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#2
09-08-2005, 09:04 AM
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Re: Any ESPN Insiders here? (Esfandiari chat)
Not comfortable swiping the whole thing, but here's the best stuff. (Antonio split halfway through, leaving the host to answer questions.)
Dave(Winchester, MA): What is the biggest mistake you see newer players make? Antonio Esfandiari: Pay people off when they know they are beat. When you know you are beat, the best thing you can do is fold. Mike (Shelton, CT): Whatsup Antonio- I have lost my poker bankroll twice, I really enjoy playing and do not want to quit... Should I read a certain book...have any tips??? Antonio Esfandiari: In order to be a successful poker player you have to go broke at some point in your career. Just read some good books and practice. But maybe poker isnt for you. A lot of people think they know how to play, but have no clue. nick(port moody, BC): Hi Antonio, I just saw you on the poker of bad boys tourney the other day, can you explain to me the hand you got busted out on (pocket 7's), and what Gus Hanson was thinking making that call?? You think he put you on small pockets so he figured his two cards were live?? Antonio Esfandiari: At first I thought Gus Hansen was a donkey, but after looking at it it was a genious call. If I didnt have an overpair, he was getting the right odds to call. He put me on an underpair and the thing about poker is that you have to go with your gut. It was a genious call, even with 10 high. Val (San Francisco, CA): How do you explain to other players the feeling that you get when you have middle pair and you know they are good enough to call a big raise? Every book you've read, the board, the odds, are all screaming to fold yet you still call and win. I've been fortunate enough to do this a few times and everytime I can't explain the call to other players. Is it a subconscious thing? Antonio Esfandiari: If you know your hand is good you should go with your gut, what are you waiting for? If you make a pair and you think its good, hold on like a mofo. Alan (Miami, FL): Antonio, which player/s do you think are the hardest to play in a no limit tournament? Antonio Esfandiari: Players like Gus, Phil Ivey,and Barry Greenstein. They play every hand and when someone plays every hand its hard to play against them. Sometimes they have a hand and you lose a lot of money because you dont put them on a hand. When a guy doesnt play a hand for three hours and enters a pot you can throw away your hand because you are expecting a good hand. I like to be the aggressor and not play against over-aggressive players such as the three mentioned earlier. Jay (New York, NY): I see you have a book coming out. What is it going to cover? Antonio Esfandiari: Cash game no limit hold'em strategy. It should be a fun book to read with lots of crazy stories. Fun stuff. Nathan D: What do you think of "LIVE@THEBIKE"? I seen you make your appearance the other night and was wondering what you thought of the concept of live webcast of cash games. Antonio Esfandiari: It was actually pretty cool. Next time I Go back to LA I'll play and check it out again. I liked the concept a lot. Everyone promotes poker and a lot of people would say it gives away how you play, but you can set up your opponents by playing differently. I think it promotes poker very well. Matt, Coral Springs: Hey Antonio - what are your feelings on playing once you are in the money to get to the final table. I find I make the money in large tournaments very frequently but dont make too many final tables. Any ideas? Antonio Esfandiari: You should maybe take more risks and stop worrying about making more money. You need to accumulate more chips early to give yourself a better chance to win. 
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#4
09-08-2005, 01:22 PM
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Re: Any ESPN Insiders here? (Esfandiari chat)
thanks!!!
