Antonio Esfandiari Wins His First WSOPC Gold Ring at The Bike

‘The Magician’ Antonio Esfandiari has won his first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring after overcoming a tough final table at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles.

When Antonio Esfandiari made the final table of the $1,675 buy-in World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) event at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, there were no lunges, no hysterics, and no manhandling of his manhandle underneath the table.

Instead, the Magician was all business. And he needed to be. Out of the 756 entrants that competed in this event, the final nine included a few decent sparring partners. However, things were made considerably easier for Esfandiari when he entered the heads-up phase with an 11-1 chip advantage against Jamie Gold.

The $226,785 that Esfandiari picked up for the win was his most significant live tournament score since coming fourth in the $100k Super High Roller (SHR) at the 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). It’s his first title since winning his third WSOP bracelet at the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Cannes, the same year he won over $18m in the WSOP Big One for One Drop.

Gold’s runner-up appearance comes after he recently announced a partnership with the World Poker Funds Holding (WPFH) where he will act as advisor and brand ambassador. Gold’s score of $139,820 is his best since winning the 2006 WSOP Main Event for $12m. It’s his second six-figure score of the year after finishing fifth in a $1,500 WSOP event in the summer.

In the week that the Global Poker League (GPL) team captains were searching the world of poker for the very best wildcard selections, New York Rounders franchise owner, Bryn Kenney, was getting down to the business of playing and winning. A few weeks ago, Kenney picked up close to half a million dollars winning a $25,000 Aria High Roller, and he finished sixth in this one. Esfandiari dropped out of the GPL Draft Day for personal reasons.

Ludovic Geilich was the only non-American at the final table. The Brit traveled to LA for the event after winning the Wynn Poker Classic for $150,662 a few days ago. Geilich took eighth in the WSOPC event.

81 spots were paid, and here are the final table payouts.

Final Table Results

1st. Antonio Esfandiari – $226,785

2nd. Jamie Gold – $139,820

3rd. Barry Woods – $103,080

4th. Ray Henson – $76,830

5th. Alexander Greenblatt – $58,025

6th. Bryn Kenney – $44,395

7th. Blaise Hom – $34,395

8th. Ludovic Geilich – $26,980

9th. Jackduyph Duong – $21,420