Mehrdad Yousefzadeh, more commonly known as Danny Yousefzadeh, was born in Iran. This married poker player currently resides in New York City and has one daughter.He is a jeweler by profession and owns Paradise Jewelry, which is located on the 34th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue in New York City.
His first cash win was in Event 42 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship at the 36th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) on July 15, 2005. Danny Yousefzadeh bagged $39,075 in prize money at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino during this event. In November 2007, he finished thirty-eighth at the No-Limit Hold’em World Poker Finals - Season 6 and walked away with $1,933.
However, his major breakthrough in career came in Event 8 WSOP Circuit Event held on March 14, 2007. Since it was only the fifth time that the WSOP Circuit Event was held in Atlantic City, the Caesars Atlantic City Series attracted a very high overall turnout. Danny Yousefzadeh, the champion of the Harrah’s Atlantic City Poker Tournament WSOP, made $488,828. This Circuit Hold’em Championship had an original field of 314 players and a prize pool of $15,386,000, in which the top 27 players all received prize money. He performed well against the likes of John McMahon, Eugene Fouksman, Frank Vizza, and Charles Norris, to name a few, to finish at the top.
He entered the final table with a large chip stack of 360,000, but Rick Austin, a professional poker player, had the chip lead. With blinds beginning at $4,000 to $8,000, Grant Lang, the most famous player at the final table, moved all-in after 2-3-4 came on the flop. While Lang had an overpair of 6-6, Danny Yousefzadeh had an even higher overpair of 8-8. When Danny Yousefzadeh called, his pocket eights won the hand and Grant Lang had to leave the table with only $45,828.
After an hour passed, Danny Yousefzadeh had a major confrontation with David Fox, popularly known as "Dr. Fox.” Fox was dealt A-A, while Danny Yousefzadeh got K-3. Although things were looking very good for Fox, everything changed when the flop came K-8-3. Danny Yousefzadeh made two pairs and won the 500,000 pot, whereas David Fox ended up losing half of his chips. When the final board showed 10-6-3-9-A, the small pot grew very large. David Fox, who had A-J moved, all-in with top pair, but Danny Yousefzadeh called and flipped over 9-9 for a set of nines. Fox walked away with $61,104 and finished in seventh place.
After two hours of playing, Danny Yousefzadeh had 1,383,000 in chips and was in total control. When it came down to the final four, John McMahon fought Danny Yousefzadeh for the chip lead. By the sixth hour, there were only three players left. Eugene Fouksman, a poker player from Manalapan, was dealt Q-6. When the flop came 6-5-5, he raised. Danny Yousefzadeh was dealt 9-5 and decided to call Eugene’s raise with a set of fives. On the turn, Eugene picked up a flush draw, but he lost the hand when a blank came on the river, and he finished in third place. The heads-up play between John McMahon and Danny Yousefzadeh lasted for three hours, but eventually Danny Yousefzadeh won the event.
With a total of three cashes, his tournament earnings add up to a whopping $529,836. This poker player, who played remarkably well in the WSOP Circuit Event, is bound to have more wins in the future.
Danny Yousefzadeh - Poker Results
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Event: World Poker Finals, WPT Event Season 6, No-Limit Hold’em / Finished: 38th / Earned: $1,933
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Event: Harrah’s Atlantic City Poker Tournament - WSOP Circuit, Event 8, WSOP Circuit Hold'em Championship / Finished: 1st / Earned: $488,828
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Event: 36th Annual World Series of Poker, Event 42, WSOP World Championship No- Limit Hold'em / Finished: 181st / $39,075