by Dave Ferrara, Aug 16, 2012 | 9:00 am

The long-awaited redesign of the Venetian Poker Room is in full gear, creating a major, albeit temporary, shift in big-room action on the Vegas Strip.

In a couple weeks, the renovated room will have 59 tables with bigger and better TVs — mounted on the walls and in pillars — and cushier chairs. The newly remodeled room is slated to open Sept. 1, according to the Venetian’s facebook page.

The old 52-table room quickly grew favor among regulars and tourists alike after it opened in 2006, particularly for its Deep Stack Extravaganza tournament series. But the Venetian’s prestige as the Best Poker Room in Vegas slipped with some poker enthusiasts as Aria opened 3 years later.

The renovated room supposedly will extend across floor space previously used for overflow tournaments and slots, abutting the new Cantor Gaming Sportsbook and Noodle Asia.

If the new sharp red carpeting in some areas of the Venetian pit is any indication, they’ll also be tearing up the drab floral-pattern underfoot. (At least that’s my personal hope as an analyst of casino carpets.)

To increase spaciousness, the high-limit walls will give way to an all-encompassing pony wall and glass.

Meanwhile, there’s a temporary room open in the neighboring Palazzo. The other day, I decided to stop by and try my luck at Palazzo poker. Snapped a few photos (below) along the way.

There’s plenty of space in the 31-table Palazzo room, tucked between Carnevino restaurant and the escalators, next to the slot salon near the Sands Avenue bridge. But it’s decidedly less busy than the Venetian. The temporary shift affected games “big time,” one dealer told me.

As I wandered up, I spotted Teddy “Iceman” Monroe, in his signature headphones, talking himself up as usual while folding. I grabbed a seat at the other end of the room and doubled up in the first hour or so. Considering that I never fared too well at the old Venetian poker room, I can say so far change is good!

I’ll have to return after the redesign is complete.