Pasha Esfandiary

About

Pasha Esfandiary was born in Iran and came to the US as a boy with his father and brother. His mother stayed behind in Iran, and so did his father’s fortune. Pasha had a troubled childhood in San Jose, CA—the depressed, isolated son of a single father who worked nonstop to make ends meet.

Pasha’s social and financial challenges continued into adulthood, until he stumbled into professional poker, inadvertently winning his way into the World Series of Poker Main Event. He was a natural and rose from playing cash games in Houston’s seedy underground scene to some of the highest-stakes private games in the world, with millions of dollars changing hands. As he mastered poker strategy, he began applying it to other endeavors—business, investment, romance, family—and completely turned his life around.

Pasha’s goal was always to have his own real estate company and, using poker strategies, he quickly became the top sales agent at a Las Vegas brokerage, turned a healthy profit flipping houses, and then moved on to developing new luxury hillside homes in Los Angeles. Later, while investing in apartment complexes, he discovered an intriguing niche: mobile home communities, or MHCs.

They are perhaps the least sexy of all investments, but the pleasant communities he came to know defied media stereotypes. Realizing that they were also recession-proof and stable, with strong cash flows, little competition, and endless room for growth, he invested heavily in them, ultimately assembling a nine-figure real estate portfolio. He founded Evoke Capital in 2021 and scaled the company rapidly, again using his trusted poker strategies. After just a few years, the company had over 2,500 units under management as of 2025.

The same poker strategies that helped Pasha win in business brought success in other realms. He overcame great obstacles to marry Jessica, the love of his life, and start a family—their twins, Zoe and Taj, the latest additions. Personal development has been a longtime obsession and vital part of his journey. It would be tough to count the number of books, seminars, and classes he has consumed on emotional intelligence, business, growth, and leadership. Jessica shares that passion and is also deeply involved in yoga, reiki, wellness workshops, and women’s empowerment retreats.

In print, online, and in live speaking engagements, Pasha strives to give back, sharing with others the strategies that have led to his success and living out Evoke Capital’s core value of “people first”.
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