Venetian Poker Room Review

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From the moment you walk through the magnificent arched hallways and into the simulated neighborhoods and palazzi of The Grande Canal Shoppes, you know you’re in a five-diamond resort. Quickly staking its claim as the unofficial poker capital of Las Vegas, the poker room is no exception to the prestigious feel the rest of the building exudes, and is top notch in every way. From the many beautiful chandeliers hanging overhead, to the high definition flat screen TV’s that surround any spot in the room, you automatically get the feel this place is world class.

Easy access for tourists passing by on the sidewalks, the poker room sits directly to the side of the main entrance from the strip into the casino area. Inside you will find some of the largest tables and most comfortable chairs of any poker room. At 11,000 square feet and only 40 tables inside that space, this is one of the most well spaced places to play in the city.

Cash Games
These games are spread 24/7
$4/$8 Limit Holdem
$1/$2 $300 max NL
$2/$5 $1000 max NL
$5/$10 $400 min-no max NL
$10/$20 $800 min-no max NL

The Venetian absolutely has something for everyone. $25/$50 NL runs occasionally, and there is usually a $4/$8 Omaha HiLo half kill running as well. This room also boasts the ability to run any game at any time, so if a group of you wants to play something not already going, it is more than possible to get it started. There is a wing slightly separated from the main floor for “high” stakes, and a third completely secluded ultimate VIP room for the “HIGHEST” stakes players. Which games being spread in the high limit rooms depends on how many players are playing, but the limits for playing in these rooms are generally pretty low by most VIP standards. The poker room also has its own cashiers cage which is nice at the end of your session, and chips can be purchased from the dealers when you first sit down, so there is no extra waiting once you have your seat. There is a good mix of bad to average players at the lower limits, and because it is a nicer casino, the fish generally have more that they can afford to lose.

Cash Game Rake
Since there is no extra rake for Jackpots, this is one of the better rooms for players that want to play a serious amount of time and not be eaten alive by the rake. 10% per pot up to $4.00 is the standard rake in all games at all limits.

Comps
Tournament receipts are good for a food voucher, and the size of the voucher depends on the tournament buyin. Cash game comps are $1.00/hr at lower limits, and $1.50/hr for 2/5 NL and higher.

Television
25 high def plasma screens are scattered around the room, putting vital statistics like average chip stacks for tournament players, and ballgames for sports players in plain view from every seat in the house.

Food
The Venetian has limitless choices when it comes to eating. 29 different restaurants can be delivered to you table side, from extravagant five-star dining, or just a slice of pizza at the food court, they have whatever you want and close by. One would expect such a rich feeling place to have the $20 hamburger but that isn’t the case unless you want it to be. As I said above, food for all tastes and budgets are readily available. Also there is a very high amount of side tables available. Most rooms have only a few and players enviously watch the guy with his own mini coffee table. At Venetian, if you want one you’ve got it.

Drinks
This category may be one of the biggest influences on me writing such a positive review, but it seriously doesn’t get any better than this. Not only are there several beautiful cocktail waitresses dedicated to the poker room to ensure fast service, they bring you the best when they come back. You can order any type of mixed drink and expect it to be filled with the very best alcohol. A vodka-cran is not a $5 bottle of vodka thats 50% watered down, you’re getting Grey Goose without even having to ask. Another review I read about this room mentioned how the RedBull comes served in the can, and that is a massive + for me also. Some rooms like Excalibur give you an awful tasting thing served in a glass, no matter what brand of energy drink you order its this same generic thing every time, not The Venetian. Also there are no qualms about “double-fisting” so if you are playing low limits for fun and in an effort to drink cheaply, this is a good place for it as they won’t bat an eye when you order a “shot n’ a beer” at the same time.

Tournaments
Daily tournaments are handled by the existing poker room area along side the cash games, and every table has automatic shufflers to ensure the highest amount of hands per hour possible. If you read a review for any poker room, you will see a long listing of daily tournaments offered, but very few are what the normal tournament seeker had in mind. For example, the nightly $150 at Harrah’s is rarely more than a 10 person single table tournament that only pays first place…

At the Venetian the 7:00 pm 7 day per week $120 usually gets 60 players, and with one of the very best starting stack to blind increase structures in town it offers the most “play” possible. Also, of the $120 that you pay to enter, 80% actually goes to the prize pool, and for a buyin this low, that % is easily one of the most player friendly numbers in town. 7 days a week at noon there is another tournament, this time for $170 and it sees a higher number of entrants, slower blind levels, and more starting chips. Sunday the noon tournament is a $500 and the stacks/levels increase even more.

Special Events
What originally started as a smaller buyin tournament series to mirror the World Series of Poker and run only once per year, the Deep Stack Extravaganza is now an incredibly popular tournament series that goes on for an entire month, four times per year. Buyins range from $350 to $5000, there are satellites for all tournaments, and all of the events have extremely long blind levels and huge starting stack sizes. A detailed list of event dates, payout structures, past results, giveaways, special room rates, and exact blind structures can be found here: http://venetian.com/Pages.aspx?id=2451

To handle fields of over 300 players, an entire chunk of slot machines between the sports book and poker room are removed, and more top level tables exactly like the ones in the normal room are inserted. They do not have enough of the great chairs from the poker room to expand during this series, but the outer tables collapse first and it really isn’t uncomfortable if you draw one of these tables.

Great buffets are offered each day for all cash and tournament players during the series, and the menu changes with each day of the week so players attending for several events don’t get tired of the food. Also, every players tournament entry receipt can be stamped for a $10 voucher good at most food counters in the building.

Because there is a separate desk for the tournament entry’s and cash games, at two completely opposite ends of the room, there is plenty of room for registration during the series. I really can’t say enough about how well organized this thing is. Every floor person has an earpiece, everyone is flying around handling business, but its very controlled and relaxed at the same time. Top notch stuff, once again.

Staff
Even during the series when they hire extra people who may or may not be the most experienced poker dealers, everything is ran very smoothly. Rules are clearly visible and available to all players at all times, and the staff executes all rulings fairly. Every staff member is also very friendly and they remember faces of players who come in often, which is nice.

Basically, this room is “The Nuts” of Vegas poker rooms in every category you can think of. Tournaments or cash games, they have it all, and they do it the best. If you are trying to decide where to plan your next poker trip, look no further.

Phone: (702) 414-7657
Web: www.venetian.com/POKERROOM.aspx
Email: poker@venetian.com
Address: 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South

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