Antonio Esfandiari
Player Information:
- Name: Antonio Esfandiari
- Nickname(s): n/a
- Date of Birth: ?
- Place of Birth: Tehran
- Currently Resides: San Jose, CA
- Favorite Poker Game(s): n/a
- Personal Web Site(s): n/a
- Favorite Online Poker Site(s): n/a
- Online Poker Name(s): n/a
Biography:
Antonio was born in Tehran and moved to the United States when he was nine. After high school, he went to college for about a year until he saw a bartender from a restaurant do a magic trick. He went to a magic store the following day, bought the trick, and went home and practiced. He practiced magic twelve hours a day for two years. By the time he was nineteen, he was a professional magician. He would perform his magic in the restaurant where he worked and would give his business card out to the customers. This led to having a large clientele and he started doing his magic at private parties. After about a year of performing magic, he stepped foot into a casino for the first time.
He took his ups and downs as most players do and learned some valuable lessons along the way. On one of the World Poker Tour episodes, he stated he has a good ability to read people. This skill can take a person far in the poker world. So far, Antonio has had great results in the short time he has been a professional. He finished fifth at the World Series of Poker in the $2000 No Limit Holdem event, third at the WPT Lucky Chances in 2002, and beat 382 players to capture first place at the Commerce Casino World Poker Tour event, winning over a million dollars for his first place finish. The very next day he came back to finish sixth at the World Poker Tour Invitational, where his roommate Phil "Unabomber" Laak finished first. Antonio currently resides in San Jose, California.
Notable Poker Accomplishments:
| Place | Date | Entry | Game Type | Tournament Name | Location | Amount Won |
| 3rd | 05/05 | $10,000 | No Limit Hold'em | Harrah's New Orleans Bayou Poker Challenge | New Orleans | $221,445 |
| 1st | 05/04 | $2,000 | Pot Limit Hold'em | 35th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2004 | Las Vegas | $184,860 |
| 1st | 02/04 | $9,900 | No Limit Hold'em | L.A. Poker Classic | Los Angeles | $1,399,135 |