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No matter how good of a friendship you have with
someone, no matter how long you have known someone,
no matter how much you love someone, the relationship
is different when you come from the same womb. It’s
a special bond that you can “only” share
with that person.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… Pasha
Esfandiari! How come my brother got the cool name? Pasha
– pretty cool, right? Pasha actually goes by Paul,
but his close friends and family still call him Pasha.
I call him ‘Bird’ because he really does
look like a bird.
It was sometime in March that my brother came to me
and asked me if I would teach him how to play poker.
I thought about it for less than a minute and said no.
I would not recommend playing poker professionally to
anyone. It’s a very difficult way to make an easy
living. A week later my brother came to me again:
“I am going to play poker. I am 21 and I can
do as I wish. You can teach me or not teach me, but
I am going to play.”
Pasha’s first lesson was to attend my poker camp.
After that he would often call me to ask questions about
the game. I told him the best way to really learn was
to sit behind me while I play and I could give him the
low-down as it was happening. I bought him a ticket
and he was on his way to Vegas.
He sat behind me for a few sessions and I was surprised
how closely he paid attention. He is usually very lazy,
and I have never really seen him focus on anything.
After the sessions, we would discuss hands and, through
our conversation, I realized that there might be hope
for this kid. I remember him telling me about a hand
he had played a week earlier in San Francisco, when
he folded pocket kings before the flop. I couldn’t
believe that my little brother, who had been playing
poker less than a few months, had the ability to fold
K-K before the flop. Whether or not he’d made
the right decision was irrelevant. The fact that he
had the discipline to do so was music to my ears. And
sure enough, the other guy flipped over aces.
On July 4th, I took a week off to go camping with the
family – a kind of family tradition each year.
I convinced Bird to come back to Vegas with me to play
in a few satellites for the Main Event at the World
Series. The first satellite I put him in was the 1k
super satellite. The first and the last! Bird won his
seat to the Main Event at the World Series of Poker!
The kid turned
21 on March 17th and, four months later, he was playing
the Big One!
He was so happy when he won his seat. I’ll never
forget it.
Bird drew day 1 and, on July 7th, when the cards were
in the air he was in his seat ready to go. I came over
to his table to see if I recognized any of the faces.
I saw one face that I did not want to see! That face
belonged toThomas Keller, a.k.a ‘Gummy Bear’.
I warned Paul that he was a very good player and to
try to avoid playing pots with him if possible.
Paul made it through Day 1, ending the day with 28k
in chips. He told me that, at one point, he was down
to 700 in chips! From 700 to 28k in the World Series?
You could see the excitement on his face.
Day 2: I was really hoping that he would make it through
Day 2. That would have made him the longest lasting
Esfandiari in the history of the World Series! Once
again, I went to his table to see how I could help him
out. I was not happy to see John Juanda at his table.
I truly believe that John is one of the best tournament
players on the circuit, and once again warned him to
try and stay out of his way. Paul was very receptive
of the advice.
Day 2 complete. Paul was still in! My little brother
had lasted longer in the Main Event than I ever have.
And I’ve played it five times! Ouch! Carry on
the name Esfandiari, little bro. I was so proud of him.
He had outlasted 5,000 people and was almost in the
money.
Day 3: Paul started with 30k. There were no big names
at his table and I didn’t recognize a single player.
I told him that this time he was on his own. Please
make it through today Little Bird. PLEASE!
I was out running errands all day, holding my phone
tight, hoping not to hear it ring.
5:30 pm: Ring… ring… ring…
“I’m out.”
He had placed 371st and took home a pretty penny. Eighteen
dimes isn’t so bad for a 21- year-old kid! I asked
him how he busted out and he said to me. “Bro,
I’d love to tell you, but I don’t tell bad
beat stories.”
Later on, my father told me he had A-K versus some
yahoo’s A-Q. Another Esfandiari bites the dust.
Overall, it was such a great experience – for
him and for me. It was great talking and playing
poker with my little bro. He loves poker, but wants
to finish school first and go from there. He is one
smart kid and if he chooses to play poker for a living,
I know for sure he would be a force to be reckoned with.
Just don’t ever think you’re going to bust
your older brother, Little Birdy!
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