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New York, NY
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"That was pretty neat trick!": The Magician in Action
by Shawn Tinling

Recently, 21 Nights Entertainment was on hand for the 2nd Annual Turek Hold 'Em Poker Tournament, a charity poker event benefitting the MS Society. I had the pleasure of meeting a few professional players at the event. Among them was professional poker player Antonio Esfandiari - "The Magician."

I've seen him play on TV a few times but I must say it was much more entertaining to watch him in person. When he was out of the tournament late in the event, he found an empty table and began to dazzle the ousted participants and spectators with the world-class card tricks he was known for before his pro poker days. His "pick a card, any card" act drew a chorus of oohs, aahs and thunderous applause. Quite a sight to see!

When he was done with his show, a gentleman emerged from the crowd to ask (challenge?) him to a game of heads-up Texas Hold 'Em. Antonio seemed a bit reluctant but finally agreed, and they each grabbed a seat to play.

They each bought in for one thousand dollars. Of course, to pros like Antonio a grand is probably a spit in the ocean, but it's more than enough to put a serious dent in the average guy's wallet.

I saw the first cards being dealt and then had to step away for a few minutes as I was still on duty. By the time I come back the match was already coming to an end. The guy started playing aggressively trying to steal a pot from Antonio after the turn. Only problem was that he had absolutely nothing - about a 10-high. Antonio saw right through his bluff and went all in. The other guy called, hoping to get some help on the river. A deuce comes up, and Antonio ends up winning with a measley pair of 8's.

Heads-up poker matches typically last around an hour or so, although some have been known to last several hours or even days. Antonio managed to clean out his opponent in seven minutes.

Ashley Adams, expert 7-card stud player and author, was on hand for the event as well and was on the other side of the room as all this was going on. When I made it back over his way I mentioned to him that I got to see Antonio do some of his magic tricks. "Absolutely amazing," I said. He then asked me what was my favorite magic trick was.

"My favorite trick? It was when he beat some guy heads-up out of $1,000 faster than it takes most people to run a mile."

"He did?"

"Yup. Seven minutes."

Ashley cried, "OUCH, that's gotta hurt!" A few others within earshot howled in amazement of Antonio's feat.

"Yeah, that was a pretty neat trick!"

Until next time, take care and as always, best of luck to you.

--ST