Two WPT titles, three WSOP bracelets, and the biggest live tournament cash in poker history - our #WeeklyHero @Antonio Esfandiari certainly has a lot of blessings to count! Yet this public statement from February 2015 was not poker related. It was inspired by fatherhood - by a man's great love and admiration for his father and the birth of his own son:
On January 7th at 8:01 am, I became a father of a beautiful son. It was a moment that truly cannot be explained, only experienced. I am shocked and transformed, and my life has changed forever.
I have to admit that my life has been quite a ride. I took the road less travelled from a repressed life in Iran to America, and wrote my own unique version of the ‘American Dream’. I found my incredible wife and soulmate, and now feel like I have truly arrived as I experience a life with my beautiful, healthy and handsome son.
I am blessed, plain and simple.
Photo: http://www.bluff.com/news/wsop-photo-blog-ladies-with-bling-kung-fu-kicks-and-stacks-of-cash-32576/
The early years
Amir Esfandiari was born on December 8, 1978 in Iran and lived in Tehran until 1988.
I remember we were at war with Iraq and there would be bombs going off and we’d have to go and hide out in the basements of the apartment that we used to live in.
When he was about 10, the family moved to America. Soon after their arrival in San Jose, CA, his parents divorced and his mother went back to Iran. Antonio and his younger brother were raised by their father and grandparents.
We were very lucky and my father gave up his entire life and everything in Iran to bring us to America and give his kids a better life.
Wow...my brother @uberpasha and me... Many moons ago... Just being. I love you so much Baraddaaaar !!! http://instagram.com/magicantonio/ Antonio's brother. Pasha 'Paul' Esfandiary is a poker player too: http://www.rankinghero.com/pasha.esfandiari
By the time he was 18 and before he had finished high-school, Antonio had left home and was supporting himself by working as a waiter. He graduated in 1997 and tried studying business at college but 'couldn’t get into it'.
I was a straight-A student up until my last semester of high school, my senior year, when I started getting into bad things and partying. I ran away from home the night before I turned 17. I came home and my father and I had a fight, so I packed my stuff and I left. ..when I was about 18 I got my own apartment. My whole senior year I had my own apartment. I paid for it by working as a waiter. I always made good bucks as a waiter. I got tons of tips. As soon as I got my own apartment my place was party-central. I had the party house. Every Friday night was a huge blowout and my grades dropped as my partying increased.
Magic
It was in that same senior year of crazy partying and waiting tables that Antonio discovered magic.
One night I was sitting in the restaurant where I worked, Left at Albuquerque, and I saw this bartender do a magic trick. He did about three and I was baffled. So I went straight to a magic store that had just opened up in town. I talked to the guy who ran it and explained the trick the barman had done. He said to me, “You can do exactly what he did,” and I thought, “No way!” I bought this trick and some others and just started performing them for people. The reaction I got was great and I was instantly hooked. People were suddenly interested in what I was doing, so I had to learn more. For about two years I practiced for about 12 hours a day.
He was still working as a waiter, performing tricks for his customers and soon started getting magic gigs at corporate parties, which paid $300-400 an hour. By the time he was 20, he had changed his name to Antonio and had become a professional magician.
Poker beginnings
Antonio Esfandiari was first introduced to poker by a roommate who took him to his first live tournament when he was 19 (and had to lie about his age to play).
I actually won my first tournament. Scott said, “If you’re really going to start playing, you should read a book and really learn how to play;” so, he gave me Lee Jones’, Winning Low Limit Hold ’Em. I read it and just started doing what it told me to and that’s when I started playing poker.
At the age of 22 he was making enough from poker to quit magic and waiting tables and to start crushing them full time.
World Poker Tour
Esfandiari's first recorded cash in a live tournament was from Event 11 in the 2002 WPT LAPC at the @Commerce Casino (which would prove a lucky venue for him). It was in that year that he became one of the most-talked about newcomers in live poker with his impressive performance in the @World Poker Tour Gold Rush Tournament and the famous confrontation with @Phil Hellmuth whom he busted in 4th place. Antonio made his first final table in a major live event and finished 3rd for $44,000.
Some called him Kid44 after that cash, but only two years later had to change it to Kid 1.4 MILLION when The Magician won his first WPT champion title in 2004 WPT LAPC. (A feat he repeated in 2010, when he won the Five Diamond World Poker Classic and his second WPT title).
