This magician's skill on TV's 'High Stakes Poker' no illusion

Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari is known as "The Magician" on the tournament circuit because prior to catching flush draws against his opponents at the tables he was pulling rabbits out of his hat on stage.

Esfandiari, who was born in Tehran, Iran, came to the United States to attend college. A bartender with whom he became friends introduced him to the world of magic, and by the time he was 19 he was a professional magician who performed at private parties and other social events.

Soon after amazing audiences with card tricks, he was vexing his opponents at the poker table with amazing feats of poker skill. He became the youngest player to win more than $1 million in a poker tournament with his victory in the 2004 L.A. Poker Classic Championship.

Just three months later he won a $2,000 Pot-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and was awarded his first gold bracelet after claiming first prize of nearly $200,000. His tournament winnings now exceed $2.7 million.

You can watch Esfandiari work his magic at the poker tables every week on High Stakes Poker , the popular GSN Get in the Game cable network show now in its fourth season. It was produced at the South Point Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas.

"The Magician" has anted up for all four seasons of High Stakes Poker . I caught up with him between tables in a Las Vegas poker tournament and asked him what he felt was the biggest difference between playing in a cash game like High Stakes Poker and a regular televised tournament.

"Comparing High Stakes Poker to tournaments is like comparing rugby to table tennis," he said. "It's not even close. The strategy and tools are so different."

Even for a high stakes pro like Esfandiari, a seasoned cash game player, High Stakes Poker is the biggest game in which he's ever played. He admits to enjoying competing against the greatest players in the world, captivated by what he describes as the unique "pizzazz and energy" of each episode.

News Added: 30 November, 2007

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