I've played at the Venetian for some time. There are many exceptional poker rooms in Vegas, and different players put different values on different aspects, but for me the Venetian was my first choice.
No longer.
Over the past year or so, the room has stated to change. They removed the coffee station where you could go get a cup of Joe without having to wait, etc. OK, no big deal. They were giving $2/hour comps, which they lowered to $1/hr, although that is still typical of most poker rooms, so again, no big deal.
But on 12-16-15 they made a significant change and I haven't been back since.
THEY RAISED THE RAKE TO A MAX OF $5. As far as I know, all other Vegas casinos are $4 max with a few at $3 max. Anyone who is a knowledgeable player understands the significance of this over the course of a year. I suspect they think they are so popular that they can get away with it. I hope intelligent players will show them that this is not the case.