The last place in Paris where you can play Texas Holdem, poker’s most popular variant, the Cercle Clichy Montmartre is a unique venue. Here’s an inside look at a poker tournament.
The Cercle’s main hall / Copyright Mounir Mahroug
9pm, a stone’s throw from Place Clichy, on the sidewalk, two players chain together cigarettes and talk about their bad beats. In poker, we call these Bad Beats. To enter the circle, you have to pass through a security gate. To play, you’ll need to pay an annual fee of 80 euros.
Copyright Mounir Mahroug
Once inside, it’s like a movie set, with dozens of busy tables and an old-fashioned bar at the entrance. Two very modern rooms have recently been fitted out for high-limit cash game players (unlimited recaves) and tournament players.
The Cash Game room
That evening, a Bounty tournament was organized. Around the table is a veritable melting pot. A 50-year-old man in a suit, a young man in a hoodie, a 30-year-old woman. It’s this social and cultural melting pot that I love about poker. At the start of the tournament, there’s very little conversation, but a few moments later, tongues are wagging. One move follows another. My pair of kings doubles my stack. A lot of players have a fairly aggressive style, meaning they raise a lot of hands. My stack was on a roller-coaster ride, and I couldn’t eliminate any players that night. It was a great adrenaline rush. Around 1 a.m., I’m out. I had an excellent evening.
In November, Le Cercle will host the WPT National Paris. An opportunity for novices to experience the thrill of live action.
More information on the Cercle website
Cercle Clichy Montmatre
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