World of the Poker Star
Ben Affleck
There is very little room for debate on the #1 celebrity poker player since Affleck took the top prize in the California State Poker Championship at Commerce Casino in June, 2004. This is the most notable foray of a celebrity into the realm of professional poker. I guess those lessons from Annie Duke have paid off!
Tobey Maguire
Maguire's spidey senses served him well in October of 2004 when he won first place at the inaugural Phil Hellmuth Invitational Poker Tournament.
Patrick Bruel
Most people in North America have never heard of French singer and film star Patrick Bruel. But he happens to be one of the most accomplished celebrity poker players in the world. He has a WSOP bracelet for the '98 $5000 Limit Hold'em event and has placed in the money numerous other times in several WSOP events and other tournaments.
James Woods
James Woods is not only a skilled poker player with many live appearances under his belt, he's also the face behind HollywoodPoker. Their big hook is the opportunity to meet up against celebrities, such as Woods, while playing online.
Laura Prepon
Quite possibly one of the hottest poker players to date, That 70's Show's Prepon pops up in tournaments, is well known for her all night home games and has created and produced a poker show for E! network.
photo courtesy Cardplayer.com
Wil Wheaton
Even though we haven't seen him a lot lately, this star of the film Stand by Me and TV series, Star Trek:The Next Generation deserves a spot on this list nonetheless. He plays in local games in Los Angeles, online quite frequently and most recently in the World Poker Tour Championship. (Admittedly, he was invited to play, but obviously his talent was recognized).
Matt Damon
This star of one of the most popular poker movies, Rounders, is also a regular entrant in the World Series of Poker. We expect to see some impressive showings from Damon in the future.
Mimi Rogers
This actress (Austen Powers, Lost in Space) and former wife of Tom Cruise is also a keen poker player. She has won on an episode of Hollywood Home Game, and more significantly, finished in the money in 2004's WPT Shooting Star Championship.
photo courtesy showbizireland.com
Danny Masterson
Another actor from That 70's Show has made himself known in the poker community. Athough he has yet to cash in on a big payday, the number of times he's been seen in action warrants a spot on our list.
photo © WPT Enterprises, Inc.
Jerry Buss
Although not a celebrity of film or music, Buss is well known in the sports world as the (some would say "once") successful owner of the LA Lakers basketball team. And he plays a LOT of poker. A notable showing was his second place in 2003's WPT Invitational at Commerce Casino, besting the likes of Men Nguyen and Tony Ma.
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