Party Time: France’s Pierre Calamusa Brings the Fun to Vegas
Pierre Calamusa is used to being the life of the party, whether at the poker table or out for a night with friends. The 29-year-old Frenchman busted the Main Event yesterday on Day 2, but the Winamax-sponsored pro will have plenty to celebrate if he can continue a deep run into the $1,111 Little One for One Drop.
Although Calamusa admits, he doesn’t really need much of a reason to party.
“That's why it's hard for me to play in Vegas because there are so many clubs and so many good places to go,” he says. “I think every year I come and say, ‘OK, I'm going to play 20 events,' and I end up playing five because I always go out so much.”
His sponsor has also pitched in with a nice villa with all the site’s French, Spanish, and Italian players. According to Calamusa, it has been quite a nice scene for the poker crew.
Le shérif est en ville # @MIK_22 vient de débarquer à #LasVegas fraichement auréolé d'un titre de champion d'Europe… https://t.co/YKOVriWgrF
— Winamax (@Winamax)
“We are all together and it's a lot of fun,” he says. “We have some cookouts, we have some partying. Hopefully one of us will win a bracelet.”
Originally from Grenoble, France, Calamusa has almost $900,000 in live tournament winnings. While he plays mostly European events, he has cashed this summer in the WSOP, where he finished 13th in Event 17: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em - 6 Handed for $19,469. His biggest score came in 2016 in the €5,300 EPT Main Event, where he finished fifth for $266,560.
During high school, Calamusa began playing micro-stakes with friends. He moved to online poker at age 20, and it quickly became a passion. A top online player back in France, Calamusa built a serious poker bankroll by age 20 after a few initial deposits of €50. That had grown to more than €20,000 within six months.
By the first break in the day, Calamusa was still at about the starting stack but had only fired one bullet in the Little One.
Calamusa says that he likes to go “all in” when it comes to partying. While he hits the party trail regularly, he also enjoys hitting the gym, staying in shape, and eating well.
Outside of poker, he also enjoys any of the racket sports, especially squash and badminton. Being in Vegas during the World Cup has been nice, he says, but challenging considering the crazy hours he keeps.
“It's a lot of fun, but of course it's very tough to get up for games here,” he says. “It's very early. Sometimes I had just been in a club, came back home, and watched a game. It’s good because we have a lot of bets going on.”
What’s his ultimate night out with friends in Las Vegas? It would start with some fine dining at Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand, the only Vegas restaurant to earn a Michelin three-star rating. Calamusa is a frequent visitor when in Sin City.
Then his crew would follow that up with some drinks and dancing at a club like the XS at the Wynn or Drai’s at the Cromwell.
“Maybe that’s why I don’t have as much success in Vegas and have more success in Europe,” he says laughing.
When in Europe, however, that partying lifestyle also continues and his favorite spot is in Monte Carlo.
“The clubs are very, very nice,” he says. “The girls are so beautiful. Prague for the same reason. It’s a little less expensive, but the girls are beautiful also.”
Always the fun guy, the young poker pro is then asked if he has a girlfriend and has an interesting response.
“I do actually, but she will never read this,” he says laughing. “So who cares.”
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions. He is also the host of the True Gambling Stories podcast, available on iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn Radio, Spotify, Stitcher, PokerNews.com, HoldemRadio.com, and TrueGamblingStories.com.
