The Venetian Las Vegas casino resort opened its new poker room late last week, making it the new biggest poker space in Sin City.
The 14,000-square-foot space has 49 poker tables running various levels of regular gameplay, from just $3 buy-in cash games to $1,100 buy-in tournaments.
The newly relocated room is in the resort’s Palazzo tower, near the Grand Palazzo shopping area. The previous poker room was opposite the resort’s Caesars Sportsbook, right by the main resort entrance from Las Vegas Boulevard.
The new space’s opening last Friday was graced by a host of poker pros and celebrities in a special ribbon-cutting event. Attendees included magician Shin Lim, chart-topping singer Nelly, and 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Scott Blumstein.
“We want to create a destination that every poker player must play at, and everybody in Las Vegas is going to want to play on a daily basis,” said a press release quoting Tommy LaRosa, Venetian director of poker operations.
The Room
The new Venetian poker room is part of owner VICI Properties’ planned $1.5 billion renovation project for the casino resort. It announced earlier this year that the first phase of upgrades would include a new poker room.
As well as 50 tables, the Venetian’s poker room features new amenities across the board. Added features include a streaming room, equipped with studio space and two tables specifically set up for ease of livestreaming games.
There are also new sports betting kiosks, seeing as the room is no longer a short walk across the hall from a giant sportsbook. The room will run 24 hours a day, with free self-serve coffee and soda available for all sit-down players.
Although the poker experience seems to have improved, some players have criticized the move to an area with much lower foot traffic. The more central space previously occupied by the old poker room is set to be replaced by a new high-limit slots room, which will be more of a money spinner for the casino than poker tables.
“This is a culmination of 19 years worth of work,” LaRosa said.
“I’m excited. I’m honored. I’m very appreciative of the leadership and the support that they’re giving us in poker. The things that they’ve invested in this room and the amenities that they put in for our players are second to none.”
The Gameplay
The ceremonial first hand of the new space included the celebrity figures, plus a few more well-known poker pros, such as seven-time WSOP bracelet-winner Jeremy Ausmus and top women’s player Jamie Kerstetter.
The tables will offer cash games, as well as regular daily and weekly tournaments. All-in various poker formats including Limit and No Limit Hold’em, Omaha, Pot Limit Omaha, and others.
The first big tournament to be held at the new room will be the Venetian’s trademark DeepStack series. It starts Friday August 9 and runs through to September 15.
The series will see a dozen tournaments play out in the new room for a total of $2.4 million in guaranteed prizes, including the $500,000 top prize Mid States Poker Tour Main Event.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