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#5
09-10-2005, 01:49 PM
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Re: Any ESPN Insiders here? (Esfandiari chat)
Ask ''The Magician'' Antonio Esfandiari
Welcome to The Show! On Wednesday, ''The Magician'', Antonio Esfandiari will log on to talk poker! Antonio was the winner of the main event at the 2004 L.A. Poker Classic and the winner of the $2,000 buy-in pot-limit hold'em event at the 2004 World Series of Poker. The Magician is the youngest player ever to win a million dollar prize in a poker tournament AND the youngest player to win a televised WPT event. SportsNation Andrew Feldman: Hey everyone. Antonio will be here in just a few minutes. Keep on sending in those questions. SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Good morning everyone. I had a late night, but one of the best nights of my life. Dave(Winchester, MA): What is the biggest mistake you see newer players make? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Pay people off when they know they are beat. When you know you are beat, the best thing you can do is fold. Mike (Shelton, CT): Whatsup Antonio- I have lost my poker bankroll twice, I really enjoy playing and do not want to quit... Should I read a certain book...have any tips??? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: In order to be a successful poker player you have to go broke at some point in your career. Just read some good books and practice. But maybe poker isnt for you. A lot of people think they know how to play, but have no clue. Rod Fani, CA: I see you playing at the cash games at Commerce Casino these last couple of days with ur dad. I am just wondering what you told your parents when u decdied to go pro. I am persian too, and you can only imagine how my parents would react! Thank you sooo much and I wish you the best of luck! SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: 100% my family was not accepting at all of poker. When my dad understood this was when he stood behind me when I was playing and told him what the other players had before they turned their cards over. At that point he understood. I can see how you cant really explain to persian parents that you are playing poker, but now my dad is accepting and the coolest. I take him to all the parties (including Shannon Elizabeth's birthday party on Saturday) and he plays a lot as well. nick(port moody, BC): Hi Antonio, I just saw you on the poker of bad boys tourney the other day, can you explain to me the hand you got busted out on (pocket 7's), and what Gus Hanson was thinking making that call?? You think he put you on small pockets so he figured his two cards were live?? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: At first I thought Gus Hansen was a donkey, but after looking at it it was a genious call. If I didnt have an overpair, he was getting the right odds to call. He put me on an underpair and the thing about poker is that you have to go with your gut. It was a genious call, even with 10 high. Val (San Francisco, CA): How do you explain to other players the feeling that you get when you have middle pair and you know they are good enough to call a big raise? Every book you've read, the board, the odds, are all screaming to fold yet you still call and win. I've been fortunate enough to do this a few times and everytime I can't explain the call to other players. Is it a subconscious thing? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: If you know your hand is good you should go with your gut, what are you waiting for? If you make a pair and you think its good, hold on like a mofo. Alan (Miami, FL): Antonio, which player/s do you think are the hardest to play in a no limit tournament? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Players like Gus, Phil Ivey,and Barry Greenstein. They play every hand and when someone plays every hand its hard to play against them. Sometimes they have a hand and you lose a lot of money because you dont put them on a hand. When a guy doesnt play a hand for three hours and enters a pot you can throw away your hand because you are expecting a good hand. I like to be the aggressor and not play against over-aggressive players such as the three mentioned earlier. Chops (Wicked Chops Poker): Bigger partyers during their prime: Rocks & Rings or the Tiltboys? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Rocks & Rings. Are you kidding me? It's not even close. Tilt-who? We tear it up. Michael: Baltimore, MD: Do you have a favorite starting hand other than the obvious, Ace Ace? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: 9-7 the Persian carpet ride. Sean(Chicago, IL): You seem to like to talk a lot while you play to get reads on your opponents. Do you have specific "types" of questions you ask to enhance your reads? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: I like to make people feel befriended and when we're in a pot when I ask them a question they might give away their hand. Poker is a boring sport at times you need to keep it going at the table. Whenever someone makes a big bet at me, I like to ask them what they have? They start counting their chips and then I say, no, what are your cards? That usually gives up some information. Jay (New York, NY): I see you have a book coming out. What is it going to cover? