Showww Time: 'Caldo' Looking for Another Deep Run in Jacksonville

By Sean Chaffin

bestbet Jacksonville has become a bit of a second home for James Calderaro. “Big Showww Caldo” had runner-up finishes here in Season X and Season XII. That’s an impressive record, but coming so close still nags at him.

He’s hoping to remedy that situation here this weekend.

“I really need a first place in Jacksonville,” says Calderaro, who is among those playing in Day 1a of the $5,000 WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble. “Those two second-places have just stuck with me. If I get to the final table, I’m winning it.”

Calderaro grew up in New York City but now lives in Venice Beach, FL. And while he couldn’t quite win a title here in Jacksonville, Florida was the site of his WPT victory later in Season XII when he won the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open for $271,103.

With WPT events at bestbet in October and the Seminole Hard Rock in November, Calderaro is pleased with the scene in the state he now calls home.

“I love Florida, I really do,” he says. “I think Florida poker is getting better and better especially down the east coast. Jacksonville’s also great and I’m always going to visit here.”

Over the last few months, Caldo has had a few deep runs. That included finishing fourth at the World Series of Poker in the $25,000 Pot Limit Omaha event for $414,134. It was a huge finish for Calderaro as he looked to go back-to-back in the event two years in a row. In 2017, he won the same tournament for his first bracelet and $1.3 million.

A second WPT title now would also be nice and add to a growing poker resumé, which now includes more than $4.1 million in live tournament winnings. Calderaro feels good about how he’s been playing and hope it continues at bestbet.

“My game’s on top,” he says. “I like my game, just as long I get away from all the bad beats and stuff like that.”

As Day 1a moved into the later stages, Caldo was among those in the field with a $2,500 bounty on his head. The added interest among other players makes for some extra pressure, but he relishes the challenge.

“It’s tough obviously because everybody’s coming after you,” he says. “You’re a bounty and they play a lot more hands against you, so it’s hard to put people on hands in reference to not being a bounty. It’s a little tougher, but it’s fun because you get paid off too.”

He adds one important caveat to that: “If you’re bluffing, then you’re in bad shape.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.