The Arena Poker Room at Casino Arizona's Talking Stick Resort (Scottsdale, AZ) -- FAQ in OP
I figured I would start a new thread on this topic since the grand opening is Thursday April 15th at 6am. The old casino is closing at 2am on April 15th.
From what I have heard, the new room will be completely enclosed so there will be even less of a smoke smell than before.
It will have a few more tables than it currently has which is 46.
There will be restrooms located within the room from what I have heard, so no having to walk halfway through the casino to get them, or past the tempting blackjack tables 😀.
I will be there on opening day between 9am and 1:30pm, so I will post my observations and thoughts on it when I get to work around 2pm, and I encourage everyone else to as well.
The new era of Poker in Arizona begins on Thursday!
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FAQ - created 2017-03-29:
Wait I heard there is no no-limit poker in Arizona 
Technically you heard correctly, we play 'spread limit hold'em'
$300 max with 1/3 blinds (buy in $100-$300)
$500 max with 3/5 blinds (buy in $300-$1,000)
in fact $500 is the maximum bet in any legal state casino.
So what can I bet? Does the betting stop at $300??
You can bet up to the max bet. So if someone bets $12, you may raise to $312, and he may reraise to $612 etc. {or $15, $515, $1015 in 3/5}
So it's not that hard to get all in.
We guess you'll see someone estopped from getting all in @once every 40 hours of live play, and most of those situation arise because people bet very little on earlier streets.
Should I know about anything that happens fairly often
Yes. Because we're technically playing limit poker, the betting is capped at one bet and 3 raises. The big blind counts as the bet before the flop [a live straddle does NOT count]. So if utg raises to $12, utg+1 reraises to $21, the next player who raises will have made the 3rd and final preflop raise, after which everyone else may only call or fold.
This is not real poker; you can't bluff 😡
You cannot value bet either, because everyone know you can't bluff 😉
What games are in the 20/40 four game mix?
My wife and I are escaping to Scottsdale from Utah for a couple of days to get some sun
She's pretty chill so I'll probably be able to escape and play some cards at some stage
Do they run any PLO at talking stick?
My wife and I are escaping to Scottsdale from Utah for a couple of days to get some sun
She's pretty chill so I'll probably be able to escape and play some cards at some stage
Do they run any PLO at talking stick?
PLO is usually only in larger mixed games. I think 5/10 is usually the lowest.
Lone Butte (Gila River Casino) gets PLO games, usually 2 games of 1/2 on Friday nights and either 1/2 or 2/3 on Saturdays. Sometimes they will pop up other days of the week.
I've been able to get some 5/10 plo going at lone butte. Convinced the DD private game to play at LB once a week to help get more players for the player pool.
Any decent hotel recommendations near Talking Stick? I am going to be in AZ for something else next month and thought about adding a few days to stay there and play but there are no rooms (and the ones that sold out were north of 400 a night). Anything reasonable but still decent nearby to stay for a few days?
Feb is high season in Scottsdale/Phoenix. Good luck finding any decent room rates. IDK how much they run in Feb, but there is a cheaper option right across the street from Talking Stick. I've stayed there in the summer (cheap rates) and thought it was perfectly OK. Might even have free b'fast. Can't remember the name, but it'll be obvious in Google Maps. Between Top Golf and Talking Stick. That said, it was probably pre-Covid when I last stayed over there, so it might have gone downhill since.
Any decent hotel recommendations near Talking Stick? I am going to be in AZ for something else next month and thought about adding a few days to stay there and play but there are no rooms (and the ones that sold out were north of 400 a night). Anything reasonable but still decent nearby to stay for a few days?
there is a Hampton Inn right across the parking lot and within walking distance. MLB spring training starts up and rooms get taken up quickly.
Look at Airbnb - there’s a condo complex close to TS (right across street from spring training complex, just west of TS). You can get a place for $200/night incl fees. It’s OK+, I stayed there last December.
Thanks for the tips guys, appreciate it.
Can anyone share opinions on how Talking Stick's 3/5 NLH compares to LA area 5/5 games? Player pool strength, side games, straddles, etc?
