Beat the Field is just one of the many fun new slot machines at Casino Arizona's recently-opened Talking Stick resort.

Casino Arizona’s posh new Talking Stick gaming and resort property is shaping up to be Scottsdale’s newest go-to gambling destination.  The 240,000 square foot gaming area plus the resort’s many restaurants and the live entertainment showroom are now open at the Loop 101 and Indian Bend location.  The hotel portion of Talking Stick  has struggled to open and is — at this writing — still awaiting final occupancy approvals.  A recent visit to the new casino near Phoenix showed continuing construction on the hotel with the outdoor pool and spa area looking far from completion.  We found out by phone that casino staffers are taking reservations for hotel rooms beginning July 1 and gave a mid-August date for the pools to be open to guests.

We’ve made several visits to this newest Arizona casino and found both pluses and minuses to the property.  Here are some of our observations beginning with the most important part of any casino — the gaming!

Gaming at Talking Stick

Machine Selection — There is a huge variety of both flashy new games — think Sex and the City with Mr. Big as your host — and old customer favorites on the Talking Stick floor.  Some of the hottest slot machines on the market can be found here.  You can play a game new to Arizona, Monopoly™ Planet Go™, where the beloved Mr. Moneybags encounters aliens and other space-themed icons.  There is also the community-based horse racing slot game, “Beat the Field,” which I recently saw hit for a $1,136.19 progressive.  Not bad for a 2¢ game!

Other new slot machines include a  “Life of Luxury” progressive plus slot game “Great Wall” which offers players a progressive that pays in free games. Talking Stick visitors will also find machines based on popular TV shows such as “Happy Days,” “Stargate SG-1” and the aforementioned “Sex and the City” with its four-game screen filled with colorful icons depicting stiletto heels, posh cocktails and of course, the gorgeous stars of the hit show.  Be sure to check out all the floor-wide progressive games, too.  A busy High Limit room rounds out the gaming area.

Poker – The new Poker room maintains its status as the largest in Arizona.  The state-of-the-art room features fifty tables to accommodate players of Texas Hold ‘Em, Seven Card Stud and Omaha Hi-Lo as well as a full schedule of poker tournaments and events.

Table Games — More than 50 tables of Blackjack, Three Card Poker, Let Ride and Lucky Ladies are dealt around the clock. Casino War is also available at Talking Stick.

Video Poker — They’ve taken out our (and many other players!) favorite games:  nickel Spin Poker Deluxe and Fifty Play poker.  (You’ll find lots of the Spin Poker “regulars” now playing at Casino Arizona at Salt River.) They’ve added All-Star Poker with its menu of games such as Chase the Royal and Super Times Pay.  All Star machines include a Spin Poker game but the denomination here starts at 10¢ and playable lines are maxed out at nine.  Pay tables on all the games we saw left a lot to be desired as well.  Also, it was disappointing to see that free play bucks — or as the casino calls it “Power Percs” credits — are not accepted on All Star machines.

Keno — There is a small Keno lounge conveniently located near casual restaurant, the Black Fig, and a circular sports-themed bar.

More to come on the new Casino Arizona at Talking Stick including a review of our yummy lunch from the Black Fig. Have you been to the new casino and if so, what is your take on it?

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Click on the bluebird to follow me on Twitter!

Did you know that “fan,”  “friend” and “tweet” are now verbs?  They are when you’re using them to describe the newest ways to get great deals and up-to-the-minute info on your favorite casinos!  In this new digital age, casinos — as well as lots of other businesses — are using the new online “social media” sites to get their messages out to customers in the most timely of fashions.

