Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari was born in Tehran, Iran on December 8, 1978 with the name of Amir Esfandiari.  His family moved to California when Antonio was nine, and Antonio’s name was changed from Amir to Anthony because of the heckling he received from other kids at school.  He had his name changed again when he turned 19, this time from Anthony to Antonio.  Antonio earned his moniker of “The Magician” because he dropped out of college in order to become a professional magician.  After one of his performances, The Magician was invited to a poker game, and that is where his poker career began.

Antonio Esfandiari’s first tournament was a $30 buy-in event, which Antonio won.  This was a good omen for the rest of his poker career.  In 2004 he became the youngest player ever to win a payday of more than a million dollars when he won the main event in the L.A. Poker Classic.  Antonio won his first bracelet in the 2004 World Series of Poker Bracelet, being the sole survivor in the $2,000 Pot Limit Holdem tournament.  Esfandiari became the youngest player to win a World Poker Tour title, and has made five WPT final tables to date.

Antonio Esfandiari has written a book, entitled ““World Poker Tour: In the Money.”  Surprisingly, this book is not about either the World Poker Tour or tournament play.  It’s all about cash games.  Fun Energy Foods Inc. has made a “poker food,” known as kickbutt amped energy ballz.  Antonio proudly endorses the product, testifying that they are great for the poker table, providing some needed energy during those long hours.

Antonio Esfandiari does have other ambitions.  He wants to have a family, and he also wants to own a restaurant, talking about how he almost went to culinary school instead of playing poker online. He is also very close friends with professional poker player Phil Laak, and the two can be frequently found hanging out with each other in Las Vegas. Not only are they close friends, but Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak are also neighbors in the Panorama Towers high-rise community.

Antonio Esfandiari was formally a member of Team UB, Ultimate Bet’s team of poker pros that include names such as Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke.  He has since been a pro for Dan Fleyshman’s Victory Poker, but is now a free agent and not endorsed by any particular poker company (as of January 2012).