Celebrities Secretly Kicking Ass at Poker
by Alex J. Coyne © 2017
Poker is one of the most popular games in the world, with more than 100 million players reported worldwide. It’s only natural that some of these players will turn out to be huge, A-lister celebrities… Great Bridge Links took a look at some celebrities who use their free time to kick ass at poker.
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth (born 1973 as Shannon Elizabeth Fadal) is better known as an actress, starring flicks like American Pie, Scary Movie, Thirteen Ghosts and Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back, if that’s your thing. She is also a seasoned poker player. Among many other tournaments and games, Shannon played the World Series of Poker (2005) under Daniel Negreanu and played a tournament for the opening of a new Caesar’s Palace poker room in 2006, where she won $55, 000. Not bad.
Sam Simon
Sam Simon (born in 1955, died in 2015) was one of the original faces behind The Simpsons. (So that’s where all the poker gags came from…) He originally considered becoming a professional poker player long before his career in TV, and he remained an avid poker player throughout his life, playing several World Series’ of Poker.
Oh, yeah, and he also had his own poker show on Playboy TV called Sam’s Game, where he got together with other famous poker players for a game. (Some of these players included Jeff Ross, Norm Macdonald and Artie Lang – who knew?)
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck was born in 1972, and appeared in movies like Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy, Dogma and – surprisingly at some point – he played Batman. When he’s not doing that, he plays cards. He has won the Paralyzed Veterans of America Tournament in 2008 for charity, and also won the 2004 California State Poker Championship – that’s pretty big in our books. (Notably, he was also banned from the Hard Rock Hotel’s Blackjack Table in Las Vegas on suspicion of card counting…)
Ray Romano
Take a look at The Hendon Mob for some celebrity poker profiles, Ray Romano’s – yeah, yeah, the one everyone loves – is over here. In addition to being a very well-known TV personality, he is more than a poker amateur, having played several World Series of Poker games. In fact, if you do love Everybody Loves Raymond, he played at the same table as his co-star Brad Garrett at the 2015 World Series of Poker.
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly (born in 1958 – damn) is a well-recognized face in movies, TV and even some voice work: Most will recognize her as being the Bride of Chucky, though she’s also one of the most prolific poker players on this list. As a poker player, she has won a World Series of Poker Bracelet and has played in a hell of a lot of poker events – including the Celebrity Poker Showdown (2006) and the GSN Poker Royale. She’s even in the video game World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions 2007 Edition.
Her total tournament winnings have been listed as over $916, 000. Now that is kick-ass.
Tell us about your favourite celebrity poker players. Have you ever encountered a famed poker player on the on or offline circuit? We want to hear about it!
by Alex J. Coyne © 2017
