Antonio Esfandiari

Antonio Esfandiari was born in Tehran, Iran, and moved to the United States as a child, eventually settling in California where he learned poker and built a career that combined genuine playing ability with showmanship and charisma. A former professional magician, he brought sleight-of-hand skills, natural theatricality, and a love of the spotlight to the poker table.

His three WSOP bracelets confirmed his status as a legitimate elite player, but his defining moment came in 2012 when he won the Big One for One Drop — a $1 million buy-in charity event — for $18.3 million in prize money, the largest live poker prize ever awarded at the time. The win was a performance for the ages, navigating one of the deepest fields of elite players ever assembled for a single tournament.

Known as "The Magician" for his background and for pulls he appeared to conjure from thin air at the table, Esfandiari brought an entertainment value to poker that expanded the game's audience and helped make it must-watch television during the boom years.

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