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Samad Razavi is a Brighton-based English professional poker player with a personality that has made him one of the most recognisable characters on the UK and international circuit. A former actor, a five-time Asian Poker Tour Player of the Year, and a prolific winner across multiple continents, Razavi has built a career of over $2.7 million in live tournament earnings through a combination of sharp technical play and an entertainingly irreverent approach at the table.
Career Earnings & Biggest Results
Razavi’s total live tournament earnings stand at over $2,730,000, across 279 recorded cashes, per The Hendon Mob. His biggest individual cash is his 2012 ANZPT Melbourne Grand Final victory, which he entered via a $20 online satellite.
💰 Live Earnings: $2,730,000+ | 🏆 Notable Titles: 6+ | 🎯 Live Cashes: 279+ | 🌏 APT POY: 5x
Notable Results (click to expand)
| Date | Event | Result | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | ANZPT Melbourne Grand Final | 1st | ~$550,000 AUD |
| 2012 | Asian Poker Tour India Main Event | 1st | – |
| 2011 | UKIPT Cork Main Event | 1st | €80,000+ |
| 2011 | Aussie Millions Main Event | 6th | A$225,000 |
His estimated poker net worth is in excess of $3 million, factoring in online earnings and a long career of consistent cashing.
Biography & Poker Background
Born on 25 September 1980, Samad Razavi is an unlikely poker professional — he trained as an actor before discovering that the poker table could provide a more reliable income than the casting couch. His poker career began in earnest in 2007 when a goodwill credit from an online site gave him his first bankroll. Playing heads-up cash at medium stakes, he turned that seed money into a professional income.
His competitive breakthrough came in 2010 when he joined the Black Belt Poker sponsorship programme run by Neil Channing, becoming the first player to reach its highest tier — earning a full “Black Belt” sponsorship. A sixth-place finish at the 2011 Aussie Millions Main Event for A$225,000 signalled his arrival on the world stage.
Razavi’s defining characteristic is his personality. He won the 2011 UKIPT Cork Main Event while dressed in full Irish military fatigues and accompanied by a leprechaun mascot he named “Seamus” — winning the UKIPT Player of the Year title for that series in the same breath. He has since become a near-permanent fixture on the Asian circuit, winning the Asian Poker Tour Player of the Year award five times, cementing a reputation in Asia that rivals his profile in Europe.
The 2012 ANZPT Melbourne Grand Final win — entered via a $20 satellite — is perhaps his most remarkable result, both for the prize and the story behind it.
Play Style & Strategy
Razavi is an aggressive, instinctive player who applies sustained pressure and reads opponents well live. His background in heads-up cash games gave him a strong foundation in positional play and exploitative tendencies, skills that transfer naturally to tournament poker. He is particularly effective in multi-table settings where his table presence and unpredictability serve as additional weapons.
His consistency across vastly different poker cultures — UK, Europe, Asia — underlines a technical versatility that goes beyond personality alone.
Social Media & Online Presence
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