Boulder Station



Well off the strip, on the east side of town. Right off of Rt 515 @ Desert Inn Rd. As with most of the Station Casinos, Boulder Station Casino sticks out over the landscape, you can see it from miles away. It's right off of Boulder Hwy, only a mile from Sam's Town. If you're aiming for the poker room, the closest parking lot is the one just to the right of the main entrance (pictured); parking in the large covered structure is the farthest away you could get.

Games and Info
Limit hold 'em: always running.
 * $2/$4 all the time. Usually 1-2 tables.
 * $4/$8 half kill all the time. Usually 1-2 tables. Blinds on the 4/8 are only 1 and 2, though the bet size on the preflop round is still 4 (a raise preflop would take the current bet to 6).  On the half kill, the killer puts out $3 as their blind.  Killer acts last preflop unless there is a raise when it gets to them, in which case they act in turn.

No-limit hold 'em: 1/2 blinds (100-500 buyin). Only runs Fri and Sat nights.

Omaha:
 * $4/$8 half kill all the time. Usually 2-3 tables. Yes, this is Omaha High, not hi-lo split.

Shuffling: All tables machine shuffled.

Rake: 0-10%, max rake is $4, plus $1 for jackpot.

Game Character: The regulars who often populate the 4/8 games of both variants are fairly good, able to get away from draws and even pairs if they're not getting the right pot odds. As one of the only real casinos that regularly spreads Omaha high around the clock, it attracts the Omaha junkies.



Wait Time
The wait can be long for an Omaha table as they tend to attract the regulars, who often occupy about 50% of any table.

Note, you can CALL AHEAD and get your name on the call sheet. I didn't know that and was 8th on the list. Still I got in in under 20 minutes as the call aheads weren't there.

Do not go more than 100 feet from the poker room or you may not hear your name on the speaker, or get there in time before they pass you over. Though they say they announce the seats over the speakers, you really can't hear it anywhere in the main part of the casino (even though they say you can).

Tournaments and Jackpots
No tournaments.

Jackpots: The standard Station Casinos "Jumbo Jackpot" bad beat jackpot. Plus whatever special jackpot promotion the current month is offering (Aces Cracked, or Quad Eights, or whatever). Royal Flush always pays a bonus.



Atmosphere
A pleasant no-nonsense poker room in the corner of the casino near the Bingo room. If you are not around the strip, this is a good quiet place to play. Nine big screens hung on the wall let you keep up with the latest sports, and the room was recently remodeled to seem more open and inviting. The general decor is trying to evoke "old timey train station": light fixtures, wall decor, etc (since the remodeling this is a little less obvious). Decent surroundings, if not eye-popping.

They have a nice water cooler (self serve), and you better use it. The single cocktail waitress can be a rarely seen event. However, when she comes, she will serve not only drinks but also food (which you can eat at the tables); the menu is posted on the wall and has basic food (burgers, etc) at decently low prices.

Smoking:Not Allowed. Since 2015.

Tables and Chairs: Decent but not outstanding chairs. 10-seat tables have black vinyl armrests with inset cupholders, decent green felt, clean commit line, and a wood staging area (outer ring) on the table, so your chips are easily knocked over. They also have rollup tray tables for drinks or food.

Cash doesn't play, you must buy chips.

Keeping your chips in your rack at the table is OK.

Standard advanced computer systems at tables found at all Station Casinos which let you swipe your player's card to earn decent comp dollars. Standard Bravo brush software, and three monitors scattered around the room displaying the wait lists.

Chip colors
These are standard Las Vegas colors. I never see anyone with anything other than $1 or $5, but I'm sure some $25 linger.


 * $1 - blue
 * $5 - red
 * $25 - green

Other Notes
Visited by MarkT in Nov 2006, Mar 2007, Apr 2009.