|
 Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari was good enough to share some of his poker insights with us.
CAN YOU TELL AT A GLANCE WHETHER A GAME IS “GOOD?” HOW?
It depends. Most of the times yes and sometimes not right away. I would say about 80 percent of the time I can tell at a glance whether the game is good or bad. If I glance over and see familiar faces that I know are action players or bad players, then I know the game is good. If I look over and see unfamiliar faces, then most of the time that qualifies as a good game, too. I love playing with people I have never played before because chances are they are not that good. After a couple of years you tend to get to know who the good players are. There are times however you look over and it’s half pros and a couple of unknowns with the minimum buy-in in front of them, and you cannot tell right away whether the game is good or not. For the most part, though, yeah, I can tell at a glance.
HOW DO YOUR LIMIT AND NO-LIMIT TOURNAMENT STRATEGIES DIFFER?
I play very solid, tight poker in limit and crazy, loose, aggressive in no-limit. I would say I play six times as many hands in no-limit than I do in limit. In no-limit, once the antes kick in if I have a big stack I am in every single pot.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE PLAY OF THOSE PROBLEMATIC POCKET JACKS?
Don’t ever go broke with two jacks!!! If there is preflop craziness, you have to think to yourself what does this person have that he is willing to put all this money in? He either has you completely dominated or it’s a coin flip. Either way, it’s not worth it. I play jacks almost like a pair of threes. Obviously the nature of the game and the amount of people in the game have a lot to do with it, but in general you should play jacks slowly and very carefully.
DO YOU HAVE ANY GAMBITS – SITUATION-SPECIFIC PLAYS – THAT YOU’RE WILLING TO SHARE WITH US?
Here is an interesting hand. We are down to about 120 people. I have a tough table. I am playing a lot of pots. I bring it in for a raise. The player two to my left calls, the player next to him calls and, next to him, the button calls, too. All three of my opponents are VERY good players. This is important, because the play I am about to explain would never work on an average player. I have the 4d -5d . The flop comes K-K-7 with two spades. Chances are (as always) that no one connected. I bet right out. The player two to my left and the player behind him are probably not going to mess with it because if they call or raise me they have to worry about the player behind them. They both fold. Thank you lord! So far so good. One more to go. He announces "I call." Oops. Not good right? I know that he knows that I know that he knows that I know that he knows that I know… Got it?! I know he is calling just to take it away. In that situation if I do not have a king I have to shut down on the turn and just give up the pot right? Well the only problem for him is that I knew that. The turn brings the 7d . Board is K-K-7-7. Now, if I had a king I would probably check it, so I have to play as if I have a king. I go ahead and check. He bets. If I had a king I would probably just call right? If I raise it might send him a signal that I was bluffing because he too knows that I would probably just call with a king. So I call. Yes, I call with 5 high because I KNOW that I can win the pot on the river with a bet. River comes a blank card and I bet. Without hesitation he folds. What can he do? He can’t possibly take it to the next level and raise me again. If he had a king, well, then that was that, but it worked out just fine. Everything went as planned.
IS TILT A FACTOR IN YOUR PLAY? WHAT SPECIFIC STEPS DO YOU TAKE TO TAKE YOURSELF OFF TILT?
I almost NEVER tilt. I tend to tilt very little and when I do I usually catch myself and put an end to it right away. A break to walk around the casino usually works.
WHAT SORT OF IMAGE DO YOU LIKE TO PROJECT AND WHAT DO YOU SEEK TO ACCOMPLISH WITH IT?
I play A LOT of hands. Sometimes I play every hand. People often think I am nuts. I use that image to get action when I get a hand. If a squeezer (tightass) who has been sitting there for two hours and hasn’t played a pot makes a huge bet, is anyone in their right mind going to call them? I hope not! Whereas the guy who has been in the last 10 pots betting and raising will get a little more action than the squeezer.
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC APPROACH TO DEFENSE OF BLINDS?
Definitely not. I do not really defend my blinds. Anytime I think I can reraise somebody and take the pot then I will. It doesn’t matter if I am in the blinds or not.
WHAT LEAKS DO YOU MOST FREQUENTLY SEE IN OTHER PLAYERS (OR EVEN YOURSELF!)?
Most people get married to their hands. They do not know when to let go of their hands. They know they are beat yet they still pay their opponents off.
IF YOU COULD IMPROVE ONE ASPECT OF YOUR GAME, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Patience. Sometimes I could use more patience in a poker game.
HOW DOES YOUR APPROACH TO ONLINE PLAY DIFFER FROM YOUR APPROACH TO LIVE ACTION?
A lot more psychology in live poker than on the net. As far as the actual hands, about the same. Maybe a little more tight on the internet before the flop. You see so many hands you can really utilize hand selection.
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC STRATEGY FOR SHORT-HANDED PLAY?
Play lots of hands. Get in there and gamble. The value of hands go up dramatically short-handed. Any ace is huge. Aggressive. Aggressive. Aggressive.
DURING YOUR “LEARNING PHASE,” WHAT EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS HELPED YOU THE MOST?
Reading books and watching good players at the table.
WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER AN ADEQUATE BANKROLL FOR A WORKING PRO?
50 thousand or so is comfortable.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE TERRIFIC STRENGTHS OF YOUR GAME?
Reading my opponents. Putting the pressure on and aggressive play.
You can play with Antonio Esfandiari at UltimateBet.com
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
