Hand of the Week: 'The Magician' pulls $175K hero call out of a hat

Mo Afdhal
Posted on: September 29, 2025 14:13 PDT

Antonio Esfandiari lit up the Hustler Casino Live set on its High Stakes Wednesday show, beating the game for a $348,000 profit. 'The Magician' came to play with a full bag of tricks and put several of them to use over the course of the session – perhaps none better than the impressive hero-call he made against Sam 'Senor Tilt' Kiki.

You can check out the highlights from Esfandiari's display of dominance in the video above – PokerOrg's choice for Hand of the Week starts at the 6:10 mark. 

'What a boss over-bet' 

Kiki kicked off the action, limping in from button with . Han completed from the small blind with before Esfandiari looked down at in the big blind and shot it up to $3,000. Kiki made the call in position with his suited one-gapper while Han left the two to battle it out. 

"Don't bluff Kiki... don't bluff Kiki," Esfandiari chanted as the dealer spread the flop. With $7,000 in the middle, Esfandiari opted to check the action over to his opponent. Kiki, having connected with an open-ended straight draw, fired $4,000. 

Esfandiari called the bet with just ace-high and his gamble was rewarded with top pair on the on the turn. Rather than check in flow, Esfandiari decided to lead into Kiki, betting $10,000 into the $15,000 pot. Kiki came along, still hunting a four or a nine to make his straight. Unfortunately for him, the river only provided third pair – but you don't always have to make the best hand to win the pot and Esfandiari's check on the river opened the door for Kiki to bluff at the pot. 

Esfandiari, left, wins the prize for best eyewear at the table. Antonio Esfandiari and Sam Kiki locked horns in a $175,000 pot that saw the former make an impressive hero call.

With $35,000 up for grabs in the middle, Kiki fired a $70,000 over-bet, trying his best to buy the pot. 

Esfandiari let out a peal of laughter as he heard the bet size. "God, I love Kiki, what a legend," Esfandiari said through his giggles. "70, huh?" 

"What a boss over-bet," he continued. 

After a few minutes, Esfandiari threw a handful of chips across the betting line. "This is a gift, Kiki," he told his opponent as he made the call. 

Except it wasn't a gift; it was a hero-call gone right. Kiki returned his cards to the dealer, leaving Esfandiari to drag in the $175,000 pot. 

Featured image courtesy of Antonio Abrego/PokerGO