Playing poker is a ritual, which everyone understands differently. For some, this is a professional career and ways to earn their money. For others, it is a way to satisfy their gambling needs. There are also hobby players, who are only fascinated by the psychological aspect of the game – spotting tells, observing body language and so on.
But as you might have guessed, celebrities who love to play poker, most of the time do not fall, in any of these categories. Usually, famous people are rich enough, to not play poker for the profits. Celebrities also rarely are gamblers, since they devoted time and effort to their own craft .
So why a celebrity would play poker and compete against better prepared grinders ? Two are the main answers that come to mind
- Adrenaline Rush
- Scratching Ego
Celebrities who play poker love to compete and prove they can be the best, at yet another field, different than their own. Adrenaline junkies and poker are also a perfect match.
Now we understand better, why would famous people. play poker and gamble a lot of money, risking huge losses in the process. But who are these celebrities, who love to play poker ? Or it is safe to say Texas Holdem, as famous people play almost exclusively this format. Let’s dive in our list !
Kevin Hart – A Celebrity who loves to play poker and piss off Daniel Negreanu
Kevin Hart is one of the most famous actors on planet Earth. Turns out he is also hobby poker player. You can check his multiple videos on the subject, in which the comedian is having fun on the poker table, by giving tips to the audience or pissing Daniel Negreanu off.
He even played in WSOP – the biggest live poker tournament series in the world. The strong suit of Mr.Heart is that he uses his light hearted jokes and comedic timing, to throw people off their game. It is absolutely sure he is having fun with it, but it is also clever way, to hide the fact, that he is not a complete fish.
Tobey Maguire – Best Poker Player In Hollywood
Considered by many, the best celebrity poker play – Tobey Maguire is absolute poker shark. It is rare for celebrity ofhis caliber, to be such an experienced poker player. He plays poker live and online from over 15 years. He has even participated in private high stake games, which include Molly’s game. He was even portraited by Michael Cera, in the infamous movie about Molly Bloom life.
Molly’s Game is really worth it and we rank it very high in our list of the best poker movies . Tobey Maguire is portraited as unknown poker shark, although his name is not revealed to the public.
3. Boris Becker – Tennis Celebrity and Poker Grinder ?
It is quite a love story between tennis and poker. These two games share often similar audience. Poker lovers often watch tennis matches and vice-versa.
Boris Becker, is the prime example of this . The notorious tennis player, was very popular with his hot temper. Sure he won some major tournaments, but the way he acted on the court, made him even more famous. Smashing rackets, cursing, receiving fines, was something, which happened almost on daily basis. He was so passionate and hot headed, that it was addictive to watch.
Yet , back in 2008, he decided to pursue another adventure and become MTT poker player. This was a big surprise , since he is a maniac on the court, and as we know, in poker good players are cool headed and calm. It was a obvious mismatch right from the start. He cashed some wins in couple of tournaments, but in overall, he was not very successful.
One bright side of Boris Becker’s poker career, was his invitation to become ambassador to one of the biggest online poker brands. The tennis celebrity was chosen to represent them at tournaments and other high-stakes events around the world , because of the great affection , that the public had for him.
Jennifer Tilly – Famous actress who crushes Texas Holdem
We were not sure , if Jennifer Tilly should be included in this list. The sole reason for this is that the younger audience, may only know her, as a poker player. In reality Jennifer Tilly is a talanted acress, which won many awards and was even nominated for Oscar. He continues her acting job to this day ( Family Guy) , even though she also playes poker, as a semi-professional player.
Her achievements in poker tournaments include playing to raise funds for the Dream Foundation charity, winning a WSOP bracelet, winning the Bellagio Cup, and coming in first in the 3rd WPT Ladies Invitation Tournament. She likes to take part in high stakes cash games and has to date won close to a million dollars from poker tournaments.
Jean Robert Bellande – ”Action Bob” loves Texas Holdem
This famous actor is also poker player, who does fairly good in high stakes Texas Holdem games. He is relentless player and competes against the biggest sharks in the world .
Back to the beginning of the article, we mentioned, that many celebrities play poker for the adrenaline rush, which they get from it. Well “Action Bob”, sure seem one of those guys. Jean-Robert Bellande was also contestent in Survivor China, which proves once again, he is adrenaline junkie. He makes huge swings and has confessed that he lost millions in cash games. To balance them out, Mr. Bellande has won almost 3 Million from tournaments.
