Gambling is available to everyone. Everyone becomes a gambler regardless of social status or even financial standing. So it is no wonder that many celebrities play casinos not on gamban and visit the most popular gambling establishments in the world. Since they can afford it, they even arrange long flights from one continent to another just to spend a couple of nights in their favorite establishments. Ben Affleck is on the list of the most avid gamblers. His level of excitement can only be compared to George Clooney and Matt Damon, Affleck’s closest friends, who often gamble together.
Poker at the professional level
The frequent appearance of Hollywood stars in prestigious casinos is nothing new. Many American actors and TV presenters spend their nights in Las Vegas establishments, fly to Hawaii for gambling trips, or even to the Chinese city of Macau. But these hobbies are at the level of amateurs. While actor Ben Affleck has deservedly gained recognition and respect in the circle of top poker players.
Initially, the actor, like any other celebrity, was not taken seriously by opponents. But after a number of victories in poker tournaments and winning big money, Affleck got his attention. The actor’s first participation was in charity championships. He easily beat all the celebrities. And after hearing the verdict of a professional poker player, he decided to take up poker seriously.
Ben Affleck was noted for his good ability to think strategically and show a phenomenal memory. And professional acting skills only played into his hands. After all, the card game is unthinkable without a bluff and the ability to hold a Poker face, which Affleck is brilliant.
Big wins
Ben Affleck has been known as a successful player for about twenty years. Most often he plays poker, less often he plays roulette and craps. In one interview the actor said that he does not play slots. He does not understand slot machines and does not feel which strategy is better to play.
The actor’s most high-profile achievements:
- 2001 – winning $750,000 at a card table in Las Vegas;
- 2004 – participation in a California poker tournament and winning with a prize pool of $400,000;
- 2012, a poker tournament in Miami and third place prize money of $320,000.
The most brilliant win was a tournament in California. It is a full-fledged poker championship among state players. The famous actor was able to beat more than eighty opponents and win the grand prize of the tournament.
In addition to professional championships, Ben Affleck is often invited to charity events. He often won there as well, but he gave all his prizes honestly to children’s hospitals and foundations.
The first scandals
Colleagues call Ben Affleck a poised and non-conflictive man. But since 2010, the actor began to drink frequently. And appear in a drunken state in public. One of the conflicts involving drunken Affleck occurred in a casino. Actor seemed that the dealer cheats, and constantly gives him a weak card. Affleck demanded a personal conversation with the manager of a gambling establishment and access to surveillance cameras.
After clarifying the relationship, the actor admitted that the casino employee was not trying to cheat him. The celebrity managed to calm down and Affleck continued gambling. A couple of hours later, he snapped the kush of $300,000. And as an apology, exactly half of the amount left the dealer as a tip.
The business of gambling
One of the actor’s closest friends is George Clooney. And it is also an inveterate gambler. True, Clooney prefers not only card games, but also the machines. After participating in the film “Ocean’s 11” actor so carried away by the gaming atmosphere, that two weeks spent lazily in a casino in Las Vegas. Clooney even tried to invest a large sum in Las Ramblas. And talked Ben Affleck into joining the big build.
Affleck agreed and also contributed a lot of money, but refused to tell the press about the size of the investment. The star actors planned to build a hotel with a casino together with his partners. But construction turned out to be unprofitable, and business partners beforehand withdrew all their funds from the project. Thus, Clooney and Affleck could not become owners of a gambling establishment in Vegas, they lost their investment.
The famous trio
Ben Affleck and George Clooney have another close friend in common. It’s Hollywood actor Matt Damon. He first starred in The Hustler. Performing the lead role in the casino movie, Damon also became a fan of gambling. In particular, poker. In fact, in order to prepare for the film, the actor was trained by Johnny Chan – it is a professional poker player of international renown.
Also to the passion for poker actor pushed Ben Affleck. And soon together they began to take part in championships. The friendly trio Affleck-Clooney-Damon are often caught by the paparazzi at the card tables in popular casinos. They even have a tradition: once a year together to spend a week of gambling in Las Vegas.
