Famous Celebrity Poker Players From Ben Affleck to Michael Phelps

Different forms of gambling are popular throughout the world and various games are preferred by diverse players. Some are professional, others are just playing for fun in their free time, but what is common for all is the love for the game.

Gambling hubs like Las Vegas are attracting millions of players every year and everyone has a chance to win. The casino doesn’t make difference between a celebrity and a tourist, as long as they want to play, have fun and spend money.

When it comes to which is the preferred game among celebrities, poker seems to be the absolute winner as numerous famous people enjoy it openly and take part in different poker events.

Brief poker depiction

Playing poker dates back to the 19th century in America, where four players were betting on the most valuable things they owned. This card game has evolved a lot since then and it is currently one of the most popular games played at both land-based casinos and countless online poker sites in the US and throughout the world.

There are numerous different variations of poker, but still the main types are – stud, draw and community card. Usually, in the stud games, players receive a certain number of cards (five or seven are the most popular) and they have to use these original cards to make their best hand.

In the draw games, players are given a complete hand and have the opportunity to trade some of their cards (usually up to 3) in an attempt to make the best possible hand.

In the community card games players are given an incomplete hand and they have to use the community cards (shared with everyone) in order to make their best hand. The most famous community poker games in the US are Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hold’em, which are played in different casinos around the country, according to all American gambling laws.

Celebrities’ poker habits

The glamour of poker attracts all sorts of high-profile players and huge celebrities are enjoying the game more and more in the last decade. Usually, they don’t play poker simply as a means of making money, but more as a way to express certain lifestyle level.

Playing poker is an expensive hobby for most celebrities, but it is also turned out to be an addictive habit for others, who enjoy trying their luck a little too often.

In the recent years, there have been various poker-related TV reality shows like Celebrity Poker Showdown, Ultimate Poker Showdown, Celebrity Poker Club, etc, which show the adventures of players in various US poker rooms.

The examples of poker lovers among popular people are quite impressive and even though they might not be winning millions from poker every year, as they have various careers, they still play and enjoy the game.

List of the top celebrities who play poker

Poker is one of the most famous games among celebrities

• Ben Affleck won the California State Poker Championship in 2014 and earned $356,400
• There is a rumor that Tobey Maguire won more than $10 million at underground Hollywood games
• Michael Phelps enjoys different poker games after he retired from his phenomenal swimming career

When he is not busy at the filming stage, Ben Affleck is a regular player at different poker tournaments. He can often be seen at numerous World Series of Poker events and in 2004 he made his big hit by winning the California State Poker Championship and adding $356,400 to his bank account. He also plays in different high-stakes Hollywood games with sporadic success.

Tobey Maguire’s poker fame is rather controversial, but it seems that he is as successful as Spiderman, as he is at different poker events. He is currently experiencing a litigation process for more than $300,000 due to his participation at number of underground Hollywood games.

There is a legend that Maguire won more than $10 million at these celeb invite-only events, but this is not confirmed information. Still, he definitely has good poker skills, which brought him around $218,000 from different live tournaments. He plays regularly in high-stakes Hollywood cash games and his opponents are often other movie stars like Matt Damon and Leonardo Di Caprio.

The 18 Olympic gold medals, which Michael Phelps has in his career, definitely give him the confidence that he can achieve anything. After retiring from his brilliant swimming career, he keeps up his competitive spirit by playing poker. He started to play online poker in the US before the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and since then is a passionate poker lover.

He hasn’t achieved any significant victories so far and his best score was reaching the final table at the 2008 Caesars Palace Classic event, but he has a lot of time and resources at hand to improve his skills and win in the future.

Gabe Kaplan is another celebrity name that makes it into the poker players’ list. Despite the fact that his big days in the cinema are long gone, he manages to place himself regularly in the gambling news.

He has earned more than $1.1 million in tournaments and $131,000 of the total amount came at the final table of the 2007 World Series of Poker $50K H.O.R.S.E. Due to his skills Kaplan is often called “the Phil Ivey of celebrity poker players.”

There is also a female presence in the stars’ poker list – Shannon Elizabeth, who played in the star movie “American Pie” and also “Scary Movie” and “American Pie 2”, achieved some impressive results in the poker field.

She reached the third place at the 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Championship ($125,000) and also a runner-up finish in the 2010 WSOP $5K Ante Up for Africa tour ($79,776). In total, she has earned $235,866 in various poker tournaments.