Walking into The Venetian Resort Las Vegas’s new poker room, there’s a hushed atmosphere at the entrance where you’re greeted by a large marble countertop, where you can check into the room with immaculately dressed poker staff that will help you see what games are running.
Flowers are held immaculately in beautiful vases, and class comes at you from all directions. The further you go in the room, you hear the normal poker room sounds with laughs, debates, chips, and people grabbing drinks in the middle partition of the room.
Tommy Larosa, Director of Poker Operations at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, is a big part of the reason for that quiet elegance.
Celebrating almost 27 years at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, with twenty of those in the poker industry, when asked what’s spurred his lasting loyalty to the brand/casino, he replies:
I am profoundly aware of my growth within this industry, a journey that would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our senior leadership. Their guidance has been exceptional, and I can confidently say that I have never worked with a better team in this industry.
Because of this, it’s made his “decision to dedicate myself to growing The Venetian Poker brand not just a professional goal, but a personal commitment.”
Tommy has grown up in Vegas since the age of nine, when his parents moved here. Baseball ended up being one of his passions, and he ended up playing baseball at Green Valley High School, where “we won the first State Championship in the school’s history in 1993.”
From there, I signed to play at UNLV and was fortunate to be drafted in the 6th round of the 1996 MLB Amateur draft by the Minnesota Twins.
Because of this, that year he earned Rookie of the Year honors with the minor league affiliate, the Ft. Wayne Wizards, and was invited to play in the Hawaii Winter League in the fall of 1997.
That time of my life created some of my most cherished memories, full of highs and lows that I will never forget.
Tommy always knew, though, that he “wanted to build my career on the Las Vegas Strip” and studied Hotel Management at UNLV.
After six years in Guest Services at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, “when the opportunity to become a poker dealer presented itself, it felt like a completely natural fit. Cards have always been a huge part of my family gatherings growing up, so a passion for the game was instilled in me from a very young age.”
The Venetian Poker Room moved and opened in a new location at The Palazzo on level 2, the Grand Canal Shoppes, on August 1st, 2024, that encompasses 14,000 square feet and includes a dedicated streaming studio.
When asked about the studio being a one-of-a-kind feature for live poker venues and what the benefit of having that in the new space is, he replies,
The streaming studio allows us to showcase our major events and the incredible talent they attract, bringing the energy of our room to a global audience.
As far as the poker room itself, this space has a very special feeling to it; our players know this is their home. We’ve designed it with all the amenities and comforts a poker player could want or need.
One huge bonus of having that large of a poker room is the ability to hold large tournaments such as the DSE/WPT Venetian LV Spring Festival, February 9-24th, culminating in the WPT Venetian Las Vegas Spring Championship on February 19th.
The logistics of this are massive, and Tommy states that:
These major partnered events truly raise the level of excitement in the room and require a tremendous amount of focus, time, and energy to ensure a flawless guest experience. Our team has been doing this for more than 20 years, and we lean on that deep well of knowledge to maximize efficiency and provide the world-class service our guests expect.
One of his favorite moments since joining the poker industry:
Was dealing the $4,000-$8,000 No-Limit Hold’em game to legends like Chip Reese, Doyle Brunson, and other notable poker personalities around 2008-2009. It was incredible to witness the amount of money going into each pot and the dramatic swings back and forth.
Outside of work, Tommy loves to golf and “especially in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. That city has golf courses the way Las Vegas has casinos.”
Looking forward to this year that’s already rocketing forward, when asked how he continues to maintain excitement year after year about working in poker, he paused.
We have so many major events on the calendar for 2026 that it’s hard to pick just one! We truly have something for everyone.
He added, “From as far back as I can remember, I used to play poker as a hobby, but the chance to come to work every day and be part of the industry seemed less like a job and more like an exciting opportunity to do what I love.”
