This new poker room has 39 tables well spread out around the main poker room and the salon area. The chairs have ultra thick cushions, adjustable seating heights, and on wheels. The tables have thich padded rails with the extra large aluminum cup holders which easily hold the large stemmed goblets server up by the cocktail waitresses (more on them later). The only problem with these extra large cup holders is that since the drinks aren't very snug they tend to spill easily. I ended up with a lap full of Diet Coke! I started using the small side tables. The have a few plasma screens but they're up too high on the walls away from the tables. The also do not display the wait list on the plasma screens (which they should). The restrooms are located across the casino floor and well away from the poker room, but what other exercise will you get playing poker?
They offered 2-4, 4-8, and 1-2 no limit -- all Texas Hold'em. I played at the 4-8 game. No kill but with full 2/4 blinds. There were usually between 4 and 7 callers per hand, many of which just had to see that river card.
Maybe because it's a new poker room the dealer staff is new and learning. Here are a few examples: #1 After the turn on the 4-8 Hold'em game the player first to act went all in for his remaining $1. I made it $8. The dealer instructed me that I could only raise $4 to make the bet $5 to go. I told him he was wrong but play continued. After he dealt the river and was waiting for players to bet he turned to me and said I was correct. #2 was when I played in the $125 sit-and-go. It got down to me and one other player. Blinds were 400/800 and I was on the button. I put 400 in my blind. The dealer said that when playing heads up the dealer button posted the big blind (800) and the player first to act posts 400. Again I said she was wrong, but I was over ruled until 15 minutes later when dealers changed and he asked for 400 on the button. #3 during the tournament 2 dealers did not know how to work the 15 minute timer. A third dealer was asked what the blinds would increase to. It was 50/100 and she responded 100/200. When a player challenged this she called for the floor who also said 100/200 until the dealer noticed the table of blinds in her tray which stated 75/150. My biggest complaint, although I won the $125 sit-and-go, was that the brush announced they needed 1 more player 4 times -- when he had 6 players, 7 players, 8 players, and then 9 players. Each of the 4 thought they were taking the last seat. We sat around for 15 minutes waiting for the organizer to fill the table. They collected $1,250 and paid out $1,100 ($550 for 1st, $330 for 2nd, and $220 for 3rd).
The cocktail waitresses are not as atractive as those at Mandalay Bay, Wynn or the Orleans, but they smile and always seem to be in the area waiting to service the players. The outfits aren't as sexy as Rio, Orleans, or mandalay, but these girls all looked 100% natural and all filled out the uniform nicely.
Management is still new and learning the ropes. They made up for a lot of their mistakes by passing out Venetian Poker Room caps mid-day to all of the players on a Saturday afternoon. They're much better mannered than the Venetian craps pit staff.
I didn;t ask for a comp, so I'm not sure how they rate. I did see several players ask for menus and the food delivered to the tables looked hot and appetizing.
