Antonio Esfandiari

Name: Antonio Esfandiari
Website: magicantonio.com
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Screenname: Antonio Esfandiari
Site: Victory Poker
Birthdate: December 8, 1978

Born as Amir Esfandiari on December 8, 1978 in Tehran, Iran, Antonio is a first-class poker player more commonly referred to as “The Magician” due his previous profession.  Antonio’s family moved to California when he was nine, and soon after he changed his name from Amir to Anthony in order to stop the heckling his schoolmates dished out on him. He then changed his name for a second time, to Antonio, when he was 19.

Antonio dropped out of college in order to become a professional magician, and his magic career ended up being his entry to the poker world. After one of his shows, Antonio was invited to a poker game.  He went on to win that first tournament, a $30 buy-in.

In 2004, Antonio Esfandiari won the Main Event of the LA Poker Classic, worth $1.4 million dollars and was the youngest WPT Champ ever at the time. That year, Antonio also won a $2,000 Pot Limit Holdem tournament to earn his first World Series of Poker bracelet.  To date, Esfandiari has career earnings of more than $3.5 million.

Antonio Esfandiari also has a few off the felt business ventures. Antonio shared the small screen with buddy Phil Laak in the degerate gambling show I Bet You.  He is also a spokesperson for Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz, which is a poker food developed by Fun Energy Foods Inc. Antonio really likes this product, and says that they are perfect for when you have to spend a lot of hours at the poker tables, since they do give you a real boost.  Antonio also has his own website, MagicAntonio.com, where you can find out what Antonio is up to, which can be quite interesting at times.

Antonio Esfandiari recently signed on as the top pro at Victory Poker.  If you want to play at Victory Poker and have a chance to play against The Magician, just visit VictoryPoker.com and sign up for a new account.