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Player Profile: Antonio Esfandiari
By Kenneth Bateman
Born Amir Esfandiari on December 8, 1978 in the capital city of Tehran, Iran, this world class player was brought to the United States by his parents when he was nine years old. The family settled in San Jose where Amir attended school. He soon requested his name be changed to Anthony because his school mates thought the name Amir was strange.
He had always been fascinated by the art of magic and by the time he turned nineteen, he had studied and learned enough about the craft to turn professional.
Antonio’s past profession stayed with him even after his success as a professional player and his wizardry with the cards earned him the nickname “The Magician” as he is now known in circles. Antonio says that he learned to “read” people as a magician and that this skill is helpful to him now as a professional.
And a wizard he certainly is! He is the youngest player to win a televised World Tour Event, and the youngest player to win a million dollar Tournament prize.
He gravitated to the same way he did to magic. Antonio – he changed his name from “Anthony” to “Antonio” when he became a professional magician – is one of the lucky ones who has never had to “find himself” since he instinctively realized an interest in where his natural talents lie – magic and poker.
Antonio began playing with friends, gravitated to casino play, read books on the subject and states that he relied on his ability to intensely focus on the subject at hand until he mastered it – particularly in where his accomplishments
thus far have been impressive:
- Over two million dollars won in Tournament play
- One World Series of (WSOP) Bracelet
- Three World Tour (WPT) Final Tables
Antonio Esfandiari’s Winnings:
- January 2006 - $10,000 Main Event No Limit Hold’em – 11th place - $36,372
- December 2005 - $2,500 No Limit Hold’em – 26th place - $3,305
- November 2005 – Consolation Tournament Monte Carlo Millions Gold – 2nd place - $60,000
- June 2005 – WSOP $2,500 Short Handed No Limit Hold’em – 5th place - $63,020
- May 2005 – WSOP Circuit Event Harrah’s New Orleans $10,000 Main Event – 3rd place - $221,445
- April 2005 – Third Annual Five Star World Classic $5,000 No Limit Hold’em – 3rd place - $122,035
- March 2005 – NBC National Heads Up Championship – 3rd place - $125,000
- May 2004 – WSOP $2,000 Pot Limit Hold’em – 1st place - $184,860
- February 2004 – WPT L.A. Classic $10,000 No Limit Hold’em Championship – 1st place - $1,399,135
- November 2002 – WPT Gold Rush $3,000 No Limit Hold’em Championship
Antonio Esfandiari now makes his home in San Francisco. One of his goals is to open a restaurant with a magic theme. Article Source: http://www.articleblender.com Kenneth Bateman writes numerous articles on the subject of and its players. To read more player profiles, visit XL Poker.com.
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