For those who play 1/2NL and sit in to the occasional 2/5NL game, The Venetian is without a doubt the best room on the strip. The room itself is high class all the way. From the lounge area complete with sofas/recliners [to relax and gather ones thoughts while waiting for a seat], to the seats at the table [super comfortable rolling chairs capable of being raised or lowered], to the uber classy chandeliers that hang from the ceiling; the poker room at The Venetian is primo. While the room itself is not completely enclosed and separated from the casino floor [ala Caesar's], the tables are set far enough away from the rail that you won't be distracted by the goings on outside [ala Mirage/MGM]. All in all, great vibe at The Venetian.
While you shouldn't really expect any room on the strip to have a competition rating above "average" for 1/2NL, I would say The Venetian had some of the better players I faced during my stay in Vegas [as compared to MGM, Mirage, Paris, etc.] Personally, I find it easier to play against players whom you may consider "average" as opposed to "extremely easy", as usually "average" players are less erratic and have some sense of reasoning behind plays. So if you consider yourself a pretty solid player and are only bankrolled for 1/2-2/5, The Venetian is where you should consider spending most of your time.
My experience with the dealers at Venetian was a positive one. I put in somewhere around 12 hours in the room during my stay in Vegas, and never had an issue with a dealer other than the occasional misdeal or exposed card [nothing you won't see anywhere else.] For the most part, they were all friendly. Most importantly, they all were very professional.
Let me preface my review of the cocktail waitresses by saying this...
Cassandra.
Cassandra is by far the most attractive cocktail waitress I saw during my stay in Vegas. Cassandra is so attractive, I was often distracted from the happenings at my table and had to be told by the dealer that it was indeed my turn to act. ...Cassandra works at The Venetian. I played at a few rooms where the cocktail waitresses were well into their 50's. You won't find that here. Most are pretty cute, then there's Cassandra.
It should be noted that miss Cassandra was just as fast as she was attractive. As were the rest of the waitresses.
I don't typically drink alcohol when I play, so I can only speak about one Heineken I had at the end of a great session. It was delivered quickly and at the perfect temperature. I can however drop this little gem on you. In most card rooms, if you ask for bottled water, you get a tiny 8oz bottle that tastes like you filled it up in the sink in your room before you left. But not at The Venetian. At The Venetian, when you ask for a bottle of water, they bring you a bottle of Fiji. The most primo bottled water you could ask for, besides maybe Voss. I was definitely pleased with the service at Venetian
The room was definitely run well in my opinion. The player list is very well organized and easy to read. They actually run the same software as my home casino, so that was a familiar site for me. Everyone I interacted with was friendly and professional, from the brushes to the cashiers.
I did not take advantage of any comps while I was there, so I can not speak on this first hand. It is my understanding, however, that The Venetian offers the best comp deals of any room on the strip; certainly for 1/2-2/5NL. There is a bad beat jackpot that is actually house funded, which is nice that they aren't pulling $1 out of every pot. A loss with quad tens or better will not only get you a great bad beat story, at the Venetian it will also get you $25K.
