SLS Las Vegas is located on the far north end of the Las Vegas Strip. It is on the site of the former Sahara Casino. Sahara closed on May 16, 2011. SLS Las Vegas reopened on this same property on August 23, 2014.
SLS Las Vegas is owned by SBE Entertainment Group. This company owns many SLS luxury hotels throughout the country. SLS Las Vegas was its first venture into gambling. It has not turned out well.
The property is on a bit of an island. It is the far north stop on the Las Vegas Monorail. This gives it some connectivity it may not otherwise have.
The only casino within walking distance is Stratosphere. Riviera was one block south of it but it closed in May 2015. Circus Circus is a bit of a long walk and is not exactly SLS Las Vegas’ clientele. This lack of foot traffic and poor location has left SLS Las Vegas struggling to survive. Its nightclubs have failed to catch on to locals and tourists alike. At least it offers some decent blackjack action.
SLS Las Vegas Tables and Games
There are 13 six-deck shoes at SLS Las Vegas that offer player friendly rules. The limits are $10 to $2,000. Players may double down on any two cards and after splitting. Surrender and re-split aces are also allowed. The dealer hits soft 17. The house edge is 0.47%. There are 10 tables in a party pit with these same rules except that blackjack pays 6-5. The house edge there moves up to 1.84%. These 6-5 tables are only open on weekends.
There are four Blackjack Switch tables. The limits are $10 to $1,000. The minimum bet is actually double that because a player must wager on two hands at the same time. That is because cards may be moved from one hand to another to improve the chances of winning. The house edge is 0.58%.
There are a couple of 6-5 single deck blackjack games that allow double down before but not after splitting. Blackjack pays 6-5. The house edge is 1.68%. The bet limits are $5 to $1,000.
There are two different types of blackjack games in the high limit salon. The six-deck shoe has $100 to $10,000 bet limits. The dealer stands on all 17’s. Players may double down before and after splitting, as well as surrender and re-split aces. The house edge is 0.27%.
There is a double deck that also has $100 to $10,000 limits. Players may double down on any two cards and after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17. The house edge here is 0.4%.
The Code for Frequent Blackjack Players
SLS Las Vegas uses The Code for its players club. Players should expect decent offers for playing green chip at any blackjack table for four or more hours a day. High limit players should expect free meals at the higher end restaurants, free entry to the clubs and hotel room upgrades. It is one of the better deals for blackjack players on the Las Vegas Strip. SLS Las Vegas understands that it needs to attract gamblers to its resort and is now using The Code players club to do just that.
What’s Different?
SLS Las Vegas offers great blackjack games for players that are willing to walk past the 6-5 tables in the front party pit. The $10 shoe game offers all of the great player rules except that it hits soft 17. The high limit shoe game adds the stand on 17 rule. The environment is much classier at SLS Las Vegas than other casinos on that end of the Las Vegas Strip.
The Inside View
SLS Las Vegas is a bit lost between being a locals casino and one for Californian tourists. It tried to be more of a nightclub and fine dining establishment than a casino when it first launched. It quickly realized that was a terrible concept. SLS Las Vegas has improved its casino offering by spreading great $10 blackjack games in the form of the traditional one that adds surrender and re-split aces to the mix, as well as Blackjack Switch, a game only for expert players.
SLS Las Vegas once spread $25 double deck on its main casino floor. Double deck was pulled in favor of a lower limit 6-5 single deck. That game should be avoided. Also avoid the 6-5 shoe games in the party pit that is first seen when walking through the front door by the valet. Hotel guests can sit at the first table games put seen when entering from the elevators.
If you play high limits, choose the shoe game over the double deck, unless you are an expert counter. The house edge is 0.13% lower for the shoe because it stands on all 17’s.
If you play craps, you may want to check the game out here. SLS Las Vegas is the only casino on the Las Vegas Strip that spreads 10 times odds on the Pass Line and Don’t Pass. The Field also pays triple on 12. It seems odds and the cash used to buy-in create favorable reports when it comes time to determine comps. Keep that in mind when buying into craps and blackjack tables at SLS Las Vegas.