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View Full Version : Antonio Esfandiari's behavior.


Tyler Durden
03-29-2004, 02:54 PM
I'm enclosing two sections of the Cardplayer article on this guy.

PART ONE

[ QUOTE ]
What he had learned was how to behave in a tasteful manner. He told us stories about winning hands and cheering for himself in a way he wished he could forget. He remembered playing with the classy Phil Ivey, and winning a pot and behaving in an embarrassing manner. T.J. Cloutier took him aside and told him that he was behaving inappropriately. When a champion like T.J. tells a kid he has behaved badly, it is memorable. Antonio decided then that he always wanted to be thought of as a classy, refined poker player.


[/ QUOTE ]


Now this next snippet describes the final hand of his million-dollar victory at the L.A. Poker Classic:

PART TWO

[ QUOTE ]
Antonio made his standard little annoying raise that he had made so many times before. Vinh thought, and thought, and thought some more. Antonio was practically praying. He was thinking, please call, please call, oh God, please call. He was screaming inside and trying to keep his cool outside. After what seemed like an eternity, Vinh moved all in. Antonio said that he will always remember that instant as a moment of pure ecstasy in his life. Antonio remembered smiling and firmly announcing: "I call."

Antonio, loving the camera, dramatically took one card in each hand and lifted them high, in order to show the cheering audience what was about to come. He held pocket rockets — aces, two beautiful, lovely, wonderful, sweet aces. It was the dream hand.



[/ QUOTE ]

I'd be very surprised if I was the only one that thought Esfandiari learned nothing about learning to act in a tasteful manner. I can't believe he would hold each ace up high and show them one at a time, before he was even certain that his hand would be the winner. I think it's a real jackass move, and he's approaching Phil Hellmuth territory if he keeps it up. Your thoughts?

Btw, this episode of the WPT airs Wednesday, April 28th.

J.A.Sucker
03-29-2004, 03:34 PM
I've played a lot with Antonio. He's just hyperactive - constantly on the phone, talking with anyone who will listen (or not), and playing with his chips. Really, it's all window dressing, and good players don't really care. He plays well, though. I don't think it really matters about his behavior - he's not a whiner or any of that - he's just a cocky player who's now a millionare. I can't fault that too much.

To his credit, he's really imroved his game a lot - even as recent as about a year and a half ago he would always be a welcome sight in any game. This isn't the case now.

Daliman
03-30-2004, 10:36 PM
He annoys the piss out of me any time I see him play. I'm not out-and out saying he's got to show extra respect for players such as TJ and Phil(god KNOWS Phil doesn't deserve it, and, to some, neither does TJ), but i find it funny how he tries to needle people and rarely makes the right decision for it. He seems to play a decent enough game, although more of his game seems to be predicated on pressing a stack than any "real" poker(not that it's not real poker, but you know what i mean), in my opinion. I loved it when TJ pantsed him on SEVERAL occasions at the Sands, and would love to get a seat at his table, if only to mock his "i'm a great player/reader/magician" act when sent in my direction. He is 24 or so, so i'll cut him some slack there, but otherwise, he seems like the standard "new breed" poker player that, bought for what he IS worth and sold for what he THINKS he's worth, would make ANYONE a millionaire.
That said, Antonio, enjoy the million, and that "air shuffle" thing you do with the cards IS really cool,( also probably another part of the reason why he can afford to play in all these WPT events).

Toro
03-30-2004, 10:51 PM
You're only seeing snippets of the guy. I sat directly next to him at Foxwoods for about 6 hours last fall during the WPT event and can tell you that he was pleasant and polite and generally just a real nice guy.