Take for instance popular website, Facebook — casually known as FB.  When you sign up for an account (it’s free and easy to do!) you can get in touch with individual users such as family members and old pals PLUS you can  “friend” or become a “fan” of business sites such as local gaming favorites Casino Arizona, Harrah’s Ak-Chin and Fort McDowell Casino.  Whenever the casinos have news or special deals they want customers to know about, they publish the info and, as a fan, you’ll see the information pop up on your homepage.  For instance, this offer from Harrah’s Ak-Chin appeared on my Facebook “wall” this week notifying FB fans and Twitter followers of a Harvest Buffet special for March:

“Harrah’s Ak-Chin wishes everyone a fabulous weekend! Don’t forget to tell your friends about our deals on FB! Currently we have a Harvest BOGO for the end of March. Check out our photo album for more details.” So, just for being a Facebook “fan” of the casino, I got news of an exclusive “Buy One, Get One” free buffet offer!

Over at another hot “social media” site, Twitter, you can “follow” your fav casinos plus get lots of great gambling news by following poker stars, gaming writers and more.  And, if you head to Vegas on a regular basis, there are lots of LV casinos and knowledgeable travel sites posting great deals and info on the site as well.  You can follow me,  ccroyal on Twitter , and check out my “Vegas” list to get ideas on who to follow for the best news and offers.  Again, signing up is not only easy but also FREE!

Here are some links to check out if you want in on these online exclusives:

• Harrah’s on Facebook
• Casino Arizona on Facebook
• Fort McDowell on Facebook
• ccroyal on Twitter
• Harrah’s Ak-Chin on Twitter
• Casino Arizona on Twitter

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We just received our newest mailers from Fort McDowell Casino and noticed that this new **expanded** mailer includes our club member offers and news of upcoming special events for not only February but also for the month of March.  (Former mailers contained only one month’s info at a time.)  The colorful piece includes coupons for dinners and buffets plus lots of special bingo coupons for the casino’s well-attended Bingo Hall as well as news on upcoming giveaways and other events.

This same six-panel mailer included info on our free slotplay offers for February and March under the “Crown Credits” heading.  According to the promo piece, the weekly Crown Credits “go in every Monday morning at 12:01 a.m. and expire on Thursday nights at 11:59 p.m.  These credits automatically are on your card and you don’t need a coupon.”

To get great offers in the mail from Fort McDowell Casino and other area casinos, be sure to ALWAYS get a players club card and ALWAYS use the card while playing your favorite games.

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Also at Harrah’s Ak-Chin now through the end of October, guests have a chance to win cash and more during the casino’s weekend promotions featuring games from “The Price is Right.”  Players club members must swipe their cards on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am – 5 pm to be eligible for a guaranteed prize.  Lucky players can qualify for Free Slot Play™; a special “The Price Is Right” gift; Reward Credits®; or a chance to play The Big Wheel or Plinko.  I was out this past Saturday and won a chance to play Plinko during which I received three “pucks” to drop down the money board.  I ended up winning a nice $125 in slot play coupons after hitting the top $100 prize slot.

For more info on these and other promotions, visit the Harrah’s Ak-Chin website.

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The original "Ocean's 11" plus the Clooney/Pitt flicks are all available in this cool DVD collection from Amazon.

Hitting four aces or watching the reels stop on three fiery sevens aren’t the only ways to rack up some big cash at a casino.  There are always other, shall we say, more creative ways to try and score as a recent news item showed:   A former employee of the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson was sentenced Thursday to 37 months in prison plus must pay restitution to the casino for printing and cashing more than HALF A MILLION bucks in bogus jackpot tickets. The “instant winner,” 31-year-old Adam Thomas Vega, must pay $644,422 in restitution to the Tohono O’odham Nation, owners of the casino where he worked as a slot floor person from 2001 until July 2007.  Vega generated  585 phony slot tickets — all below the magic W-2-generating $1,200 amount — using passwords belonging to casino supervisors.  Read more about the case here.

