Antonio Esfandiari

Antonio Esfandiari Profile Summary

Antonio Esfandiari's Net Worth in 2024: $25 million

If you’re interested in the stories of highly successful gambler, look no further than the story of Antonio Esfandiari. Antonio Esfandiari has a fairy-tale story, coming a long way from his childhood roots in Iran. He is known as “The Magician”. This is because he once performed as a magician professionally before making his millions in poker tournamets. 

His showmanship that comes from his past magic performances made him a crowd favorite and he’s also well known for his known for his elaborate chip tricks. Today, his net worth is estimated at $25 million.

I love the fact that I can mess with someone's head.

What Does Antonio Esfandiari Do?

Antonio Esfandiari is taking things easy now after his successes as a poker tournament specialist between 2010-2015. He was a member of the PokerStars Pro Team, bringing in additional income throughout his career. Just like a magician, he disappeared from the scene after 20 years of captivating audiences with his entertaining play. 

Over his career, he reached 2nd place in the Nevada, USA All Time Money List. After playing the biggest tournaments, he commentated the WSOP events before leaving the scene. He walked away from poker officially in 2021 and doesn’t play professionally any longer.

How Did Antonio Esfandiari Get Rich?

Esfandiari accumulated over $27 million in wins playing tournaments for 15 years. In his first World Poker Tour final in 2002, he finished third at the Third Annual 49'er Gold Rush Bonanza $3,000 Main Event. Esfandiari later won his first WSOP bracelet in pot-limit Texas Hold ‘em at the L.A. Poker Classic in 2004. He took home nearly $1.4 million and the coveted World Poker Tour title.

In 2008, he made the final table at the 2008 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. He came in eighth place and won $266,004. In 2009, he finished 24th at the World Series of Poker Main Event, earning $352,832. 

Following his early successes, Antioni Esdandiari’s 2012 win really stands out, and is what landed him a huge chunk of his wealth. After outplaying 47 players, he came in first at the $1 million buy-in The Big One for One Drop event. He won the top top prize of $18,346,673, the largest cash prize ever won in the history of poker at the time. In 2013, he had another notable win of $1,433,438 when he placed 4th in the One Drop High Roller tournament.

Aside from WSOP and WPT titles, Esfandiari did well in other events including a third place win at the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas for a $125,000 cash win. In 2006, Esfandiari played the exclusive Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament Season 3 Grand Final with a second-place finish for $120,000.

Other big milestones in his professional poker career included winning three WSOP bracelets. He did score several money finishes throughout the years, bringing in many 5-digit wins. Throughout his career, his total tournaments winnings were $27,810,802.

How Does Antonio Esfandiari Like to Gamble?

Live poker tournaments are Esfandiari’s expertise and he does so with panache, sometimes performing magic tricks at the poker table. He has played in many World Poker Tours, winning two titles in 2024 and 2010. He made five final tables with a record of nine money finishes. 

What’s the Most He Ever Won?

Antonio Esfandiari’s biggest win was $18,346,000 at the WSOP$1 million buy-in The Big One for One Drop event in 2012.

How Does Antonio Esfandiari Spend His Money?

Antonio Esfandiari has always enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and tends to spend his money in luxury real estate. He has kept his seven-figure high-rise condo right on the Las Vegas strip, which was actually robbed of over $1 million in cash, chips, and jewelry at one point. 

He also purchased a “starter” property in Venice, California valued at $3.4 million. After getting married and starting a family, he purchased a 6,000 square foot mansion in Venice for $5.3 million in 2020.

Gambling Stats

• Biggest Win: $18,346,000
• Biggest Loss: He lost $350,000 to Phil Hellmuth in three poker matches
• He has 2 titles, made 8 final tables, and 16 money finishes from WSOP events

What We Can Learn from Antonio Esfandiari

He fully committed to playing cards and being the best he could possibly be at it. Esfandiari says he had a knack for poker and after reading a few books, he started playing with great success. If you’re looking for inspiration, this winning combination of skill and curiosity is a great example to aspire to.

Esfandiari’s strategy involved watching people and observing them closely. The more he interacted with people, the more he learned about their behaviors. Esfandiari believes his days as a magician are what trained him in reading people so well.

He’s also a great example of someone who adapted well to all the ups and downs of playing poker as one of the richest poker players in the world. Losing is part of the game and he learned to surrender to that. If he lost a big hand or got knocked out of a tournament, he picked himself up and carried on: lessons for both life and the card table.

For the Love of the Game

Above all, it’s clear that Antonio Esfandiari loves the art of playing poker. He relishes the discovery of a new formula or being in a fresh situation he’s never been in. This wide-eyed, enthusiastic approach keeps the game interesting; it’s never repetitive and always a mystery. 

Perhaps most importantly of all, Esfandiari knows how to have fun with poker. When he plays with his friends just for fun, they have a great time bantering as they play, enthralled by the magic of the game.