Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino in Kananaskis, AB

Stonye Nakoda Resort & Casino backdrop in Kananaskis, Alberta (Canada).

I have only heard good things about Kananaskis, Alberta. About an hour west of Calgary, this area is a showcase of the Rocky Mountains. It reminds me very much of BC.

I drove from the Calgary airport directly to the Kananaskis hotel I was staying at, the Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino, right at the entranceway to the area. I’m not a casino kind of gal, but I sure had fun!

The hotel arranged for me to have a Casino101 lesson when they found out that I had no idea how to gamble (although I did play poker with my dad and brother way back when, but I think we betted inanimate objects, so it’s not really the same thing).

One of the pit managers, Keith, actually brought out some chips, made a few phone calls to the higher ups (the ones watching the cameras and wondering what we were doing) and he took me to each of the tables to show me how to play.

Lobby of the Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino in Kananaskis, Alberta (Canada).

Roulette
First up was roulette, always a game I’ve wanted to learn. The staff member was a blast and he did many fake scenarios for me to get the gist of it. It has to be the funnest, but I can’t imagine actually spending my cash on a casino game that is so random.

Blackjack
You can’t go to a casino without playing blackjack, can you? This one was fun because I already knew how to play. But Keith taught me some basic tactics and reasons to hold or say, “Hit me.”

We had chips out that Keith was just collecting and putting back into his chip container, but people in the casino didn’t know that. I must say I drew quite a crowd of curious people thinking I was a big spender and wanting to sit down with me. Must have been my calculated poker face

Texas Hold ‘Em Poker
Then it was onto the most popular game of Texas Hold ‘Em poker. We went back to the high stakes tables and got out the stacks of chips. Another phone call had to be made up to the security people watching.

Guest room at Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino in Kananaskis, Alberta (Canada).

This one was tricky. Texas Hold ‘Em is a difficult beast and I didn’t come anywhere near mastering it. But it was fun to pretend I was playing!

Slot Machines
This one I just put a $5 bill into the $1 slot machines and played five games. Lost all of them and was out five bucks in about a minute. Hmmm, I never did understand the fun of these ones…

What I liked:

• Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino is brand new and feels that way. Brand new furnishing, carpets, fixtures, etc. make the rooms very classy. There was a few staffing problems- I think they might have needed a few more- but otherwise my stay was fantastic.

• 

  Stoney Nakoda Casino in Kananaskis, just outside of Calgary, Alberta (Canada).

  The staff are super friendly without being annoyingly chipper. Just down to earth pleasant.

• There will be a swimming pool with a huge slide opening within the month. I took a peak at what they had done so far and it’s really nice.
• There are some great deals for room rates. Even if you don’t do the casino thing, this is a good hotel base to stay at while you’re exploring the rest of Kananaskis. 

Tags: AB, Alberta, Blackjack, Calgary, Casino, how to gamble, Kananaskis, Kananaskis hotel, Rocky Mountains, Roulette, Slot Machines, Stoney Nakoda Resort, Texas Hold ‘Em Poker