There’s something about poker that makes it quite irresistible to quite a few celebrities. Maybe it’s easy to see why actors are drawn to the game as it provides the perfect opportunity to show off their acting skills as they bluff their way to victory. For sportspeople, it’s surely the competition that gets them going. But one things for sure, plenty of celebrities love playing poker. So, let’s have a closer look at 9 who have hit the headlines for their games in the past.
1. Pamela Anderson
The former Baywatch babe is said to be a frequent visitor to some of the fanciest Vegas casinos where she’s shown she’s not afraid of a high stakes game. The most that she’s reported to have dropped in a single session was an incredible £250,000 in a poker game against Rick Salomon. There’s also a story going around that part of the bet was that if she lost she would marry him too. She was true to her word but the marriage to the movie producer only lasted a couple of months.
2. Tobey Maguire
Should you ever find yourself challenged to a game of poker by the Spiderman star maybe you’d be best turning it down. He’s been taught by one of the world’s best poker players, Daniel Negreanu and over the years he’s picked up around $10 million in some pretty major tournaments. But his gambling has got him into hot water in the past when he was involved in an illegal LA gambling ring overseen by celebrity fixer Molly Bloom, as made famous in the 2017 movie, Molly’s Game.
3. Jenifer Tilly
Another actor to avoid confronting over the table is Jenifer Tilly. Her father was a very successful cards player and, following a high-profile acting career, she decided to follow in his footsteps. Her first big win came in 2005 when she competed in the World Series of Poker and beat 600 other players to scoop $160,000. By 2017 her career winnings had reached $992,000 and she’d also found love over the poker table by coupling up with pro player Phil Laak.
4. Ben Affleck
An actor who’s seldom out of the headlines, and not always for very good reasons, Affleck prefers blackjack but like many in his profession he’s also drawn poker. As long ago as 2004 he beat all comers in a poker championship to win a very handy $350,000. But in a life that’s been typified by as many downs as he’s had ups, he’s reported to have lost $400,000 on a single hand in an earlier game.
5. Rafa Nadal
The brilliant and mercurial tennis player from Majorca isn’t just a wizard around the court. He’s pretty handy around the poker table too. So much so that he was signed up by a major online poker site to be one of their ambassadors and compete in high profile tournaments against some of the biggest names in the game. When he finally has to hang up his racquet, this could be a very good new career move for him.
6. Boris Becker
Maybe it’s the aces that both games share that are part of the appeal for tennis players but the German former Wimbledon champion, and the player who won the title at the youngest ever age is also no slouch when it comes to poker. For the last few years, he’s been a regular on a number of World Poker Tour events and in 2016 he managed to beat off some serious competition to come 13th in the inaugural Devilfish Cup.
7. Kim Kardashian
One of the more surprising names on the list is Kim Kardashian but she has started to turn up more and more charity poker events, including the first-ever “If Only” Texas Hold’em tournament which was held at The Forum in Inglewood, California that she attended with a full complement of Kardashians in tow. It’s not known how she did in the tournament itself but there was quite a lot of negative comment on social media thanks to her decision to wear mirrorshades when she played. Talk about an obvious “tell”!
8. Aaron Paul
Breaking Bad and Bojack Horseman star Paul has been recruited as a member of the Global Poker League team and is reported to have won both of the matches that he competed in, despite coming up against some very stiff opposition. He’s also been spotted playing in a number of World Series of Poker Events in the Bahamas, as well as appearing in an ad in which he was pitted against Portuguese soccer ace Cristiano Ronaldo in a poker face-off.
9. Matt Damon
As one of the main stars in the Ocean’s 11 series of movies, not to mention the classic poker movie Rounders, you’d expect Damon to have picked up some tips along the way, and you’d be right. As part of his research for the latter, he spent $25,000 of his own cash playing the game and since then has played at a number of tournaments including the ultimate – the World Series of Poker that’s held in Las Vegas every summer and which attracts all of the world’s very best players.
