Poker professional Antonio Esfandiari, has quite a story. A native of Iran, Esfandiari was a professional magician prior to becoming a poker pro. He still dabbles in magic, but poker is where he is making his mark. Antonio has won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) championship and is the youngest player ever to win a $1 million tournament cash prize.
Antonio moved to the U.S. at the young age of 9 years old. He couldn’t speak English, but he adapted quickly. He went on to graduate from high school and had his sights set on college. Those plans would change after he decided he wanted to become a magician. He became exactly that two years later. To supplement his income, Esfandiari worked as a bartender and began to play poker for fun. At the age of 23, he decided to get more serious about his poker playing. He entered his first tournament that year, winning it.
His poker success would continue. Soon after, Esfandiari won the L.A. Poker Classic WPT Event in 2004 and also a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in the $2000 Pot Limit Hold’em event that same year. During this time, he became the youngest player to win a televised World Poker Tour Event and also the youngest person ever to win a million dollar tournament.
A rising star, Antonio Esfandiari continues to be one of the game’s top players. His reputation has improved as well. Once known as a ‘whiny tilter’ he has made strides in this area, working hard to overturn this reputation. Today, he is seen as and respected as a professional. Antonio Esfandiari has already experienced a tremendous amount of success playing poker. Chances are, he will continue to be a top-tier competitor in the game for many years to come. Antonio recently became a member of Ultimate-Bet and now represents the company in tournaments and events.