Antonio Esfandiari's behavior.

[Tyler Durden]

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.