Antonio Esfandiari's Vital Stats:
Antonio Esfandiari was born on December 8, 1978 in Iran and moved to San Francisco in 1988. When he won his first World Poker Tour title in 2004, he was the youngest player to win a televised WPT event and the youngest player to win a million dollar prize in a tournament. That same year he also won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in the Pot Limit Hold 'Em event. In 2010, he won his second WPT title at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. Before becoming a professional poker player, he was a professional magician.
Antonio Esfandiari's Poker Nickname:
“The Magician”
Did Magic Lead to Poker for Antonio Esfandiari?:
According to an interview by Steve Marzol, him doing magic with cards had nothing to do with his becoming interested in poker.
Antonio Esfandiari’s Favorite Hand:
79, because early on in his poker playing days, a friend joked that he had to come up with a signature hand and then Esfandiari won three monster pots with 79. He calls is “The Persian Carpet Ride.”
-From an interview in Poker Pro Magazine
Antonio Esfandiari's Poker Tournament Wins:
2010: World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic
2004: World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic
2004: World Series of Poker $2000 buy pot-limit Hold'em event
Play Antonio Esfandiari Online:
at Ultimate Bet, where he always has a chair reserved for him. He's obligated to play there 40 hours a month, so the odds aren't bad of catching him.
Antonio Esfandiari Trivia:
- Antonio Esfandiari was born with the first name Amir.
- He and Phil "The Unabomber" Laak were once roomates
- He was born in Iran where it's illegal to own playing cards
- He won the first poker tournament he ever entered, a $30 buy-in event at the Garden City Club in San Jose, California.
- His secret ambition is to open a high class restaurant