Best Celebrity Poker Players: 10 Surprising A-Listers

Many Hollywood stars have decided to show off their talents in a slightly different lane — poker. 

It’s fair to say that these celebrities have become very successful at what they do. It’s interesting how some of your favourite childhood stars since have become Hollywood’s best celebrity poker players

Are you excited to learn more? Let’s jump right in!

Who Are the Top Celebrity Poker Players?

Some have competed against A-lister poker players, some have won WSOP bracelets, and some have turned poker into a full-fledged career. 

Here’s our list of famous actors who are professional poker players and are very good at it.  

If you want to learn more about gambling, check out this article

1. Jennifer Tilly

 

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Born in: Harbor City, LA, United States

Jennifer Tilly is an American-Canadian actress. She’s best known for her roles in Bullets over Broadway, Bride of Chucky, Liar Liar, Made in America and Baker boys. Although she has a well-established career in acting, that’s not her only talent.

Did you know that Jennifer Tilly is great at poker, too? She claimed the title of a first celebrity WSOP winner after winning the WSOP bracelet and she took home $158,000. Isn’t that impressive? 

Apart from winning the World Series of Poker Ladies’ No-Limit Texas Hold’em, she also took part in the Bellagio Cup and won 3rd place in the WPT Ladies Invitation Tournament

Her poker career started around 2003. Some say that her role in the comedy “Let it Ride” was what led her to start playing poker. Others say that it was her father gifting her a World of Series of Poker video game that sparked her interest in poker. 

We might not know what was the initial event that got her into poker, but we know one thing for sure — Jennifer Tilly is among the best female celebrity poker players of all time. She still remains active in the high-stacks games and continues to expand her winnings, estimating around million dollars from the tournaments

2. Jason Alexander

 

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Born in: Newark, NJ, United States

The 90s comedy series “Seinfeld” not only gave us a good laugh but also helped us relate with the main characters in all aspects of our lives. George Costanza (Jason Alexander) was portrayed as having difficulties in his love life but apparently was very good at something else in his real life. 

He is actually one of the Hollywood actors who are professional poker players. Who would have thought that? It is said that he started engaging in poker while in college, but made several appearances in poker tournaments such as the 2007 and 2009 World Series of Poker. Even though he lost on the second day in the 2007 tournament, he managed to get into the top 30 in  2009. 

In Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown, he won $500,000 in the eighth session of the game. 

With earnings of just under $30,000, he might not be on the same level as professional poker players or other celebrities, but he deserves the spot on the list of best celebrity poker players in Hollywood.

3. Ben Affleck

 

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Born in: Berkeley, CA, United States

The movie “Good Will Hunting” has launched Affleck’s acting career and made him one the best Holywood actors. The film even earned won an Academy Award for best screenwriting. 

But Ben’s success soon took a turn in a different direction. He started playing blackjack and later, he learned how to play poker from Amir Vahedi and Annie Duke’s educational books about Texas Hold’em. 

He made two appearances in poker tournaments and won $356,400 in the 2004 California State Poker Championship. Ben Affleck is bursting into being among the best actors who are professional poker players

Unfortunately, Affleck was accused of counting cards in an incident during Molly Bloom’s underground Poker games in 2014 and was banned from entering the casino ever again. Nevertheless, that doesn’t erase the fact that he has won against an A-lister poker player. 

4. Jean Robert Bellande 


Born in: Long Island, N.Y., United States 

Jean Robert Bellande is among the actors who are professional poker players and was already an established poker player before his appearance on the reality TV show “Survivor: China”.

He first started playing poker around 2005, when he appeared in the World Series of Poker and won third place earning $200,000. 

His poker career was followed up by winning the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed and winning his first WSOP bracelet in 2018, taking home $616,302. Before his 2018 success, he won second place in the 2008 $1,500 Shootout for $173,564, and in 2015, he was second in the World Series of Poker Player’s Championship. 

Jean continues to be active in poker and regularly informs his followers on social media about his poker performances. 

5. Matt Damon

 

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Born in: Cambridge, MA, United States

Matt Damon is a well-established actor in Hollywood, well known for his roles in Good Will Hunting, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Departed, Saving Private Ryan and etc. But do you know what else he’s best known for? You’d be surprised when you find out that he’s actually an avid poker player. 

He first started playing poker in 1998 by completing the World Series of Poker and competing against the famous poker player Doyle Brunson. Regardless of losing against Doyle, his bravery landed him a spot as one of the best WSOP celebrities. This competition leveraged his poker passion into a career. 

Since his first competition, Matt Damon became one the actors who are professional poker players. He continued to appear in the World Series of Poker No-Limit  Hold’em, although haven’t won any significant place. In the 2011 World Poker Finals, he finished 45th, earning $540.

6. Tobey Maguire

 

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Born in: Santa Monica, CA, United States

Everyone has watched Spider-Man at least once in their lives. The leading role of Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man brought him to the spotlight of the Holywood scene and brought him a big success. But his acting career was not the only thing he was successful at.

