Biographical Sketch of Poker Pro Antonio Esfandiari
For those curious to know more about poker professional Antonio Esfandiari, this article is a must read! It features all the highlights of Esfandiari’s life, career moves and interesting trivia that is exclusively being revealed only on our website so stick around and read through for this famous poker gaming pro’s vital stats!
Born in Iran on 8th December, 1978, Antonio Esfandiari, moved to the US (San Francisco) after ten years.
In 2004 he won his first WPT title and became the youngest player to earn the honor of placing first in a televised World Poker Tour event apart from becoming the youngest poker player to get a million dollar prize amount for a tournament win.
Esfandiari’s winning streak continued that whole year as he also won the Pot Limit Hold’em event during the WSOP and the coveted bracelet kept inspiring him for higher standards of tournament poker. However, his second World Poker Tour title came to him only in 2010 when he participated in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic event organized in Las Vegas – the gaming heaven of America!
Now, some would say that is nothing short of magic – and why should it be any other way, considering Esfandiari was a professional magician before he took up poker full time! Yes, that is also the reason why his poker nickname is “The Magician!”
In fact, Esfandiari clarified that his previous magical forays before audiences had nothing to do with his taking up cards as a profession; instead it was due to friends playing the game that he got interested in it initially.
However, he has gone on record stating that 79 is his favorite hand because in his early www.BurnPoker.com days a friend had jokingly asked him for a signature hand and it was this number that won Esfandiari monster pots thrice over. Esfandiari refers to this hand as “The Persian Carpet Ride.”
As far as playing with The Magician, Antonio Esfandiari, is concerned, fans can bump into him (virtually) at Ultimate Bet, which is the online poker room that keeps a chair exclusively held for him, since he plays there 40 hours a month according to an obligation signed by him with the site.
Thus, due to this agreement with one of the most reputed online poker sites, serious poker fans looking to catch a magical treat of poker play combined with patience, skills and calculative moves, the best place to lay a bet on catching Esfandiari in action is where the odds are high of competing with the Phil Laak’s erstwhile roommate. However, not many people know that ‘The Unabomber’ once shared a room with Esfandiari! Neither is it common knowledge that Esfandiari won the first poker competitive event he enter signed up for: a $30 buy-in tournament held in San Jose’s Garden City Club!
Esfandiari, who was given the name, ‘Amir,’ changed it to Antonio when he left his homeland because it illegal to own or play cards in Iran.
And for those who think they know all there is to know about Esfandiari, here’s a little-known ambition: he wants to open a luxury restaurant!! So, there is more to poker love and Esfandiari than we know of!