Talking Stick Resort at a glance
Inside Talking Stick Resort
Talking Stick Resort opened in 2010 and operates as the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s destination-resort property. The resort sits at 9800 E Indian Bend Road in Scottsdale, Arizona, on tribal reservation lands east of the city. As the larger and more-developed of the Community’s two gaming properties, Talking Stick pairs the resort experience (hotel, golf, multi-restaurant dining) with one of the largest live-poker rooms in the western United States. The sister property Casino Arizona at McKellips and the 101 Freeway serves as the focused gaming-floor venue under the same operator.
The gaming floor carries 800 slot machines, a 50-table pit, a 47-table live poker room, and video poker. The table side spreads blackjack, 3 Card Poker, Casino War, Pai Gow Poker, Progressive Pai Gow Poker, Let it Ride, keno, and Straight Jack Progressive. The minimum gambling age is 21 and the casino is regulated by the Arizona Department of Gaming under the tribal-state compact.
Venue photo
Talking Stick Resort
Scottsdale, Arizona
On the Gaming Floor
Talking Stick Resort runs one of the larger gaming floors in the Phoenix metro area, with 800 slot machines and a 50-table pit. The slot floor mixes the standard penny-to-high-denomination range across themes.
The 50-table pit is the property’s standout feature for table-game players: depth that exceeds most peer Arizona casinos, with the full mix of standard pit and carnival-style games.
Standard blackjack anchors the pit, supported by Pai Gow Poker, Casino War, and progressive carnival variants.
Pai Gow Poker is the slower-paced split-hand format that sits alongside blackjack as a non-progressive alternative.
Carnival specialties include 3 Card Poker, Progressive Pai Gow Poker, Let it Ride, and Straight Jack Progressive, all with side-bet pools that chain across the pit.
Let it Ride is the let-the-bet-ride mechanic game that lets players pull back wagers after seeing each community card.
Keno is also available as a slow-paced lottery-style format for visitors who prefer non-slot, non-table games.
Video poker rounds out the electronic gaming side for players who prefer the machine-skill format.
Casino War is the game most worth calling out: it’s the simplest game in the casino (highest card wins), but it’s rarely spread at tribal casinos and Talking Stick keeps it on the pit alongside the more complex carnival games. The combination of standard pit depth and unusual specialty games gives the property breadth that few Arizona casino resorts can match.
Poker Room
The Talking Stick Resort poker room is a 47-table operation, making it the largest live-poker room in Arizona and one of the largest in the western United States. The room spreads 7 Card Stud, Mixed Games, Omaha, and Texas Hold’em. The 47-table scale supports multiple stakes and game formats simultaneously, plus a serious tournament schedule throughout the year.
The presence of dedicated Mixed Games tables alongside Omaha and Stud variants is what makes the room serious: very few rooms anywhere in the US run dedicated Mixed Games tables, so the Talking Stick room’s presence is significant for players who want depth beyond the Hold’em-only format that dominates most live poker today. Tournament schedules and daily cash-game spreads should be checked with the room directly before a trip, but the room is large enough that there is reliably action on most days.
Hotel, Golf & Resort Amenities
Talking Stick Resort is built as a full destination resort. The amenity stack includes an on-site hotel, golf course, restaurants, a swimming pool, retail shops, and both valet and self-parking. The integrated lodging and the Indian Bend Road address reflect that the property is meant for multi-day stays rather than quick gaming visits.
The golf course is the standout daytime amenity: on-site golf at a tribal casino is a meaningful draw for guests pairing gaming with recreation. The amenity scale puts the property in the upper tier of Arizona casino resorts, alongside Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler and Desert Diamond Hotel & Casino in Tucson. For new visitors comparing the two Salt River Pima-Maricopa properties, Talking Stick is the destination-resort choice and Casino Arizona is the focused-gaming choice.
Amenities
- Golf
- Open 24/7
- Pool
- Resort
- Restaurant
- Self-parking
- Shops
- Valet
- On-site Hotel
Location & Access
Talking Stick Resort is located at 9800 E Indian Bend Road in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community reservation lands east of the city. The Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) is the practical access route, with the Indian Bend Road exit dropping visitors at the resort campus. The location places the property roughly 15 miles northeast of downtown Phoenix and a short drive from north Scottsdale.
Self-parking and valet are both available. The east-Scottsdale location keeps Talking Stick on the active edge of the metro, close to Old Town Scottsdale and the Salt River Fields baseball complex (where the Arizona Diamondbacks hold spring training). For visitors looking at the two Salt River Pima-Maricopa properties, the geographic difference is small: Casino Arizona at the 101/McKellips intersection is a few miles south on the same freeway.
How Talking Stick Resort compares locally
Directory comparison: Talking Stick Resort vs nearby venues
We track 4 properties in Scottsdale. The comparison below uses directory data only — machine counts and hours should still be confirmed with each casino.
| Property | Talking Stick Resort
This property
| |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Scottsdale | Scottsdale | Maricopa | Fountain Hills |
| Address | 9800 E Indian Bend Rd, Scottsdale | 101 & McKellips, Arizona | 15406 N Maricopa Rd, Maricopa | 10424 N Fort McDowell Rd, Fort McDowell |
| Games in directory | 10 game types | 11 game types | 10 game types | 12 game types |
| Live poker room | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Hotel / resort | No | No | No | No |
| Open 24/7 (tag) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Table games (reported) | 50 | — | — | — |
| Gaming machines (reported) | 800 | — | — | — |
| Read more | This page | Visit page | Visit page | Visit page |
Amenity checklist: Scottsdale casinos (3 listed)
| Amenity / Game | Talking Stick Resort | Casino Arizona |
|---|---|---|
| 🎰 Slot Machines | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🃏 Table Games | ✓ | ✓ |
| ♠️ Poker Room | ✓ | — |
| 🎱 Bingo | — | ✓ |
| 🖥️ Video Poker | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🍽️ Restaurant | ✓ | — |
| 🏨 Hotel / Resort | — | — |
| 🏊 Pool | ✓ | — |
| 🕐 Open 24/7 | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🅿️ Free Parking | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🚗 Valet Parking | ✓ | ✓ |
What the directory data shows
Strengths and gaps inferred from games, features, and peer count in our CSV-backed directory — not a substitute for a property visit.
Strengths
5- 10 game types listed in our directory
- Live poker listed (4 variants)
- 24/7 floor tag in directory data
- On-site dining tag in directory
- Valet parking listed
Watch-outs
2- No hotel/resort tag — confirm lodging before an overnight trip
- 4 venues in Scottsdale; compare amenities in the table below
Worth a stop for Scottsdale visitors
Talking Stick Resort is one of 2 venue(s) we list in Scottsdale. Use the comparison tables above, then confirm table minimums and hours on property.
9800 E Indian Bend Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85256, USA
Scottsdale, AZ 85256
Open in Google MapsLicensing & Rules
- Regulator
- Arizona Department of Gaming
- Age Requirement
- 21+
- Sportsbook
- Legal
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Context
Talking Stick Resort is owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, a federally recognized Native American tribe with reservation lands east of Scottsdale. The Community operates two casinos on its reservation: Talking Stick Resort (this property, the destination resort) and Casino Arizona at the 101 and McKellips intersection. The two-property model gives the Community both a focused gaming-floor venue and a destination resort under one operator.
Gaming runs under a compact between the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the State of Arizona, authorized by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. The Arizona Department of Gaming provides state-side oversight. Gaming revenue supports Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community government operations, community programs, and economic development for enrolled tribal members.
