Amir Vahedi

Hometown
Sherman Oaks, CA

Total Winnings
$452,354

To sit and watch Amir Vahedi, you'd think the man didn't have a care in the world. Relaxed and affable, munching on his trademark cigar, Vahedi looks like the picture of a man settled back for a relaxing game of cards. His personality, though, doesn't tell the tale of a man who fled the Iranian army during the Iran-Iraq war of his youth. Convinced by his mother to flee the military and his native Iran, Vahedi left the only life he ever knew and traveled from country to country before landing in the United States, the place where he would eventually make his mark on the world of poker.

After 19 months of war, two and half years if traveling around the world without a place to truly call home, Vahedi found poker. By 1997, Vahedi had transformed himself from an expatriate into a poker player. It would prove to be the best move he could make. By the time the poker revolution hit in 2003, Vahedi had become such an established and feared tournament player, celebrity Ben Affleck would end up commissioning a private jet to fly Vahedi in for poker tutoring sessions. With more than 60 final tables to his name, Vahedi has become a star at both the poker tables and on television.

With more than $2.5 million in poker tournament winnings, Vahedi has been able to send all three of his children to college and maintain a comfortable life for his family in Southern California. He continues to be a feared opponent at the poker table. Despite the devil-may-care persona, Vahedi is out to get your chips, living by his creed, "In order to live, you must be willing to die."