Are you on your way to Las Vegas and looking for a poker room? Then don’t pass up the Venetian poker room. If you do you are missing out on the experience of a life time. As is the case in most poker rooms in Las Vegas I recommend picking up a player’s card immediately. This will allow you to be comped for your play and to register in there tournaments. You cannot play in there tourneys without this card. The Players Club is just a few yards from the Poker lounge entrance.

The room itself is absolutely gorgeous and every bit as comfortable as your eyes would suggest. Moveable chairs with plush seats that are height adjustable. The carpeting and room décor is easy on the eyes. You also have built in cup holders at each of the 39 tables. You also have several plasma TV’s that line the walls to keep up with your favorite team. These kinds of “creature comforts” are what make the experience so satisfying.

The cocktail waitresses are second to none. They are prompt, courteous and beautiful. You can also order dinner from the diner across the casino and eat at your table if you like. The entrance to the poker room is downstairs along side the elevators leading to the main entrance. You will register for a seat at the main desk and they will ask you for your player’s club card. The Venetian spreads several games there and each table and the waiting list is displayed on the monitors as you walk in. They also have large tournament monitors for you to view the levels and blinds with little effort. If they don’t have a seat for you right away you are more than comfortable in the players’ lounge where the obligatory poker magazines and newspapers are all waiting for your reading pleasure. It doesn’t take long to get a seat and you are ready to jump into the action.

The cage is located in the back of the poker room away from the tables. So, you can handle your bankroll with a little privacy. Tournament payouts are in chips which can be redeemed at the cage for cash. If you stay in the Venetian your comp hours can be used towards your room, food court, internet connection or a combination of all of the above depending on how much you have built up. Also, if you plan on playing for six or more hours you are eligible for special room rates. So make sure you ask if you haven’t decided where you are going to stay.

The competition can be tough at the Venetian. The cash games are spread from $4/8 up to $200/$400 Limit, No Limit, Omaha and Omaha H/L. Higher games are setup upon request. Tourist love to play here and the best games are typically on the weekends. My experience was a very good one at the $2/$5 No Limit cash game due to tourists that were playing for “fun” and really did not have a good handle on the game. I was able to turn a $150 buy-in into $600+ in just a little over 3 hours of play. On the other hand this room does have a few of the professional players that tend to hover over the $150 and $300 nightly and weekend tournaments and cash games. These players are good and will definitely push your poker IQ to the limit. You have been warned!

The tournaments at the Venetian are run second to none. They are extremely well organized as you get a card with your name on it when you buy-in along with another card for your re-buy should you choose to take it. Registration is one hour before the tournament and there can be a line if you wait too long. The nightly tournament has a $150 buy-in and one re-buy. The structure has $5000 starting chips with 30 min levels and the blinds starting at $50/$25. Excellent structure and a nice starting stack. Usually this tournament has around 50 to 70 players. The weekend Deep Stacks tournament has a $300 buy-in and the structure starts with $10,000 in chips, 40 min levels, and $50/$25 blinds. Excellent structure and a pay day well worth the time and effort!

The dealers are all very good and FAST! There are automatic shufflers at each table for players to see the maximum number of hands per hour.

Overall, I highly recommend this room for its service, comfort, and management. If you play poker with any level of seriousness this is one of the premier places to play in Las Vegas.

Good luck at the tables!