At the time I won, I was the youngest player ever to win a WPT event. I won $1.4 million. I spent some of the winnings on a Dodge Viper and some on an Armani suit.
'The beginning of a beautiful friendship'
They have been roommates, best friends and partners in numerous poker projects in the past decade, the latest one being Underground Poker (a proposed reality TV series about private high-stakes games). Antonio Esfandiari and @Phil Laak's friendship from their early wild years, through downswings, and into maturity is a true source of inspiration! (And if you ever run out of prop bet ideas, check out their 'I Bet You' show for some fun&crazy challenges.)
When I was just getting into high-stakes poker I had the fortune to meet Phil Laak. Later on we ended up moving in together in San Francisco. I met Phil at the WSOP while I was doing magic for the people at my table. I noticed Phil wasn’t looking at the magic, but at my hands; trying to figure it out. I hate it when people do that. So I went to another table and Phil moved with me and started looking at my hands again. So we started chatting and hanging out. I went to New York to visit him and we partied and every now and then I would call him to tell him about the games in the Bay Area. So he came out to visit and, by the time he left, we had pre-paid for an apartment for six months.
The WSOP
With 3 bracelets and 30 ITM finishes worth a total of $21,102,136, Antonio Esfandiari tops the all-time WSOP earnings ranking and has scored the biggest single cash in live tournament poker history - $18,346,673!
| The Bracelets: |
Ultimate Poker
In 2013 Ultimate Poker signed Antonio Esfandiari as its brand ambassador on the occasion of its online Nevada launch.
"We're thrilled to have Antonio Esfandiari represent our company," said Ultimate Poker chairman Tom Breitling. "Antonio is the ultimate champion and modern poker player. He brings the gaming lifestyle to the online arena with his work-hard, play-hard attitude." (PokerNews)
And to conclude, here's a piece of inspirational advice from a 2012 reddit AMA by Esfandiari:
Focus on your health first, workout EVERY day, eat healthy!!! And write down your goals and what steps you need to get to where you want to be and JUST DO IT. You can do anything you want...as long as you have a clear vision of what it is that you want.
Don't miss the interview by @Nicolas Levi:
Check out Esfandiari's stats page on RankingHero for a full listing of his live poker results, including the latest cash at @ARIA Resort & Casino. Follow his profile and give him disctinctions:
Antonio Esfandiari - Poker index and results of Antonio Esfandiariwww.rankinghero.com
Antonio Esfandiari (@magicantonio) ⢠Instagram photos and videosinstagram.com
Antonio Esfandiari on Fatherhood www.bluffeurope.com
The Rise Of A Poker Millionairewww.bluff.com
Antonio also has an IMDb profile and you may have seen him and best buddy Phil Laak in Deal (2008) with Burt Reynolds:
Poker Outside the Casinos | Underground Pokerwww.youtube.com
Adrien Bacchi 14 Feb 2015
excellent, very informative !
Who Is Our Next WeeklyHero?
Our next guest star is in the all-time Top 10 money list and has truly magic powers (which might inspire your answer to this week's #MoreThanMoney question :) Can you guess who it is?
Check out the WeeklyHero page on RKH for bios and interviews with @Greg Raymer and @Mike Sexton!
Check back for the next bio&interview in the coming days and meanwhile, take part in our #MoreThanMoney discussion! We first asked you why you love and play poker and this week's question is about the ways in which you'd like to improve your game, either by developing a particular skill or by acquiring a special superpower:
Elena RKH 12 Feb 2015
The RankingHero.com Story in All In Magazine!
Would you like to know how it all started? Where it's all going? The story of rankinghero.com, its founding fathers @Pedro Canali and @Nicolas Levi, and its poker mission is in @All In Magazine!
“Poker is like a double life that people lead and that’s where the ‘Hero’ part of RankingHero comes from. We felt there needed to be a place where you can share and take pride in your results, and we’re providing a community for that purpose.”
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Bruno Rilho 12 Feb 2015
HMMMM SuperPower......to fly...hate planes...would luv to fly to go play anywhere.....
Nicolas Levi 13 Feb 2015
Wait, if you're afraid of flying are you sure being able to fly MORE will help ? :)
How about teleportation?