Casino heists and cheats make for great movies — think “Ocean’s 11″ and “21″ — but in real life the criminals such as the Desert Diamond employee rarely get away with the cash.  Here are some examples of heists and cheats “gone bad” in the real world of casino crimes:

Luck ran out for these two Georgia men who tried to rip off both the Showboat Casino and Caesars in Atlantic City:  Atlantic City casino heist

The Tucson man mentioned above merits a listing in this interesting article detailing the mistaken adventures of would-be casino “winners” in  this post on this eclectic U.K. site, Destroy the Odds:  18 Casino Heists: The Strange, The Surgical, and The Stupid.

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Pick up your new players club card this month at Casino Arizona.

The new Players Rewards Club is up and running at Casino Arizona.  The new club replaces the CASHBACK Players Club complete with new club cards in Classic, Silver, Gold and, for the top level, Platinum club cards.  (I kind of liked the Arizona-themed Opal, Turquoise and Coral levels of the old club.)

To inaugurate the new club, the casino is holding a series of weekly drawings throughout September when lucky winners will receive $5o in “Power PERCS,” Casino Arizona’s new downloadable cash program.  Using a PIN plus their Player Rewards Club card, Power PERCS allows players to put promo or cashback dollars right into their favorite machines.

The drawings will be held at 9 AM, 3 PM and 9 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays at the McKellips casino and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Indian Bend casino location.  Ten winners will be announced during each drawing time for a total of THIRTY winners each day.  Players earn entries into the drawings by playing their favorite slot and keno machines (200 points equals 10 entries) plus they can earn an additional 10 entries by stopping by the new club desk and updating or confirming their personal information.

Also, just in time for football season, this month’s players club giveaway is a Casino Arizona fold-up stadium blanket.

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The new 4GB iPod Shuffle from Apple FREE to select Total Rewards Club members.

This is a big prize week for Diamond and above members of Harrah’s popular Total Rewards players club.  While lots of casinos — especially in Las Vegas — are cutting benefits and player rewards, Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino here in Arizona seems to be upping their marketing efforts and giving players lots of reasons to head to Maricopa.

The “Wild Wired Week VIP Gift Giveaway” kicks off Monday, August 17, when players club members who received the special mailer can head to the Total Rewards Center and claim their FREE Apple iPod® Shuffle.  This is the new super-slim Apple iPod shuffle (3rd Generation) that weighs less than 1 oz. yet holds up to 1,000 songs and retails for around $79.  The giveaway takes place Monday and Tuesday from 4 PM to 8 PM at the club desk.

The “Wild Week” continues with more great gifts on the horizon for players who earn additional base reward credits for playing their favorite games.  From Monday, August 17 , to Friday, August 21, members can rack up Base Reward Credits and then redeem them at week’s end for items like TVs of all sizes or a Playstation® 3 from Sony.  Earn 1,250 points for a 19″ Vizio® LCD TV or keep playing and get all the way up to 13,750 points this week to earn a 73″ Mitsubishi® DLP TV.

Check with the Total Rewards Club desk for all the details and any “fine print.”  Players are limited to one free gift and one earned gift during the promotion.

We think the marketing group at Harrah’s Ak-Chin has really come up with some cool promos this year and we’ll definitely be playing there this week.  And, after all, isn’t that the point of any promotion?

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Arizona casino visitors can check out the new bigger and better Diamond Lounge at Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino.

Members of Harrah’s popular players club, the well-known Total Rewards® Club (TRC), will be pleased to know that while other casinos seem to be cutting back on their club benefits, Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in Maricopa is introducing a bigger, better Diamond Lounge starting today.  The new “Diamond Lounge at Agave’s” opened at 2:30 pm today and features a scenic poolside setting, an expanded list of free food and beverages plus the option of ordering popular Agave’s Restaurant items at a significant players club discount.

This club location has always been extremely busy so the bigger digs will definitely appeal to Ak-Chin casino visitors.  Also, since the lounge now has an attached kitchen, hot food items plus the pay-with-points-or-cash Agave’s menu will give loyal players a fun place to kick back and enjoy a light meal or snacks.

