Talking Stick Resort
Independently owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Talking Stick Resort opened its 15-story tower on April 15, 2010, and now runs a AAA Four Diamond-rated floor with hundreds of slots, dozens of table games, and Arizona's largest poker room -- the 68-table ARENA Poker Room that opened in February 2024.
Talking Stick Resort has been Scottsdale's marquee gaming address since its 15-story tower opened on April 15, 2010, built on the same land where Casino Arizona first opened in 1999. Independently owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the AAA Four Diamond-rated property has grown well past a typical tribal casino, layering hundreds of slot titles, dozens of table games, a 6,250-square-foot High Limit Room, and -- as of February 2024 -- the largest poker room in Arizona onto a 240,000-square-foot resort complex with 496 guest rooms, six lounges, and views of Camelback and the McDowell Mountains.
What's on the Slot Floor
Talking Stick's official slot machine page highlights a rotating lineup built around the same link-and-jackpot families that dominate modern casino floors, and the property leans into variety across theme and volatility. Dragon Legacy and Monopoly Big Board Bucks sit alongside island-themed Colada Cash and the pirate-flavored Devil's Lock Slice 'N Dice. The Buffalo family gets two entries -- Buffalo Link and Buffalo ASC, the latter advertised with 5,488 ways to win -- while Phoenix Cash brings a four-title series with fiery graphics well suited to a desert property. Other titles on the floor include Gold Bomber, Railroad Riches Link, Buffalo Eclipse (with Hold & Spin multipliers up to 100x), Mariachi Fortunes Trio, Cash Raccoon, Double Chili, the twin Inferno Link games Bengal Blaze and Siberian Spark, Timber Wolf Triple Power, Prosperity Link's Ri Jin Dou Jin, and Blazing 7S Triple Double Jackpot Wild. The casino's own marketing puts the total count at over 1,400 multi-denominational games, though that figure runs higher than the roughly 800-850 machines cited elsewhere -- worth flagging rather than picking one number to sound more precise than the sourcing actually supports.
High Limit Room and Table Games
Bigger bettors get a dedicated space: the High Limit Room is a 6,250-square-foot lounge with more than 100 state-of-the-art slot machines and 14 table games, decked out with chandeliers, mirrored columns, and a mural of Red Mountain reflecting the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community's identity. It runs 24 hours with its own entrance, private cage, host station, and private restrooms -- a fully separated experience from the main floor rather than a roped-off corner of it. Out on the general floor, the table games spread covers blackjack, pai gow poker, high card flush, craps, roulette, three card poker, and ultimate texas hold'em; how many tables exist in total is genuinely unclear from public sources, which cite anywhere from 32 to 50 depending on when and where the figure was pulled, so this article presents the range rather than asserting a single number.
Arizona's Largest Poker Room
The single biggest recent addition to Talking Stick's gaming footprint is the ARENA Poker Room, which opened to the public on February 8, 2024 after an exclusive preview party the night before. At 68 tables, it's billed as the largest poker room in Arizona, expanding westward into what used to be parking lot space. Dealers run Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and 7-Card Stud, with daily tournaments and the Arizona State Poker Tournament as recurring fixtures. The room is built for spectacle as much as play -- 130 arena-sized LED screens hang from the ceiling, walls, and pillars -- and it adds a sit-down dining area, a full bar at the entrance, and an outdoor balcony, all with service available at every table. Poker at Talking Stick runs around the clock; not every table is staffed at all hours, but a cash game is reliably findable any time of day.
Dining, Amenities, and Atmosphere
Talking Stick backs its gaming floor with a genuine resort experience. Six restaurants and cafes are on site, headlined by Orange Sky, a fine-dining room on the 15th floor with desert and mountain views, the Wandering Horse Buffet with all-you-can-eat king crab legs and multiple live cooking stations, and the 24-hour Blue Coyote Café for anyone who needs a meal at 4 a.m. after a long session at the tables. Beyond food, the resort runs a 13,000-square-foot spa, four pools (including a lounge pool added in an April 2014 renovation that also brought a concert stage hosting acts like Journey and Bad Company), a golf club, and a cultural center reflecting the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community's history. Player reviews describe a 'classy atmosphere' and 'skilled, amiable card dealers,' and the property holds a AAA Four Diamond rating with an inspector score of 4.3, recognized for combining entertainment, dining, and guest rooms into one upscale package -- though as with most large, always-open casino floors, other visitor feedback is more mixed on crowding and consistency during peak hours.