Bruno Rilho 13 Feb 2015
Hello....i said was afraid of Planes....not flying......but teleportations would also do me.......lol
Weekly RankingHero Highlights
In the past week we've been celebrating our shared love for the game of poker and have been thinking about why we play! From adrenaline and addiction, to self-knowledge and 'hunger for rewards' the reasons we've shared are very different but one thing is certain: it's much MoreThanMoney :)
Visit the discussion page to see the answers by the French and English-speaking members of the community and by some of the top pros interviewed by Pedro Canali! Thank you,@Despé fraiche, @Christian Grenier, @Nicolas Esslinger @floyde @ShiShiFed @Alessio Bianchi and everyone else who posted!
In live tournament poker, @Phil Ivey recorded another amazing achievement for his poker resume - his third win in the Aussie Millions 250K Boutique Challenge! Does this herald an end to the super high-roller domination of @Daniel Colman?..Remains to be seen :)
The EPT Deauville was in the focus of attention during the week, not least with the controversy that broke out after 22 male players entered the Ladies Event and a man won the first-place prize!
In other news, we introduced you to a four-member family from Birmingham, UK, all of whom play poker for a living - Meet the Sheils :)
Tickets are now on sale for the glamorous awards ceremony of The British Poker Awards, presented by @Bluff Europe, which is to take place on Feb. 23rd at @The Hippodrome Casino London!
Special welcome to @Benjamin Costa Miranda @Aurelie Quelain @Michael Christiansen @Christophe "karl la carpe"Julien @Florian Ribouchon and all of our new members!
From Deauville to Macau, through Melbourne, Los Angeles, and London - so many of you cashed in live events across the world! Congrats to @Sergio Aido Espina, @Casey Greggain @Pasquale Grimaldi @Hideki Takafuji @Ellie Biessek @Charles Calfelis and the many, many others!
Good luck at the tables and check back tomorrow for clues about our next great WeeklyHero :)
Yours truly,
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Nicolas Levi 9 Feb 2015
Competition matters so much, that's why I picked tournaments over cash games myself!
ShiShiFed 9 Feb 2015
Adrien Bacchi 10 Feb 2015
RankingHero Asked the Pros: Why Do You Play Poker?
Yes, as pros, they obviously play to make a living. But even to professional players, there's #MoreThanMoney involved. Here is how @Sofia Lovgren @Leonor Margets-Perez @Mickey Petersen and @Marc-Andre Ladouceur answered @Pedro Canali's question: Why do you play poker. Try and guess which star gave each answer before clicking to read the full interviews :)
The only reason I started to play poker was to make money. That was at first - I was working full-time, I had my own business at the time. I met someone who was playing full-time online and when I saw the potential money that could be made I wanted to see if I could do it. And there was the freedom that it gives you. So money and freedom was the first reason.
Afterwards, as I started to battle online and then live tournaments came the sense of competition, the battle against some of the top of the world, both online and live. I guess that feeling of competition and accomplishment has actually taken over the money aspect. [full interview]
Some years ago, when I started playing professionally, my hobby became my profession. And so, I play poker because I love it as a hobby but it’s also how I make my living. ..I play for money, but tournaments are what I enjoy playing most - because of the competition. I’ve tried cash games but I need the thrill of the competition. It's always great to have both :)[full interview]
I’ve always been very fond of playing games and I was playing a lot of Magic at the time. And then I saw poker on TV and I just had no idea what was going on. I didn’t even know the hand rankings or anything like that, but I was fascinated. So I watched more and sort of started picking up on it and from there I just got really interested in poker. At that point it was just a thing I enjoyed doing with friends, and then eventually I found out it was something that I could actually make a living doing. I still think it’s really fun to play and it has enabled me to have the kind of lifestyle that’s perfect for me. So, that’s why I still play poker,I guess. [full interview]
I’m very competitive and I’ve always loved different kinds of games… I love the excitement in poker and I think it’s really fun. [full interview]
Leo Margets Interview by Pedro Canali - Ranking Herowww.rankinghero.com
Mickey Petersen Interview by Pedro Canali - Ranking Herowww.rankinghero.com
Sofia Lovgren Interviewed by Pedro Canali at EPT London - Ranking Herowww.rankinghero.com
Why do YOU play poker? See how the other members of our community answered and share your own reasons: #MoreThanMoney
Nicolas Levi 9 Feb 2015
Because I think I'm a 
Pedro Canali 9 Feb 2015
Meet the Sheils: UK Poker Playing Family of Four Gets Into Media Spotlight
Their story made it into UK media this month and on RankingHero we are happy to introduce the community to the player profiles of the Sheils from Birmingham - a family of four who are all playing poker for a living!
