For better or for Pierre
Why so serious ?
There are some faces you always enjoy running into as a journalist while roaming the tournament floor. While many players, especially pros, tend to stay as neutral as possible at the table, hiding emotions, staying locked in, and absorbing every bit of information, others still treat it as a game above all else. You know that stopping by their table will bring, at worst, a good chat—and at best, a hand worth telling over and over again.
That’s exactly the case with Pierre Calamusa, the Winamax pro. Sitting behind a healthy stack, I’m curious to hear more.
I find him deep in conversation with the player to his left, Dutchman Duco Haven. As it turns out, Duco speaks fluent French, having spent much of his childhood in France, making exchanges between the two effortless. The atmosphere is relaxed, with conversations flowing between hands, about poker, of course.
“It’s funny how the human brain tends to forget all the small pots we win, as if it’s normal. But the ones we lose? Those stick, and suddenly it’s a tragedy,” Pierre jokes.
But the discussion goes beyond poker, touching on sports, including some playful jabs at the Dutch national football team, sports betting (a favorite topic of Pierre’s), and even the place of women in poker. Laughter erupts when a WSOP staff member approaches Annette Obrestad to update her chip count on the app.
“So she’s important, but we’re just the table peasants, nobody cares about us,” Pierre laughs.
So how’s his day going?
“Ups and downs. I got up to over 500,000, but I just lost a big pot, queens into kings.”
No real cause for concern though, he’s still sitting on a solid stack.
Just before the break, the table folds quickly, giving the big blind a walk.
“We all want to play one more hand, we’re greedy,” Pierre smiles.
And sure enough, one last hand unfolds, featuring our main character. He opens to 8,000 (2 BB) from the hijack, called only by a player on the button. On a flop of 8♥ 8♦ 7♣, Pierre checks, allowing Austria’s Erik Eisen to bet 7,500 (1.8 BB). But Pierre has a plan, he check-raises to 25,000 (6 BB). Call.
The turn brings the 2♣, and Pierre continues the pressure, firing 90,000 (22.5 BB). His opponent hesitates, then calls.
The river is the 7♦, slowing things down, both players check.
Pierre tables 6♣ 4♣… and loses to Ace-Queen offsuit.
“Do you call if I shove ?” he asks with a grin as he gets up from the table.
“Probably,” Eisen replies.
We’ll never know for sure, but it seems likely that Pierre’s decision to slow down was the right one. Especially since he’s still in a strong position in the tournament.
A small dent, but nothing serious.
After all, it’s just poker.