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Cash game no limit hold'em strategy. It should be a fun book to read with lots of crazy stories. Fun stuff. Alan (Tamarac, FL): Hey Antonio. I was curious as to what you think about which hotel in Vegas treats the poker players the best? Also, in which ones are you most likely to see you or other big pros playing regularily in? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Bellagio. Not even close. John (Edmond, OK): What kind of bankroll do you need for SNGs? 20-30 times the buy in? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: I dont know, I dont usually play sit and gos. Kelly, AZ: Do you plan online often? If so, what site, game, and how much are you currently making from all of us internet fish? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: I play at Ultimate Bet for 10 hrs a week at $.50/$1 NL Holdem. MagicAntonio is the name of the table that I always play on. Paul North Haledon, New Jersey: Hey Antonio. I just wanted to know what are some tips on reading a bluff. And what do you do to read a bluff? And also I wanted to just say that your the man..So smoothe! SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Its just instinct. Read Mike Caro's book of tells, I cant explain it to you through the internet. Thank you, its nice to know that you think I am the man. Will Chicago, IL: What was the biggest factor in climbing from just another poker player to being a world class champion? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: You've got to win a big tournament to be a world champion. You just have to be lucky in the right place and be good. Nathan D: What do you think of "LIVE@THEBIKE"? I seen you make your appearance the other night and was wondering what you thought of the concept of live webcast of cash games. SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: It was actually pretty cool. Next time I Go back to LA I'll play and check it out again. I liked the concept a lot. Everyone promotes poker and a lot of people would say it gives away how you play, but you can set up your opponents by playing differently. I think it promotes poker very well. Eric, AZ: I noticed your really good at chip tricks...whats your fav? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: The anti-gravity pop up where the chips pops up from one hand into the other. SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Or the four coin roll down is good too. Ryan - Austin, Texas: Antonio - do you consider yourself more of a Tournament specialist ? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: I'm probably a better cash game player. Matt, Coral Springs: Hey Antonio - what are your feelings on playing once you are in the money to get to the final table. I find I make the money in large tournaments very frequently but dont make too many final tables. Any ideas? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: You should maybe take more risks and stop worrying about making more money. You need to accumulate more chips early to give yourself a better chance to win. Trey Williams Jacksonville, fl: Where can an experienced player like myself find a poker pro to be a frequent mentor to talk to ? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: You can go to a poker camp nowadays. You can hire one, or you can befriend one. You usually cant just find a poker player that wants to help you out. Mike, NY, NY: Are you playing in the upcoming Borgata Open? How have you done so far this year in the WPT events and 2006 WSOP Circuit Events? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Of course I am playing at the borgata. I took third at Harrah's New Orleans a few months back and I've won 1 WPT event and have had a few final table finishes. SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Sorry but I've got to run. Thanks for the questions and come play with me at Ultimatebet.com. SportsNation Andrew Feldman: We've got some time to kill, anyone have any questions? JR (Brooklyn, NY): What book(s) would you recommend for tournament poker? SportsNation Andrew Feldman: Harrington's poker books are great. If you have only read volume 1 I would highly recommend reading volume 2 as well. Adrian,Yorba Linda,CA: Do you think the poker boom has peaked, or will it continue to grow? SportsNation Andrew Feldman: I believe it will continue to grow. Poker is booming right now with more players than ever. Casinos are expanding their poker rooms, online poker rooms open daily, and poker merchandise is stocked on every shelf. JASON, BOSTON: I consider pot limit hold em a lot harder too play than no limit. I think with no limit you have much more control and it's an easier game to play. I was curious as to which you thought was easier and prefered to play? SportsNation Andrew Feldman: I prefer to play NL. PL is more difficult to play as there are times when a pot size bet cannot dissuade someone from going for their draw. Your ability to bluff is limited to a certain extent. That said, PL is a nice change of pace where you