Shahram Sheikhan
Encyclopedia
Shahram "Shawn" Sheikhan (born in Iran
in 1969) is a professional poker
player who currently lives in Las Vegas
, Nevada
with his wife and daughter. Sheikhan is the owner of a retail chain of tobacco and tattoo stores.
Sheikhan is known for venting his frustration in ways that have drawn the ire of fellow players. At the 2005 World Series of Poker
(WSOP) he got into a much-publicized war of words with Mike Matusow
after Sheikhan slammed the table when seeing a flop on a hand he was not involved in. Both players got a penalty since Matusow used a vulgarity after Sheikhan made the inappropriate reaction that gave away what his hand was, thus giving other players who were still in the hand free information that may have altered the outcome of the hand. Sheikhan was involved in several more incidents, one involving Phil Hellmuth
on Poker After Dark
when Hellmuth accused Shawn of refusing to stop talking while he was playing in a hand with Annie Duke
, though in fact the entire table were conversing.
In March 2006, Sheikhan made the final four of NBC
's National Heads-Up Poker Championship
(during the early rounds of which he told Gus Hansen
, whom he eliminated, to just "throw away" his cards - Sheikhan had made Four of a kind), earning $125,000. He lost to eventual winner Ted Forrest
.
In July 2007 Sheikhan placed 3rd in the World Series of Poker No Limit Deuce to Seven Lowball event. He also won a Poker After Dark
title defeating a field which consisted of Phil Laak
, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu
, Mike Matusow and Antonio Esfandiari
. This first place finish earned him $120,000. He has also appeared in the GSN television series High Stakes Poker
in which he intentionally ripped and broke an expensive pair of Matusow's sunglasses.
As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,400,000. His 10 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,160,910 of those winnings.
While driving in Las Vegas in 1999 during heavy rain, Sheikhan lost control of his vehicle and collided with another car, resulting in the death of one of its passengers.
since he was nine years old, was arrested at his Las Vegas
home on August 30th, 2007 for violating his immigration status due to a 1995 conviction for misdemeanor sexual battery on a child under 18, where he served nine months in prison
and 5 years probation. According to Sheikhan's lawyer, David Chesnoff, the child in this case was a 17-year-old girl that Sheikhan knew when he was in his early 20s. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) actively searches for foreign nationals who were convicted of a sexual crime against children and then tries to get them deported. . He was detained on an immigration
hold for 1 week facing deportation proceedings however those proceedings have been since halted.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
in 1969) is a professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player who currently lives in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
with his wife and daughter. Sheikhan is the owner of a retail chain of tobacco and tattoo stores.
Sheikhan is known for venting his frustration in ways that have drawn the ire of fellow players. At the 2005 World Series of Poker
2005 World Series of Poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...
(WSOP) he got into a much-publicized war of words with Mike Matusow
Mike Matusow
Michael Matusow is an American professional poker player, residing in Henderson, Nevada. Matusow's nickname of "The Mouth" reflects his reputation for trash-talking at the poker table...
after Sheikhan slammed the table when seeing a flop on a hand he was not involved in. Both players got a penalty since Matusow used a vulgarity after Sheikhan made the inappropriate reaction that gave away what his hand was, thus giving other players who were still in the hand free information that may have altered the outcome of the hand. Sheikhan was involved in several more incidents, one involving Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...
on Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark was an hour-long poker television program on NBC. The show made its debut on January 1, 2007, and was cancelled as another victim of the "Black Friday" criminal case due to the show's sponsorship by Full Tilt Poker, one of that case's defendants. on September 23, 2011 For its first...
when Hellmuth accused Shawn of refusing to stop talking while he was playing in a hand with Annie Duke
Annie Duke
Annie Duke is a professional poker player and author who won a bracelet in the 2004 World Series of Poker $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Event and was the winner of the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, where she earned the Winner-Take-All prize of $2,000,000...
, though in fact the entire table were conversing.
In March 2006, Sheikhan made the final four of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's National Heads-Up Poker Championship
National Heads-Up Poker Championship
-2006:- 2007 :-2008:In additional to the poker professionals, several poker-playing celebrities from other fields were invited: Gabe Kaplan, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Alexander and Orel Hershiser. Also invited was Alisha Kunze of Greensburg, Indiana, who won her seat...
(during the early rounds of which he told Gus Hansen
Gus Hansen
Gustav "Gus" Hansen is a professional Danish poker player who lives in Monaco. In his poker career, Hansen has won three World Poker Tour open titles, the 2007 Aussie Millions main event and was the season one winner of the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament...
, whom he eliminated, to just "throw away" his cards - Sheikhan had made Four of a kind), earning $125,000. He lost to eventual winner Ted Forrest
Ted Forrest
Ted Forrest is an American professional poker player, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada.- Tournament Wins:...
.
In July 2007 Sheikhan placed 3rd in the World Series of Poker No Limit Deuce to Seven Lowball event. He also won a Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark was an hour-long poker television program on NBC. The show made its debut on January 1, 2007, and was cancelled as another victim of the "Black Friday" criminal case due to the show's sponsorship by Full Tilt Poker, one of that case's defendants. on September 23, 2011 For its first...
title defeating a field which consisted of Phil Laak
Phil Laak
Philip "Phil" C. Laak is a professional poker player, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Laak holds a World Poker Tour title, a World Series of Poker bracelet and has appeared on numerous nationally-aired television shows.-Early life:...
, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big...
, Mike Matusow and Antonio Esfandiari
Antonio Esfandiari
Antonio Esfandiari is a professional poker player, known for his elaborate chip tricks.-Early life:When he was 9 years old his family moved to San Jose, California...
. This first place finish earned him $120,000. He has also appeared in the GSN television series High Stakes Poker
High Stakes Poker
High Stakes Poker is a cash game poker television program broadcast by the cable television network GSN in the United States. The poker variant played on the show is no limit Texas hold 'em. It premiered on January 16, 2006 and ended on December 17, 2007 and it returns back on March 1, 2009 and is...
in which he intentionally ripped and broke an expensive pair of Matusow's sunglasses.
As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,400,000. His 10 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,160,910 of those winnings.
While driving in Las Vegas in 1999 during heavy rain, Sheikhan lost control of his vehicle and collided with another car, resulting in the death of one of its passengers.
Arrest and possible deportation
Sheikhan, a resident alienResident Alien
Resident Alien is the debut album from the British glam rock band Spacehog. Released by Elektra Records on 24 October 1995, the album was certified as gold on 29 July 1996 and included the hit single "In the Meantime", which reached the top of the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States,...
since he was nine years old, was arrested at his Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
home on August 30th, 2007 for violating his immigration status due to a 1995 conviction for misdemeanor sexual battery on a child under 18, where he served nine months in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
and 5 years probation. According to Sheikhan's lawyer, David Chesnoff, the child in this case was a 17-year-old girl that Sheikhan knew when he was in his early 20s. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
(ICE) actively searches for foreign nationals who were convicted of a sexual crime against children and then tries to get them deported. . He was detained on an immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
hold for 1 week facing deportation proceedings however those proceedings have been since halted.