Venetian Posts Triple Phantom Waitlists Overnight: Three Games, Zero Tables

Three Games, No Tables

Between midnight and 5:30 a.m. on May 21, the Venetian posted waitlist surges for three different games: $3 double-board-bomb-pot PLO, $1/$2 PLO, and $5/$10 NLH. Zero tables were running for any of them.

That's not a typo. Three separate phantom waitlists at one of the Strip's flagship rooms, all in the same overnight window.

Three separate phantom waitlists at one of the Strip's flagship rooms, all in the same overnight window.

The Numbers

The first surge hit at 1:00 a.m. PT. Nine names stacked up for $3 DBBP PLO against a median waitlist of 2, giving it a 4.5x ratio. No table opened.

By 5:15 a.m., the $1/$2 PLO list had swelled to 11 names. Median for that game is 4. Still zero tables.

Fifteen minutes later, at 5:30 a.m., $5/$10 NLH posted 6 names waiting against a median of 3. Tables open: zero.

All three games. All within a five-and-a-half-hour stretch. Not one seat filled.

What Is $3 DBBP PLO?

If you haven't seen this game on Bravo before, the format is exactly what the acronym says: double-board bomb-pot Pot-Limit Omaha with a $3 forced ante. Every hand deals two separate boards, and every player posts the bomb-pot ante before cards hit the felt. It plays big, it plays loud, and it apparently draws enough interest at 1 a.m. to put nine names on a list at the Venetian.

The fact that the room couldn't (or didn't) open a single table for it is the story. Nine players willing to sit at that hour is more than enough to start a game.

Why Phantom Lists Matter

A phantom waitlist means demand existed and went unmet. One phantom list is a staffing hiccup. Two is a pattern. Three across three different games in one session at the same property is worth paying attention to.

The Venetian runs a large room with deep dealer pools. Overnight is always thinner, but the data here suggests players were showing up (or at minimum putting their names in on the app) and finding nothing to sit in.

For the $1/$2 PLO list, 11 names is nearly enough for two full tables. The $5/$10 NLH list at 6 is a comfortable eight-handed start. The DBBP PLO list at 9 is a full game plus an alternate.

The Takeaway

Three formats. Three surges. Three zeroes in the "tables" column. Whatever happened at the Venetian overnight, the demand was real and the supply wasn't. If you were on any of those lists, you already know.