Antonio Esfandiari
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Antonio Esfandiari in the World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational event |
|
| Nickname(s) | The Magician |
|---|---|
| Hometown | San Francisco, California |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 1 |
| Money finishes | 4 |
| Highest ITM main event finish |
None |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Titles | 1 |
| Final tables | 3(+2) |
| Money Finishes | 5 |
Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari (born Amir Esfandiari, December 8, 1978 in Tehran, Iran) is a professional poker player.
He moved to the San Jose, California when he was 9 years old, along with his family.
At 19 years old, he changed his name to Antonio, and became a professional magician. While he was performing magic, he was invited to a game of Texas Hold 'em and started to play poker. In 2004, he won close to $1.4 million at the Commerce Casino. He won his first World Series of Poker bracelet a few months later in Pot-Limit Texas Hold 'em.
Esfandiari appeared in the second and third seasons of the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament. After finishing dead last the previous year, Antonio was able to redeem himself with an impressive 2nd place finish the third season. He was also in the first two seasons GSN series High Stakes Poker, and will be in the third as well along with such profiles as Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey.
While touring the poker circuit, he often shares a room with Phil Laak.
As of 2006, his total live tournament winnings exceed $2,400,000.
Antonio is co-starring in the TV show, I Bet You, which premiers on the INHD network May 7th.
[edit] References
- Shulman, Allyn Jaffrey (Mar. 26, 2004). Antonio Esfandiari Performs Wizardry at Commerce Casino. Cardplayer.
- Anderson, Lessley (April. 04, 2004). All-In SF Weekly.
