When celebrities aren’t plying their respective trades to make millions, they have to go in search of ways to relax and pass time. It might surprise celebrity watchers and fans to find out that some of the biggest celebrities in the world like to spend their spare time playing high-stakes poker.
Get ready for a trip into the world of celebrity poker players. Here is a look at four (4) A-list celebrities who seem to have a real knack for playing high-stakes poker.
Tobey Maguire
We start this list off with our friendly neighborhood Spiderman Tobey Maguire. We put him at the top of the list because that’s where he belongs as a poker player who once reportedly made $10 million to $40 million playing in underground high-stakes poker games. More on that later.
As both an actor and producer, Maguire has accumulated an impressive body of work. His credits include acting in hit movies like Spiderman 1-3 from 2001 to 2007, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Pleasantville, and Seabiscuit.
When the money started rolling in from his roles as Spiderman, his newfound wealth gave him the opportunity to ply his trade as a very good poker player. He has certainly been good enough to be featured during several World Series of Poker events through the years.
In the poker world, Maguire is considered a notorious Bad Boy who plays for blood. His thirst for high-stakes competition led him into the world of underground poker. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that his real-life poker persona is on full display in the hit movie “Molly’s Game.” In fact, Maguire was a regular in Molly’s games at the Viper Room in New York. He was a notorious crusher who regularly took big money off wealthy players. Remember the aforementioned $10 to $40 million? Compliments of Molly’s games.
Matt Damon
What more can you say about an actor and screenwriter who wins an Oscar the first time out of the Box? That’s exactly what happened to Matt Damon and his good friend Ben Affleck when they wrote the smash-hit movie “Good Will Hunting.” In addition to winning the Oscar for best screenplay in 1998, the movie earned Robin Williams an Oscar for “Best Supporting Actor.”
As an actor, Damon is most famous for being a method actor like Robert DeNiro. When he landed the role of Mike McDermott in the 1998 movie “Rounders” opposite Edward Norton Jr., he threw himself into the world of high-stakes poker. When filming was completed, he had the poker-playing bug.
While Damon has been seen participating in the WSOP, he prefers private games. Yes, he was an occasional participant in Molly’s Viper Room games where he earned a reputation as a very good poker player.
Ben Affleck
There was a time when you seldom would find Ben Affleck and Matt Damon not in the same vicinity. There were more than a few times that the two friends would be running in the same poker circles.
When Affleck started playing poker as a young man, his instinct for the game impressed poker pros near and far. In 2004, he beat a lot of very good poker pros on the way to winning the California State Poker Tournament with its winner’s take of $365K. He still participates in high-profile poker events all over the world.
It’s worth noting that he also has quite a reputation as a good blackjack player. However, you won’t see him at the blackjack tables in many Las Vegas Casinos. Why? It turns out he is quite a card counter, something the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas didn’t appreciate very much. They banned him after a big win. Perhaps he should find some new online casinos in the usa to help scratch that gambling itch.
Jennifer Tilly
As an actress, Jennifer Tilly has never been a household name. However, she has managed to build a pretty good career as a supporting actress, appearing in well over 30 films. Where the lady really shines is when she sits down at a poker table with some of the best poker players in the world.
For Tilly, being a top poker player is all about family. It gives her ample opportunities to travel with her poker pro boyfriend and coach Phil Laak. Her impact on the history of high-stakes poker was etched in stone in 2005. That’s the year she became the first celebrity, male or female, to win a coveted WSOP Gold Bracelet.
Tilly isn’t shy about playing poker. She can be found as a regular participant in the world of televised poker with appearances on shows like High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark, or Poker Night in America. It has been noted that Ms. Tilly has amassed more than $1 million in winnings from live poker events. Here to one of the best female poker players in the world.