Celebrities Who Play Poker
Throughout the years, many celebrities have been able to make a living playing poker. Some of these celebrities include Ben Affleck, Michael Phelps, Matt Damon, Jason Alexander, and Gabe Kaplan. While these celebrities may not necessarily be professional poker players, they are often able to use their celebrity status to get the kind of poker players that they want to play against.
Ben Affleck
Whether you are a professional poker player or just like to watch, you will probably enjoy watching Ben Affleck play poker. He is one of the most skilled poker players in the world. He has also won a lot of money in poker tournaments. He has also been very candid about his gambling addiction. He has even said that he needs to go to rehab. He has been playing poker since he was very young.
In 2004, Ben Affleck won the California State Poker Championship. He also competed in the World Series of Poker on several occasions. He has also been training with professional poker players. He was taught by Amir Vahedi and Annie Duke.
Matt Damon
Besides playing movies, Matt Damon plays poker in private parties. He is known to participate in charity poker tournaments. He has also been a regular player in large tournaments held with other celebrities. Nevertheless, he has never appeared on a celebrity poker show. He is a poker fanatic who loves to win. Hence, he has become a famous celebrity gambler.
Matt Damon is an American actor, film producer, screenwriter, and screenwriter. He is known for playing Jason Bourne and has appeared in many other movies. He has received several awards for his performances.
Matt Damon is known for his role in the movie “Rounders”. This is a 1998 film, which is a thriller about two friends who play high-stakes poker. The film was a cult hit. It earned moderate box office income.
Jason Alexander
During the early Noughties, televised celebrity poker started to become popular. A few years later, Jason Alexander won the “Celebrity Poker Showdown” and took home $500,000 for charity.
The show, hosted by Alexander, also included Patton Oswalt and Kevin James. The main event was played at the Rio All-Suite Casino and Hotel. The show started with 25,000 poker chips. The blinds were set at 25/50. The first elimination was completed in 40 minutes.
The second elimination saw Jon Hamm of Madmen and Kelly Slater of The Office flop two pairs. Alexander called with Q-9 of hearts. The rest of the round was played in heads-up play. Alexander won the day, earning a $50,000 donation to World Central Kitchen.
Tobey Maguire
During the Aughts, Tobey Maguire played a significant role in organizing private poker games at the highest stakes in the world. These games attracted A-list celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck.
While Tobey Maguire’s gambling history is not public record, there are a few reliable hints to give us a glimpse of his poker-playing days. He did participate in a few non-approved poker games. In one game, he was able to win over his opponent by demonstrating a clever poker bluff.
Tobey Maguire’s gambling history also includes several six-figure lawsuits. The lawsuits involved various investors, including Gabe Kaplan, Nick Cassavetes, and Dan Bilzerian.
Michael Phelps
Despite his impressive resume as an Olympic gold medal swimmer, Michael Phelps plays poker. Although he has been known to dabble in the game for many years, his latest high stakes poker game has landed him in three tournaments in Las Vegas this year.
He made his poker debut at the WSOP in 2013 where he teamed up with 2006 WSOP Main Event champion Jamie Gold. In addition to playing poker, he has also helped promote the game’s benefits by starting the Michael Phelps Foundation.
He has made a splash in the poker community and has gained several friends in the process. One of these is former roommate Jeff Gross, who has been in Rio de Janeiro to watch Phelps play his final Olympics.
Gabe Kaplan
Known for his role as Gabe Kotter in the Welcome Back, Kotter sitcom, Gabe Kaplan is one of the celebrities who play poker. The Brooklyn-born, New York-raised actor honed his standup routine during his early years, before making a transition to a full-time career.
Kaplan’s first foray into poker came in 1978, when he appeared in the World Series of Poker for the first time. He also played in the Super Bowl of Poker, winning the main event in 1980. He continued to play poker through the 2000s, finishing eighth in a Las Vegas $100,000 Super High Roller event. He is currently a poker commentator on the NBC series National Heads-Up Poker Championship and appears regularly on televised poker events.
