Poker is a game that brings people together from all walks of life. Some play for fun while others treat it almost as a sport in professional tournaments. But, whoever is playing they all agree that the game is great for earning money and can be very addictive.
Not everybody plays Poker just to earn money though. It is a great social game that involves fun, brains, and luck, and it comes with a high adrenaline rush. That’s why many play it as an activity where they chat, play cards, and have fun together.
It's easy to enter a poker game. All you need is some money and a deck of cards, however, the game requires a certain level of skill if you want to get good at it. As we said, poker is an egalitarian game, and so many famous people love to play poker. The interesting thing is that not only do they play poker, but some of them excel at it so much that it becomes their second career.
We all know that there are many celebrity gamblers who love spending their money in casinos. Although a good number of them love playing poker, most of them are amateurs who just enjoy the rush of the game. In this article, we carefully hand-picked celebrities that are particularly good at poker, and have once again become famous because of their high-level poker skills.
1.Tobey Maguire
Did you know that the former Spider-Man actor has been playing poker for over 15 years? Not only that, but he also stood on trial for being part of an illegal underground gambling ring that involved millions of dollars. Tobey learned his poker skills from Daniel Negreanu, a professional poker player who is a six-time winner of the World Series of Poker. Toby is known to be a top-notch Texas Hold'em player, and rumor has it that he has won over $10 million in poker tournaments. Maguire is also known to have taken part in controversial high-limit cash games with actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck at Molly Bloom’s underground poker establishment.
2. Ben Affleck
The Hollywood superstar has been in love with poker since his teenage years, and rumor has it that he was even kicked out of a casino for reading cards at a game of Blackjack. Years later, he received professional training from high-level players such as Daniel Negreanu and the late Amir Vahedi. Today, Affleck is one of the few Hollywood superstars that has a big poker win on his resume. He got so good at poker that he won $360,000 at the 2004 California State Poker Championship. The actor was also a participant of the infamous Molly’s game and naturally, he was a nice guy at the table. At one point, Affleck became so good at his favorite game, Blackjack, that he was banned from playing the one of Las Vegas’ top casinos.
3. Shannon Elizabeth
Elizabeth became a global sensation after her performance as “Nadia” in the American Pie trilogy. Before her acting career, she was so good at tennis that at one point almost turned pro. The actress has been successful in everything she has pursued, and poker is no exception.
Shannon began playing Draw and Stud poker at a young age with her family. She discovered Texas Hold’em years after, while her acting career was well on its way. In 2006 Shannon admitted that she fell in love with poker so much that she considers it her second career.
She is a regular Vegas player and was a semi-finalist in the NBC Heads-up poker Championship in 2007. Shanon has also been mentored by the great Daniel Negreanu, and top poker names such as Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, and Antonio Esfandiari. Although she hasn’t won any big money, over the years she has proven herself as a top poker player at many tournaments.
4. Matt Damon
Ever since he starred in the hit movie “Rounders,” Matt never lost his love for poker. While starring in Hollywood blockbusters, Matt continued to play poker professionally and he regularly appeared at the World Series of Poker. The Hollywood star was also a regular cash participant at Molly’s notorious games. Unlike other celebrities, Matt never appeared on celebrity poker shows and he usually plays Texas Hold'em poker at Luxury hotels along with fellow star Ben Affleck.
His role in the movie “Rounders” has inspired people worldwide to start playing poker professionally.
5. James Woods
James Woods is a passionate poker player and has been playing in tournaments since 2004. In the last 15 years, he has participated in over 200 tournaments, some of them including the Grand Slam of Poker, California State Poker Championship, and Foxwoods New Year’s Day Festival.
Apart from these tournaments, Woods has regularly played in both the World Series of Poker Circuit and the main WSOP tournament since 2006. In his poker career, he has had 21 finishes and his total poker earnings in tournament play are a little over $300,000.
6. Sam Simon
Ever heard of a little show called “The Simpsons”? This man, along with Matt Groening, was responsible for creating one of the greatest TV shows to ever exist.
Sam was a tremendous poker player. He first started playing Texas Hold'em with his grandfather as a child, and throughout his life poker was a serious hobby for him. Over the years, Simon had some great poker accomplishments. He won three no-limit Texas Hold’em tournaments, earning over $100,000. In 2011, Sam played in the World Series of Poker’s main event, which helped him collect $344,000 in lifetime poker earnings.
Unfortunately, Sam was diagnosed with cancer back in 2012. He was a big philanthropist and decided to donate his TV-show fortune to charity.
Summary
Poker isn’t just a game - it is a love that never fades. Once you get hooked on the adrenaline and solidify your skills you will hardly find anything more entertaining. No matter who you are or how rich you are, once you sit down at the table you are a poker player and you forget about everything else.
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