Amir Vahedi

In the past, celebrity status was reserved for movie stars or musicians. Requirements for celebrity status have loosened recently and now there are celebrity chefs, celebrity designers, and even celebrity poker players. One poker player who has reached celebrity status is Amir Vahedi, a southern California poker professional.

Amir Vahedi was born in 1961, in Tehran, the capital city of Iran.  As a young man, Amir Vahedi was a member of the Iranian army and he fought in the Iran-Iraq war. After escaping from Iran to Germany in 1981, he was able to gain refugee status and moved from country to country. Eventually, he made his way to California where he landed in Los Angeles.

Before turning his attention to poker, Amir Vahedi worked as a limo-driver, a door-to-door salesman, and took whatever jobs he could get in the restaurant business. In 1997 Amir Vahedi turned to playing poker as a profession and quickly became well known in the world of professional poker.  Still single and with no children, he has been able to focus all of his attention on the game of poker.

Amir Vahedi went from being a professional poker player to a celebrity poker player when he was hired by Jennifer Lopez to privately tutor her then fiancé Ben Affleck in the game of poker. The couple, dubbed Bennifer by the press, flew Amir Vahedi by private plane to the home of Affleck for the private sessions, and Amir Vahedi’s celebrity status was born. He successfully tutored Affleck who went on to win $356,400 in the 2004 California State Championship. Ironically, one of the rumored reasons why Affleck and Lopez never made it to the altar was Lopez’s concerns over her fiancé’s gambling habits.

Other celebrities who have played at the table with Amir Vahedi or in the same tournament with him are James Woods, Tobey McGuire, and Vince Vaughn. James Woods formed a friendship with the professional poker player after a game in which he was beaten by Amir Vahedi.

Amir Vahedi is not just well known as a poker player because of his celebrity connections. He’s also known for his aggressiveness, his unpredictability, and his willingness to bluff. Those who play at the same table with him never know what to expect, and it always makes for an exciting game.

His celebrity status has also earned him a place in a video game, World Championship Poker 2, for both the Xbox and PlayStation Portable.

To date, Amir Vahedi has won over two and a half million dollars in tournament play. He has won one World Series of Poker bracelet for 2003’s No Limit Hold ‘em event. The solid gold bracelet is given to the first place winner in each tournament. In total he has taken first place in twenty-one tournaments since 2000.

YUDDY