have the ability to be involved in more hands, which means more action. Corey (Fargo, ND): Playing locally, there aren't really what you would call high-stakes tournaments, and many of the players are very timid. What would be your best advice for playing in these types of tournaments, when, for example there are 5 limpers ahead of you with a premium hand, and even to a decent raise in this situation (6x BB) they do not fold. Wouldn't be such a bad issue, but most of the tournaments you only have 30x BB in chips after Rd 2 (30 minute rds). Just not play these, or should it not matter? SportsNation Andrew Feldman: I am sure that the majority of players who host home games are in this situation. There are always going to be players that aren't 100% sure of the game and its strategies. When you are surrounded by calling stations you need to both take advantage of them and watch out for them. You need to get maximum value out of your winning hands by sucking in those calling stations for extra bets. At the same time, you will need to play tighter as those novice players might play anything. I would never say you shouldnt play in these types of tournaments, but you need to adapt your strategy to the other players at your table in order to be successful. jeff : why are small pairs hard to play in the small blind? SportsNation Andrew Feldman: Although you have the advantage by seeing how everyone else at the table acts ahead of you, a small pair in the small blind is one of the toughest spots to play. If there are callers ahead of you, chances are your small pair is at BEST, facing a coinflip. Then when the flop comes down and 2 overcards hit, you will want to get away from it. At that point, why did you call the flop? You call the flop because 1/8 times you will hit your set and get paid off. If you have favorable odds to see the flop and you are ready to risk some chips to hit that miracle card, then go for it, but know that you should get away from it if the flop doesnt look good at all. JoJo (oxnard, ca): what is BB, NL, PL? I'm a beginner. Sorry. SportsNation Andrew Feldman: BB = Big Blind. NL = No Limit PL = Pot Limit nick(port moody, bc): I have been playing a lot of poker lately , but I am at a crossroads... I really like playing no-limit cash games, but I usually see the best players playing high limit cash games. Which would the better game be for me to play assuming I am at an equal level for playing either type of game?? SportsNation Andrew Feldman: Tough question, but this one is truly up to you to decide. You need to think about which table you are more comfortable at. Are you willing to risk everything on one hand or are you willing to grind it out to make that same profit over a period of time? If you can play a successful game in both styles it depends if you are ready to risk your bankroll on 1 hand or 50. SportsNation Andrew Feldman: Ok everyone, thanks for the questions. Sorry Antonio had to run off so quickly. Next week we've got Thomas "Thunder" Keller. See you then and dont forget you can win a trip to Las Vegas to meet and play against Annie Duke through the ESPN Poker Club: http://games.espn.go.com/poker/index
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#7
09-10-2005, 07:14 PM
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Re: Any ESPN Insiders here? (Esfandiari chat)
[ QUOTE ]
Chops (Wicked Chops Poker): Bigger partyers during their prime: Rocks & Rings or the Tiltboys? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Rocks & Rings. Are you kidding me? It's not even close. Tilt-who? We tear it up. [/ QUOTE ] I hate him even more. Tiltboys >>>>>> Rocks & rings
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#8
09-10-2005, 07:59 PM
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Re: Any ESPN Insiders here? (Esfandiari chat)
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Chops (Wicked Chops Poker): Bigger partyers during their prime: Rocks & Rings or the Tiltboys? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Rocks & Rings. Are you kidding me? It's not even close. Tilt-who? We tear it up. [/ QUOTE ] I hate him even more. Tiltboys >>>>>> Rocks & rings [/ QUOTE ] "Formal" poker alliances-nicknames and stuff like that-are teh ghey
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#9
09-10-2005, 08:04 PM
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Re: Any ESPN Insiders here? (Esfandiari chat)
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Chops (Wicked Chops Poker): Bigger partyers during their prime: Rocks & Rings or the Tiltboys? SportsNation Antonio Esfandiari: Rocks & Rings. Are you kidding me? It's not even close. Tilt-who? We tear it up. [/ QUOTE ] I hate him even more. Tiltboys >>>>>> Rocks & rings [/ QUOTE ] "Formal" poker alliances-nicknames and stuff like that-are teh ghey [/ QUOTE ] Tiltboys isn;t a poke ralliance, just a bunch of guys. And yeah, WAY better than the whole "Rocks and rings" gayness.
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#10
09-10-2005, 08:10 PM
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Re: Any ESPN Insiders here? (Esfandiari chat)
who are the tiltboys? im dumb
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