What do the richest, most famous celebrities in the world do with their spare time?
Some play sports. Some work with charities. And others love to try their hand at poker.
This should come as no surprise, considering the sheer amount of money these men and women have at their disposal. Their poker matches can be truly high-stakes affairs, offering them the chance to win big and top-up their already-mammoth bank balances.
So, who are the biggest stars with a love of poker? Here are the top 5.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck is more than just the star of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Good Will Hunting, Armageddon, Argo and more films than you can shake a playing card at. He’s also an accomplished poker player, believed to have received lessons from professionals Annie Duke and Amir Vahedi.
He’s earned more than $500K in live tournaments and has a penchant for competing against fellow actors.
Matt Damon
Mr. Affleck’s friend and fellow Good Will Hunting-writer/star, Matt Damon enjoys poker, too.
He’s taken part in a number of poker tournaments over the years and spent more than $20K playing games in preparation for his role in poker flick, Rounders. He’s not considered quite as skilled as Ben Affleck, but Matt Damon is still a formidable poker player when at his best.
Jason Alexander
Alexander is best-known for his breakout role of George Costanza in Seinfeld, as well as supporting performances in hit films like Pretty Woman and Shallow Hal.
Jason Alexander plays in live tournaments and online poker matches, even winning $500K for charity in Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2006. He was competing against fellow stars like Bryan Cranston, Jaime Bamber, Robin Tunney and Keegan-Michael Key. He also has taken part in World Series of Poker multiple times.
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly has enjoyed a diverse acting career in the past few decades, appearing in such dark movies as Bound, Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky and many more. She’s also featured in a host of television projects like Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Modern Family, The Simpsons and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
But Tilly is also a recognized poker player — and a very good one, too. She won the WSOP Ladies Event in 2005, becoming the first celebrity to claim the top spot in any World Series tournament. She also is a champion in the WPT Ladies Night Invitational and the WPT Bellagio Cup (in which she won more than $124,455).
Ray Romano
Ray Romano scored a smash-hit success with Everybody Loves Raymond, one of the highest-performing US sitcoms of all time. He also voices Manny in the popular Ice Age animated movies. But Romano is known for his poker-playing skills, too.
He has competed in the WSOP on several occasions, from 2007 – 2011, as well as in 2013 and 2015.
He’s not quite as prolific nor as skilled at the table as the likes of Jason Alexander and Ben Affleck, but Romano has still generated live earnings of around $20K.
Poker offers something for everyone, from some of the richest celebrities in the world to people just looking to play for fun. Want to try it for yourself?