History and Ownership
The resort sits on land that has hosted gaming since 1999, when the original Casino Arizona at 101 & Indian Bend opened under the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. After a September 2006 groundbreaking, the current 15-story, 200.5-foot tower -- designed by FFKR Architects -- opened on April 15, 2010, with an official grand opening on June 10 of that year. The 55.6-acre property (plus roughly 20 acres of parking) is independently owned and operated by the tribe rather than a commercial casino operator, a distinction the resort emphasizes in its own marketing. The property weathered a serious setback in August 2018, when a severe monsoon flooded critical building systems on August 11 and forced a full evacuation; the resort stayed closed for over a month, reopening September 24, 2018, after repairs.
Tips for Visiting
Given the spread between the casino's advertised 1,400-plus slot games and the lower 800-850 figures cited elsewhere, don't be surprised if the floor feels smaller than the marketing suggests -- ask a host for a current floor count if a specific number matters to your trip planning. High-limit players should head straight for the dedicated 6,250-square-foot High Limit Room rather than hunting across the main floor, since it runs its own 24-hour schedule with a separate entrance. Poker players chasing a seat should note the ARENA Poker Room is new as of February 2024, replacing the previous, smaller poker setup, so it's worth confirming current table games and buy-in structures directly rather than relying on older trip reports. And because the resort sustained a major monsoon-driven closure in 2018, anyone visiting during Arizona's summer monsoon season (roughly June through September) may want to check current operating status before making the drive, even though the property has operated normally for years since reopening.
Notable games on the floor
- Dragon Legacy
- Colada Cash
- Devil's Lock Slice 'N Dice
- Monopoly Big Board Bucks
- Gold Bomber
- Railroad Riches Link
- Buffalo Eclipse
- Mariachi Fortunes Trio
- Phoenix Cash
- Cash Raccoon
- Double Chili
- Inferno Link – Bengal Blaze
- Inferno Link – Siberian Spark
- Timber Wolf Triple Power
- Prosperity Link – Ri Jin Dou Jin
- Buffalo Link
- Buffalo ASC
- Blazing 7S Triple Double Jackpot Wild
Good to know
- The casino floor totals 98,000 square feet within the resort's 240,000-square-foot overall footprint, and offers over 1,400 multi-denominational slot games according to the official slots page.
- Slot counts vary by source: Wikipedia cites 'over 850 slot machines,' one search summary cites roughly 800, and the official slots page advertises 'over 1,400' games -- presented here rather than picked silently, since the true current count could not be pinned to one figure.
- Features a dedicated 6,250-square-foot High Limit Room with over 100 slot machines and 14 table games, open 24 hours with a separate entrance, private cage, and host station.
- Table games include blackjack, pai gow poker, high card flush, craps, roulette, three card poker, and ultimate texas hold'em; reported table counts vary from 32 to 50 depending on the source.
- The ARENA Poker Room opened to the public on February 8, 2024, with 68 tables, making it the largest poker room in Arizona; it offers Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and 7-Card Stud plus daily tournaments and the Arizona State Poker Tournament, with 130 arena-sized LED screens throughout.
- The resort opened April 15, 2010 (grand opening June 10, 2010) on the former site of Casino Arizona at 101 & Talking Stick Way, following a September 2006 groundbreaking; it is independently owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
- The 15-story hotel tower reaches 200.5 feet tall, and the property sits on 55.6 acres with an additional 20 acres of parking; the resort has 496 guest rooms, 21 meeting rooms, six lounges, five restaurants, a 25,000-square-foot ballroom, a 13,000-square-foot spa, and four pools.
- A severe monsoon on August 11, 2018 flooded critical systems and forced an evacuation; the resort remained closed for over a month before reopening on September 24, 2018.
- On-site dining includes Orange Sky fine dining on the 15th floor, the Wandering Horse Buffet (with all-you-can-eat king crab legs and multiple cooking stations), and the 24-hour Blue Coyote Café, among six total restaurants and cafes.
- Player reviews describe a 'classy atmosphere' with 'skilled, amiable card dealers,' and the property carries a AAA Four Diamond rating with a 4.3 AAA score, praised for combining entertainment, fine dining, and guest rooms.
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