Dad, 48, former accountant @Matt Sheils
Mum, 41, works in childcare, sold nursery business @Michelle Sheils
23-year-old @Richard Sheils
19-year-old @Brandon Sheils
Photo: blondepoker.com @Frankie Knight and @Michelle Sheils
“Mum ran a nursery,” Richard explained. “She sold that, semi-retired and played poker. She’s been on Channel 4’s Late Night Poker a few times, and her biggest win is £12,000.”
Photo: gentingcasino.com
Birmingham University economics graduate @Richard Sheils “My ambition is to be good enough to play for a living, but rich enough not to have to.”
Youngest member of the family, 19-year-old @Brandon Sheils recently finished 3rd in a 2015 PokerStars UKIPT - London NLHE event, for £9,200!
Birmingham family is a full house of poker championswww.birminghammail.co.uk
Birmingham Family Ditch Jobs and Take up Pokercalvinayre.com
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'Fraternity' Comes First in a Ladies Poker Event in the Land of Liberty & Equality
When the news broke that as many as 22 of 83 @European Poker Tour Deauville Ladies Event entrants were male players, the tournament suddenly became the top story of the festival. And now that a man actually won the event (but the female runner-up was awarded the trophy), it is sure to remain a hot topic for a long time to come.
'Positive discrimination' (or 'affirmative action' for a more favorable formulation) is a controversial concept and practice in any area of modern life. It often finds its way onto the poker scene, as well, and never fails to stir up heated debates and emotonal reactions.
Unsurprisingly, 'women only' events are not allowed in France - the land of 'Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité'. #EPTDauville organizers therefore appealed to the good will of participants when they scheduled a €220 buy-in Ladies Event (and a later Men's Event, with the same buy-in, to appease the opponents of such 'discrimination').
PokerNews: http://youtu.be/k_jWDGlNlgs?t=2m40s
Yet, not only did the male players not abstain - they registered en masse making up nearly one-fourth of the field, reached 5 out of the 11 paid places, and a man - @Thierry Olivier Derkx - utimately won the first-place prize of 4,380€.
On their part, the organizers decided to award the trophy to the runner-up - @Sabina Hiatullah. Sabina did not seem too upset herself by the men who 'made fools of themselves' but is in turn sure to upset political correctness militants with her suggestion to rename such events 'Ladies and Gay Tournaments' :)
The WSOP approach
Every year there are - usually fun - stories of men entering the World Series Ladies Event and many believe the WSOP has found a solution by setting the buy-in at $10,000 and giving women an enormous discount of 90%, so they only have to pay $1,000 to play (which would be considered equally discriminatory and illegal in France, by the way).
Men Crash WSOP Ladies Event Once Again - Poker Newswww.pokerlistings.com
To quote one comment on the subject in conclusion, "I don't think there would be a need for women's tournaments at all if men behaved better in poker" (CrazedZach on PocketFives).
Do YOU agree? Have you (whether you're male or female:) ever played in a Ladies Event and do you see how these can be good for poker in general and for women in particular? It would also be great to hear from two of our members who cashed in this tournament - @Sofia Lovgren and @Andrew Ackah Miezan :)
Stay Classy: 22 Men Enter EPT Deauville Ladies Eventwww.pocketfives.com
EPT Deauville Ladies Event Overrun by Idiotswww.pokerupdate.com
Shaun Deeb WSOP Ladies Event Statementyoutu.be
And if anyone has doubts about women-only poker games, just take a look at all the fun the ladies are having in a recent Poker Night in America:
Girls Want to Have Fun Even With $100,000 on the Poker Table - Ranking Herowww.rankinghero.com
Unibet Sponsored British Poker Awards Return to the Hippodrome on February 23rd!
Tickets are on sale now for February 23rd and the fifth edition of The British Poker Awards, the premier event on the UK poker calendar! The organizers from @Bluff Europe, the headline sponsor @Unibet, and, of course, the host - @The Hippodrome Casino London promise to make it the biggest and most dazzling yet!
