In this episode of Chats with Tats, poker pro Antonio Esfandiari discusses the beauty of Istanbul and how CalvinAyre.com’s Tatjana Pasalic can find her inner dirty—no pun intended—at the Burning Man.
The Burning Man is not for the faint of heart.
Even poker pro Antonio Esfandiari admitted that the first time he went, he lasted only two days before leaving the eight-day annual gathering at Black Rock City.
“I left after two days because I was such a prima donna. Yes, I did,” Esfandiari told CalvinAyre.com. “I hitchhiked out of there because I just couldn’t take being dirty. I just had enough and I spent the whole year regretting it, and so ever since then, eight days of morning to night, strong.”
Esfandiari, however, doesn’t believe CalvinAyre.com’s Tatjana Pasalic doesn’t have what it takes to survive in the Black Rock Desert.
“It’s difficult for women in general to adapt unless you just really don’t care about being clean. And you come across as someone that likes to be clean, right?” the poker pro said. “At Burning Man, even if you have, even if you’re fortunate enough to have an RV and a shower, the second you step out of your RV, you’re dusty and dirty, so you’re never clean and so if you can’t cope with that, you’re not going to have a good time.”
But for those who can’t handle the dirt, Esfandiari has another suggestion: visit Istanbul.
“I love that place so much. The food is great, the people are kind. You know, when the mosques go off, not that I’m religious by any means, it’s just such a beautiful sound and the whole city, you kind of feel the energy. I love it there,” he said.
Sadly, poker players will have to find another location to scratch their gambling itch.
“I highly doubt we’ll see any gambling in Istanbul anytime soon, but you can take a short little flight to Cyprus and go to the Merritt Casino. That’s where we went to play for a bit,” Esfandiari said.
But back to the Burning Man. Esfandiari told Tatjana that she needs to let go to find her inner dirty.
“If you can’t let it go, you’re going to have a problem. But if you let it go, you’re going to have the best time of your life,” Esfandiari said.
