Poker champ banks on PanoramaReal Estate Paparazzi

From sleight of hand to winning poker hand, Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari plays and pays in Las Vegas.

At the age of 22 he won a World Series of Poker bracelet and $1.4 million. The young man recently traded in his $842,000, 1,560-square-foot condo at Panorama Towers for a 2,189-square-foot $1.3 million unit.

One of the top five most recognized poker players (his game is No Limit Hold 'Em), Esfandiari, now 28, captures audiences with a television show, "I Bet You," on the Internet site mojohd.com and the MOJO HD TV channel, three video games, endorsements and the tournament tables.

Born in Iran, Esfandiari changed his name from Amir ala Esfandiari when he became a magician at 19.

"Antonio sounded more mystical to me. I was a waiter and discovered card tricks at a magic store. I did table magic close up at restaurants and corporate parties for Sisco and Lucent. I studied and practiced 12 hours a day for over two years," he said in a phone interview from Miami, Fla., where he and his poker friend and TV co-star Phil Laak had wrapped up an episode involving a bet on who could get an alligator out of the pond the quickest.

Ironically, poker is not permitted in Iran.

"I always wanted to do the things I wasn't allowed to do," Esfandiari said. At 21 he turned card tricks into poker championships. According to Esfandiari, when he stepped into a casino in San Jose, Calif., "I knew what people had before they turned their cards over."

He moved from the Bay Area almost three years ago, settling at first in a rental at Windmill Lane and Interstate 215, the Las Vegas Beltway. He said he discovered Panorama Towers through another friend, Andrew Sasson, partner in The Light Group, which manages several lounge venues in Las Vegas.

His new condo, purchased this April in Tower One, features two bedrooms with optional dining room or den, 2 1/2 baths, plush carpet, hardwood floors, automatic blinds. It is styled in an Italian motif.

The view from his living room window offers a view of New York New York.

According to Esfandiari's Realtor, Jennifer Lorenzen of Gavish Real Estate in Summerlin, "I wrote the contracts on both condos. He is an absolute pleasure and easy to work with. He knows what he wants and we go out and get it."

Esfandiari also knows what he wants in his future. "I love night life, good dining and in Vegas there's always, always something to do. I really want a wife and kids in the next few years," Esfandiari said. "My royal flush may be in poker, but at the final table, I would love nothing more than to be surrounded by my own family."

Panorama developer on top of the world

Not only can he see it all, Laurence Hallier, Panorama Towers developer, has it all. In December he closed on his three-story, 7,000-square-foot penthouse in the first tower of his project. The unit has a panoramic view of the city.

As spectacular as the penthouse view is, French-born Hallier topped it when he and Janelle Pratt were wed on beachfront property in the South of France July 22.

Pratt, who celebrated her 30th birthday July 31, is an American model who works primarily in Australia. Hallier, who will be 40 Nov. 24, said, "We honeymooned in St. Tropez. My best friend Ryan Seacrest and his guest were at the wedding, and as we (including Seacrest) have done for the past two years vacationed for three weeks in St. Tropez."

Janelle's already got her gift for Hallier's birthday. Their son is due Nov. 26.

Hallier invited Realtor Mark Sivek with Prudential Americana Group, Henderson, to tour the project at a Panorama Realtors party May 16.

"Hallier proudly told me about his vision of Panorama Towers and then about his personal penthouse. It was very exciting. He offered to take me on a personal tour. The door was a standard Panorama door indistinguishable from any of the others in the hallway. I had no idea what to expect. Once we stepped inside it was a completely different world. Three stories, exposed steel beams, heating and ventilation ducts crossing the ceiling, raw concrete floors and mountains of building and electrical supplies. It was a 7,000-square-foot blank canvas priced at $7.5 million in gray shell.

"Hallier pointed out several of the features, including where he proposed a glass-bottom hot tub. Most memorable was that I was standing out on one of Hallier's two balconies having the most panoramic views of the Strip and behind him a magnificent view of the mountains," Sivek said.

Sivek owns a unit in the project's third tower, which is slated to be completed by the end of 2008.

He said he told Hallier that "I have sold several units in the Panorama Towers and am absolutely delighted to have neighbors like actors Leonardo DiCaprio in Tower Two and Tobey 'Spiderman' Maguire and Pam Anderson in Tower Three."

Tony Preus, president of marketing and sales, would not mention celebrity names, but did say, "Walking through the towers you never know who you are going to run into. It's a Who's Who of prominent city leaders, well-known business professionals and recognizable celebrities. It's a great mix of wonderful people from all walks of life."

Joan Schiller Travis can be reached at 702-338-9797 or JTwriter@cox.net.