Playing rules are the same for both the hand-dealt double-deck games and six-deck shoe games. If you are into side bets, they are available, though I must admit I've pretty much grown immune to even noticing them unless players on the table with me are playing them. On this night they were not. Royal Match and Pair Square are two of the more common ones, but the house holds a significant advantage on these bets. I recommend avoiding them.

Table minimums and maximums at GVR varied when I visited on a Friday night. The majority of the minimums were $10, with a couple of $5 games; however, I was told that on weekdays, the majority of the blackjack games begin at $5. There were a few $25 minimum double-decks as well. Maximum bets allowed ranged from $1,000-$2,000 on the main casino floor. Mid-deck entry is allowed on most of the tables, except one that is always a $25 minimum game I was told. Despite a busy table games area the night I visited, the pit personnel seemed very attentive and tended to follow the games in their sections closely.