Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Rick
I didn't realize the space was reduced (aside from the convention center years).
In the old space it was big but potentially awful. If you were towards the back and near some kind of disco space after about 9pm it was impossible to hear anything because the music was so loud. Now there is none of that. I thought that by extending outside of the poker room (near the sports book) they had equivalent space as before. I'm very wrong I guess...
Hopefully they will expand the poker room space or build it somewhere else much larger.
The other thing I noticed that changed was there used to be waiting lists for some of their larger tournaments. So you would be an alternate and get screwed (like it was at the Wynn and still is at the Aria). Now I haven't seen that happen - which is why I thought the space was actually bigger now...
They lost all of the space outside the poker room, which itself has been reduced over the last few years with the introduction of the stadium gaming machines. 10 years ago they probably had something like 80+ tables for a summer series. They certainly had that when they were granted extra space in Palazzo just a couple years ago. Now I imagine it’s close to half that. It is what it is. The powers that be are not interested in investing in poker. Unfortunately that doesn’t make them any different from most casino operations.
As for the quality of different spaces, I have little to say. Every venue has spots which are better than others and it’s a crapshoot whether you will find yourself in a good one or not.
As for the waiting lists, there are multiple factors. Of course, the reduction in guarantees and reduced field sizes plays a big role. They’ve also rolled out this new policy of incentivizing players to play earlier flights, which I am told has been fairly successful. The huge lines in the past really only ever occurred in the last flight or two, so if more people are spending their budget in earlier flights, that will make for fewer people in later ones. Some level of chaos can be viewed as a good thing, but I don’t necessarily think a smooth operation should be frowned upon. If a player wants a borderline unmanageable sized field, there are definitely alternatives available in the summer.
I think the bottom line is the Venetian is still offering decent guarantees (and really good ones by normal poker tourney standards), and thus far this summer have been exceeding them. And the room still offers many of the things which players have enjoyed over the years… great structures, competent dealers, shuffle machines, comfortable surroundings, etc. It’s not what it was, but is still a fine alternative to the WSOP or Wynn, depending on what factors matter most to a player. I try to include at least a few events there when making my summer plans.
As for the location, there has been talk of moving the poker room for years. I don’t know when/if it will happen or if the end result would be better or worse as far as space and convenience is concerned. My personal view is be careful what you wish for since the new bigwigs at the venetian have not seemed keen on maintaining that property’s place as the preeminent poker room in Vegas.