So head straight for the Hippodrome website to secure your seats:
http://www.hippodromecasino.com/whatson/the-british-poker-awards/
The British Poker Awards – Hippodrome Casinowww.hippodromecasino.com
"We're delighted to be returning to the Hippodrome for a second straight year, and we look forward to welcoming the best and brightest of UK poker for an unforgettable night." (Michael Caselli, Bluff Europe editor-in-chief and British Poker Awards organizer)
RankingHero is one of the partners of this year's edition and maybe you'll have the chance to meet our own @Nicolas Levi or @Pedro Canali at the ceremony. If you do, perhaps you can get them to reveal some clues about the great (and as yet top secret) things brewing at RankingHero.com :)
http://www.thebritishpokerawards.com
Vote | British Poker Awards www.thebritishpokerawards.com
More about TBPA & the nominees on RankingHero, #BritishPokerAwards :
Pedro Canali About British Poker Awards Exclusively on RKH
The Four Best Poker Hands of the Year
Chris Moorman Nominated in Three BluffEurope British Poker Awards Categories
The British Poker Awards - Nominees for Best Live Tournament Player
British Poker Awards Winner and 2014 Nominee Victoria Coren Mitchell on the Phil Ivey Case
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Spectacular Aussie Millions Feat by Ivey Relaunches 'Daniels vs Phils' Poker Race
In April 2014 @Daniel Colman and @Daniel Cates topped a fantastic field of super high rollers in Monte Carlo and we asked ourselves 'Is Daniel the new Phil in poker?'. By the end of the year the question had become purely rhetorical...
Colman had achieved an unprecedented record with 11 cashes worth $22,398,544, @Daniel Negreanu had finished runner-up in the Big One for One Drop and was on top of the world by all-time winnings. And even though @Phil Ivey won his tenth bracelet in 2014 WSOP Event 50, and @Phil Hellmuth came very close to his 14th one in Event 7, Team Daniel ruled supreme in the rankings.
With @Phil Ivey's amazing THIRD victory in the Aussie Millions 250K Boutique Challenge (held for the fifth time in 2015 and won by Ivey in 2012 and 2014, as well), the race seems to be on again in 2015!
Ivey overtook Colman in the all-time worldwide ranking, but one wonders how long the $380,000 lead will hold against the 'Colman Phenomenon'. What is YOUR bet for 2015?..
Read on:
Phil Ivey Back From a Well-Deserved Holiday
Phil Ivey: “Nobody really plays a perfect session.. You just wanna play as near to perfect as you can”
Did Phil Ivey Cheat or Outsmart the Casinos?
Big Changes in Poker Rankings after Big One for One Drop
The 15 Million Dollar Ten of Spades
Dan Colman Speaks Out on the 'Ugly World' of Poker, Daniel Negreanu Looks on the Brighter Side
Colman Now Best Tournament Poker Player in the World - WHAT is he doing right?
Unstoppable Colman With Yet Another Win
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Weekly RankingHero Highlights
This week was marked by our @Malta Poker Championship contest. Two @Campok poker tournaments and more than 200 screenshots later, the winners have been announced. Congrats to @Guillaume Charpy, who will be flying off to Malta soon, as well as to @Sophie Berne, @Chris Mcphee, and all of our members whose screenshot posts earned them magic RKH patches and our branded card decks, fresh from print!
Final ranking: MPCqualif : THE RESULTS
After Poker Hall of Famer @Mike Sexton, RankingHero proudly welcomed another illustrious WeeklyHero: 2004 WSOP Champion @Greg Raymer is with us with an exclusive interview, bio, and many videos, most notably the 2004 Main Event final hand against @David Williams with his own commentary.
2004 WSOP Champion Greg Raymer Bio & Poker Profile 'People think poker is a game of cards but it’s really a game of people.'
Special welcome to all of our new members and the players who validated their profiles in the past week - @Peter Raimondi @Sasha Stancic @Mecit Turan @Florian Benedetto to mention just a few of the latest additions.
Congrats to our winner of the week, beautiful @Angelina Rich whom we welcomed in April 2014 as one of the EPT Season 10 Ladies Event Winners and who recently took down the @Aussie Millions NLHE Terminator Event!
Good luck at the tables, lots of inspiration for your blog posts on Rankinghero, and stay tuned for the great things we have in store for you :)
Yours truly,
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