Poker is not a niche game encountered by a minority. Quite the opposite—many people who enjoy card games or are encouraged by friends and social media come across poker.
That's why it's no surprise to us, and we believe to you as well, that famous personalities—athletes, musicians, actors, etc.—sit at poker tables.
“PokerioMokykla.com” presents to you its new entertainment section, where we will tell you about celebrities who have appeared in the poker world.
Matt Damon (actor)
The 46-year-old actor is known for a plethora of films and roles, but in the poker world, he is recognized thanks to “Rounders“—a 1998 film about poker in which Damon played the main character, Mike McDermott. You can learn more about the film by clicking on its title.
You may have heard that actors like to immerse themselves in their future roles? Some start meditating, others undergo extreme body changes, and some simply try to experience what their character would. That's what Damon did when, trying to get into character, he lost $25,000 at WSOP poker tables. However, there is no evidence of this, and this information circulates more as a myth.
On the other hand, Damon has been an active poker player to this day, although he tries to keep this information hidden and has even removed his information from “The Hendon Mob” poker player database. This actor, when competing in some tournaments, avoids cameras and the attention of outsiders.
Gerard Piqué (footballer)
For almost a decade, the famous Barcelona “Barcelona” football team player, who also represents the Spanish national team, is passionate beyond this sport.
Although Piqué doesn't need poker to earn money (it is reported that the Spaniard earns ~150,000 EUR per week), he enthusiastically participates in poker tournaments. Perhaps due to his busy schedule or other reasons, this athlete only plays in the Barcelona EPT tournaments.
And he does quite well—over 3 tournaments, he managed to win a total of about 110,000 euros (he ranks 137th among Spaniards in career earnings). Last year's EPT tournament was particularly successful for him—he managed to secure 3rd place and win nearly 32,000 EUR.
Ben Affleck (actor)
Another actor drawn to high-stakes games at poker tables. The film industry star not only acts but also produces and writes Hollywood movies and is known for such notable works as “Argo”, “Good Will Hunting”, “Gone Girl”, “Armageddon”, etc.
But is that enough? Of course not. Besides all this, Affleck certainly doesn't shy away from poker. He shone in an official game only once, when in 2004 he won a $10,000 buy-in game in Los Angeles, raking in a bit more than $356,000.
Since then, the actor hasn't been seen in official poker tournaments, but it is often heard that he hasn't forgotten poker and regularly participated in and hosted high-stakes games in Los Angeles. It is mentioned that Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tobey Maguire also participated in these games.
Indeed, Affleck is one of the most gambling-prone people in the entertainment world. He is known not only for poker but also for blackjack. Due to card counting in this game, the actor was blacklisted by Las Vegas' “Hard Rock Casino.”
He was even more successful in blackjack than in poker (although for poker, the actor hired Amir Vahedi and Annie Duke as his coaches), managing to win several million. However, money wasn't the most important thing—after one of his wins, the actor distributed all $140,000 to casino employees. Even waitresses and doormen received $5,000 each.
Moreover, he got involved in an online poker cheating scandal. When Affleck used the “Ultimate Bet” website, he lost a significant amount of money because one of the site's owners played poker and took advantage of the ability to see other players' cards, thus extracting large sums. However, the lost amount was later returned to him.
It seems that Affleck's gambling history is itself worthy of a separate film.