Harrah’s Diamond lounges across the country are open to players club members who achieve Diamond level or above status in the Harrah’s Total Rewards® Club.  Members enjoy free food and beverages plus access to an exclusive lounge reserved for the casino giant’s most active players.

Signing up for the club is simple.  Just visit any Harrah’s casino such as the Ak-Chin location or in popular gambling spots like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno and more and register at the TRC desk.  For more info visit:  Harrah’s.com and check out the club details.

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Here’s a run-down on some of the special Father’s Day events happening this Sunday around the state:

Fort McDowell Casino near Fountain Hills is having a special Father’s Day “Hot Seat” giveaway. From 10 am – 10 pm, members of the casino’s Fortune Club will be eligible to win $25 – $100 in free slot play, $20 in free gas or free “dining for two” coupons — all while playing their favorite slot or video poker games.  “Hot Seat” promotions are also being held at Bucky’s and Yavapai casinos in Prescott.

Harrah’s Ak-Chin will give Dads (and any player who qualifies) a certificate for a special Omaha Steaks® package containing eight gourmet burgers and franks for coming out Sunday and earning 200 base reward credits on the casino’s Total Rewards Card®.  The fine print:  Giveaway is limited to the first 500 participants who sign up at the players club desk and reward credits must be earned starting at 6 am on the 21st so you can’t use any existing points on your card to qualify.  An added bonus — participants get to keep the 200 credits needed to receive the gourmet goodies.

A special Father’s Day menu at the Wickiup Buffet plus a chance to putt a hole-in-one for cash and prizes is on the schedule at Apache Gold Casino near Globe.  Random drawings will be happening throughout the day and the lucky Dads chosen will get to pick a golf ball with a prize attached to it and then get three chances to putt a “hole-in-one” to win that prize.  Prizes include up to $200 in cash, free hotel stays at the casino’s Apache Gold Best Western Hotel and meals at their popular buffet restaurant.  You can find all the details at the casino’s Apache Gold Players Club section on their website.

As always, check with each casino for promotion rules and regs!

Still looking for a great Father’s Day gift? How about giving Dad a way to watch more than 3,000 internet TV channels on his computer? One time download, no monthly fees. Very cool gift!

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A great hit playing Super Times Pay at Harrah's Ak-Chin in Maricopa, AZ.

While Arizona casinos offer lots of gaming options like blackjack, slot machines, bingo and more, video poker is by far our favorite game.   We – meaning me and Poker Buddy -  especially like playing the fun variations like Super Times Pay™ and Spin Poker Deluxe™ at places like Harrah’s Ak-Chin in Maricopa , Casino Arizona in Scottsdale and Mazatzal Casino in Payson.

Recently, I took a trip out to Harrah’s Ak-Chin to take advantage of their very attractive player promotion for Total Rewards Club® card members, “10X Points Tuesdays,” and played some 10¢ Super Times Pay at the bank of machines right near the front door.  The above photo shows a very nice hit on a 10-hand play of Double Double Bonus poker.  First, I got the random multiplier of 5x and then was dealt three 2’s.  As you can see from the picture, on the draw, I got four-of-a-kind two’s twice PLUS got another four-of-a-kind but this time with a low card (kicker) that paid double.  Take the normal payouts (400/800 respectively) times five and you get a very nice chunk of change for playing dimes!

The video poker games that seem to be the most popular for us and other casino-goers all seem to come from gaming giant IGT and it’s Action Gaming Division.  No doubt hoping to repeat the success of games like STP and Spin Poker, Action Gaming and IGT have introduced a couple of new video poker games and you can play video poker for free — no money, no wagering, just fun — at their popular website videopoker.com.  Visit the site and have fun checking out new games like  “Big Times Draw Poker^TM,”  “Quick Quads^TM” poker, “Ultimate X™” poker and more.  There’s also an option to “Test Your Skills” to see if you are holding and folding the proper cards.

Video poker software games are also fun.  Great deals on cool games — Reel Deal Slots & Video Poker, Reel Deal Vegas Casino Experience.

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