Checked out many of the rooms on and off Strip, and Venetian's combination of high end furniture, roominess, and extras (nice waiting area, dozens of plasmas, etc.) is tops. Can't think of anything that can be improved.
Played low-stakes NL cash games both days at the Venetian (wish I had time for the Saturday tourney, but was in town for other events so couldn't play it). Competition at both tables were a good mix of above average/savvy players, a few tight-playing locals, and a couple of fish trying hard (and succeeding) to give away their money. One of the latter lost a huge chunk of his stack hanging around with unsuited rags after a suited flop led to another player's flush in two separate hands! That said, sharper players were there to sniff out failed drawing hands and cashing in on them. For beginners/novices serious about building their skills while making some money, the competition level is great at the lower stakes NL games.
Very competent, if not highly personable, dealers. Kept the pace of the games moving very well but did miss a couple of calls. For example, one of the dealers declared a KK hand the winner with a KKK77 full house but missed the 77 hand that made the 7777 to win until the players identified the mistake. That said, she quickly corrected the problem. Would be a higher rating if the dealers had a little more flair, personality, etc.
Had good (but not great) service on one of the two days and great service on the other day. Scantily-clad waitresses were very attractive and very personable. Service was relatively quick, especially on Saturday during the tourney (even at our low stakes cash game table); but then, the service was much slower on a Monday morning, with fewer tables running. Drink quality was high, too.
Seemed to have a good handle on running the whole room with tourneys and many cash games running simultaneously. Especially noteworthy considering the size of the room and the number of players.
Frankly, did not get rated, so not sure about the comps. Also sounds like the bad beat jackpot was no longer available at the Venetian.