Maguire tried his luck at poker, too, earning a spot among the best celebrity poker players in Hollywood

He first started playing in 2004 with the help of one of the best famous poker players in the world, Daniel Negreanu. Daniel taught Maguire how to play poker which resulted in him winning $20,000 in the first two tournaments. Maguire appeared in the 2004 Festa al Lago III Poker Tournament and the 2004 National Championship of Poker, where he claimed his first victory. 

He later appeared in high-stack cash poker games and won $40,000 in the 2007 World Series of Poker. The estimation of his overall poker winnings is around  $218,000.

If you’re looking for a good poker movie, check out our selection.

7. Ray Romano 

 

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Born in: Queens, NY, United States

The beloved TV series, “Everybody Loves Raymond,”, launched one of the highest-paid Hollywood comedians – Ray Romano. He is also well-known for his poker skills, making his first public appearance at the 2007 WSOP. Since then, he has participated for several consecutive years in the World Series of Poker. 

In one of his interviews, it was said that he started playing poker as a teenager together with his friends in Queens, continuing to regularly appear in high-stake games. He’s one of those WSOP celebrities that are known for their kindness when interacting with fans. 

In 2007, the actor finished in 8th place in the $1,080 buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold’em Bellagio tournament. The following year, Romano also appeared in the WSOP’s charity event, Ante Up For Africa, where he finished 8th again. 

8. Sam Simon


Born in: Los Angeles, California, United States

Sam Simon might not be known for being an actor, but he was the writer and producer of the infamous cartoon, “The Simpsons”. He was also among the best famous poker players that have embarked on the poker journey. 

Sam Simon started learning to play poker during his childhood, which led him to become a top-tier player. He was part of the World Series of Poker for 5 consecutive years. Over those 5 years, he won three No-Limit Hold’em Poker tournaments.

In 2007, he participated in the Winning O’ The Green tournament and earned $57,000. The last year he played in a poker tournament was 2011, when he took home $23,000. Unfortunately, Simon passed away in 2015 after he was diagnosed with colon cancer. 

Before his death, he donated all of his money, and half went to helping out animals as he was a huge animal lover and an activist. 

9. Brad Garrett

 

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Born in: Woodland Hills, CA, United States 

Another actor in the fan-favorite TV series, “Everybody loves Raymond,” is Brad Garret. We know him best for his role as Raymond’s brother, but together with his co-star Ray Romano, they are also actors who are professional poker players

His poker record boasts some impressive results. He’s been a regular poker player over the years, and he’s still active. Just last year, he won $5,850 in the DeepStack Championship Poker Series, where he placed 107th. Back in 2016, he earned $2,928 and a 5th place in the $300 No-Limit Hold’em Rebuy $30K GTD

Brad has appeared in over 11 poker tournaments.  

10. Shannon Elizabeth

 

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Born in: Houston, TX, United States

Shanon Elizabeth played in Scary Movie, Love Actually and many more flicks, but American Pie was the movie that launched her acting career. Although we still remember her for the role of Nadia in American Pie, she is also well known for trying her hands at poker. 

She’s among the female celebrity poker players who have left a mark in the world of gambling for having impressive performances in poker tournaments. 

Shannon took part in the 2005 WSOP without notable success, but In the 2007 NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship, Shannon managed to enter the semi-final, finishing third. Also, she finished in sixth place at the W Las Vegas Poker Invitational. She finally claimed her first win at the Nicky Hilton New Year’s Eve Poker Tournament

It is said that Elizabeth’s earnings from poker are estimated at over $200,000 so far. 

You might be interested in How do Casinos Make Money on Poker?

Conclusion 

From comedians, drama and action movie stars to actors who are professional poker players. 

These celebrity names stand out for their top-tier performance and skills at playing poker, and some have notably succeeded as some of the best celebrity poker players in Hollywood

Which of these actors would you say was the biggest surprise for you? 

FAQ

Who is the most famous poker player?

Phil Hellmuth is definitely known for winning most WSOP Bracelets, and on top of that, he has the best record in WSOP cashes. That makes him one of the best famous poker players of all time.

Who is the best poker player right now?

Carlos Mortensen is the best poker player at the moment, with his winnings standing at $6,738,670. At a fairly lower poker net worth of $6,437,353, right after Carlos Mortensen, is Daniel Negreanu, one of the best famous poker players in the world.

Who is the best poker player in Hollywood?

The fact that Jennifer Tilly has won the WSOP bracelet speaks loads about her success in poker. Not only is she an excellent actress that turned into a poker player, but she is also the best poker player in Holywood, alongside Ben Affleck and Brad Garrett.

What are good poker celebrities?

Some of the most famous actors and actresses in Holywood are, in fact, also the best celebrity poker players. Ben Affleck, Jeniffer Tilly, Mat Damon, Tobey Maguire and Shanon Elizabeth, are just some of the star-studded poker elite.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Toni always had an appetite for learning new things and random facts about almost everything, which is why when he got offered the job to work as a content writer he took it without hesitation. Writing daily took his love for words and research to a whole new level, and made him realize that this is a career he would love to pursue. Although he spends most of his time researching his next piece, you can also find him on the football court, in the gym, or at home with a book in his hand.

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