Antonia Esfandiari ( The Magician ) was born in Tehran, Iran on the 8 December 1978. His original name was Amir Esfandiary which he changed in later years.
He is a Professional Poker player who has won two WPT (World Poker Tour) championships and three WSOP (World Series of Poker) bracelets. He was also the face of UltimatePoker.com which has subsequently closed down.
The Early Years
When Esfandiari was 9, his family moved to San Jose, California. His friends used to call him Antonio, which led to him changing his name at the age of 19 as he identified with this name.
He always wanted to be a Magician, so embarked on a career in Magic and did various shows in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Introduction to Poker
His first introduction to Poker was at the age of 20. He was doing a magic show when an associate invited him to a private poker game of Texas hold ’em. Once he started playing, he was fascinated by the game and started playing Poker regularly from then onwards.
WPT and WSOP Tournaments
In 2004, Esfandiari won $1.4 million and his first World Poker Tour title at the L.A. Poker Classic. A few months later he won his first World Series of Poker bracelet for coming first in the Pot Limit Event. He won $185 000 from this event.
In 2010, he won his second WPT title by winning the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. He earned in the region of $870,000 from this event.
Where is he Now?
Nowadays Antonio Esfandiari lives in Las Vegas with his wife Amal Bounahra, who is the daughter of Poker pro Badih “Bob” Bounahra.
He co-stars with Phil Laak on the show I Bet You, on MOJO HD. In this show, the pair of them travel around the USA betting on various games except for Poker. Esfandiari also serves as the face of the WPT’s Poker Made Millionaire marketing campaign.