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Famous Celebrities Who Like to Gamble at Casinos: Even celebrities like to gamble. Many are regular players at some of the world’s best casinos and some even compete in world poker championships. Here is a quick list of some of the biggest celebrity gamblers who try to strike it lucky at poker tables and roulette wheels across the world!
Ben Affleck:
- One of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Ben Affleck is a writer, actor, director, and also a committed poker player. He is known for playing both poker professionals and amateurs alike and has won over a million dollars playing poker and blackjack at some of the world’s premier competitions.
Matt Damon:
- A famous actor, and one of Ben Affleck’s closest friends and collaborators, Matt Damon is also a keen poker and blackjack player. Matt plays a lot of casinos regularly, and his game really improved after starring in the poker-themed movie Rounders. In preparation for that role, he trained with legendary poker player Johnny Chan and has since become a regular winner at the card tables.
Charles Barkley:
- Switching from film stars to sports stars, NBA legend, and all-round great guy Charles Barkley is a passionate poker player and has walked away with some big wins from poker tables. He has also had some big losses too, and once estimated he had seen $10 million of his money go to casinos since his retirement from basketball. Still, he can probably afford that after such a successful career on the court.
Tobey Maguire:
- The star of Spiderman and Seabiscuit has been a committed poker player since his teens, and used to be a regular at private games in Hollywood that were the basis for the book and movie Molly’s Game. He lost a lot of money to his good friend and fellow poker player Ben Affleck in 2004 but still keeps playing and getting regular wins on Texas Hold’em tables.
Paris Hilton:
- The world-famous socialite loves a trip to Vegas, and once won $30,000 while on a birthday trip to the mecca of casino gambling. She also likes to gamble online, if rumors are to be believed and enjoys playing anonymously on poker sites and apps. If you want to get involved you should check out this site and maybe you could end up sharing a poker table with Paris online.
Jennifer Tilly:
- This star of stage and screen is such a committed poker player, she is considered a semi-professional in the sport. Jennifer Tilly won the gold bracelet in the World Series of Poker back in 2005 and has won the Ladies No-Limit Hold’em competition too.
Brad Pitt:
- Brad had never really gambled before he began researching his role in the blockbuster movie Ocean’s 11, but he quickly became enamored by poker, blackjack, and slot machines. After filming ended, his new hobby endured, and he still gambles regularly at casinos across the world.
George Clooney:
- Brad Pitt’s friend and Ocean’s 11 co-star was bitten by the poker bug at a young age and has been a frequent poker player for most of his life. He was involved in the private Hollywood games, along with Tobey Maguire, that were the subject of the film Molly’s Game and even once tried to build his own casino in Vegas. The construction project, Las Ramblas in Vegas, never got much further than the planning stages even though the actor had sunk millions of his own money into the project. That was one gamble this major movie star did not win!
Derren Brown::
- The world-famous British ‘mentalist’ was so successful when gambling that many casinos in his native United Kingdom have banned him from playing. Staff at these casinos have said that he only ever bet small stakes and never seemed to lose. He mostly played poker and blackjack, and perhaps used his power of suggestion and ability to read people’s intentions to help him succeed at the tables.
50 Cent:
- The renowned rapper is also a casino and sports betting legend. ‘Fiddy’ has had a lot of success on the blackjack and poker tables, but some of his biggest wins have been placing high stake bets on sports. Two of his most famous bets were placing $2 million on Floyd Mayweather to beat Manny Pacquiao and $500,000 on the New York Giants to beat the San Francisco 49ers, both of which won!
The poker and blackjack tables are two of the places in the world where it doesn’t matter who you are or where you have come from, everyone is equal when the cards are dealt. Take a look around next time you are at the poker table, and you may be rubbing elbows with a celebrity.