Which poker-loving celebrity has the most skill?
Celebrities love poker just like the rest of us, but are any of them any good?
This is a tough question to answer, since A.) I’ve never actually played with any of them, and B.) live cash game results are undocumented.
However, meaningless lists by uninformed writers are what the internet is all about. Plus, who doesn’t love a good top 5 list? So with that, here is my list of the top 5 best celebrity poker players.
5.) Ben Affleck
Lifetime Tournament Earnings: $356k
Largest Tournament Cash: $356k
That’s right, Affleck has only one lifetime tournament cash and it just so happens to be a 1st place finish in the $10,000 buy-in California State Poker Championship. He makes this list because it’s hard to win a $10k with zero skill, so I’m sure he’s not a total fish. In fact, Affleck’s win of $356k is the biggest single tournament win of any player on this list. He gets stuck at number 5 however, because it’s a bit strange that a hardcore poker enthusiast who plays the World Series of Poker every year doesn’t have any other cashes on his poker resume.
4.) Shannon Elizabeth
Lifetime Tournament Earnings: $235k
Largest Tournament Cash: $125k
Elizabeth has some nice cashes sprinkled over 13 events. Her most impressive cash came in the 2007 NBC Heads-up Championship when she took 3rd place for $125k. There’s nowhere to hide in a heads-up match, so I’ll assume she knows what she’s doing at the table. Also impressive is the fact that she has cashes in 7-card stud and Omaha hi/lo events on her resume, which shows some nice versatility.
3.) Jennifer Tilly
Lifetime Tournament Earnings: $987k
Largest Tournament Cash: $158k
Tilly is the most difficult player to rank on this list. She has the most lifetime earnings of any player and she’s the only one with a WSOP bracelet. However, she’s also played poker on television more than any other player on this list, and at times has looked like a bit of a fish. But nearly $1 million in tournament cashes doesn’t win itself, so Tilly certainly deserves a bit of credit for her poker prowess.
2.) Tobey Maguire
Lifetime Tournament Earnings: $218k
Largest Tournament Cash: $98k
Maguire would be number one on this list if we could confirm the rumors that he’s won around $40 million in high stakes Hollywood home games. But since we can’t, he comes in at number 2. Whether or not that $40 million number is accurate, Maguire is considered by many to be an excellent poker player.
1.) James Woods
Lifetime Tournament Earnings: $225k
Largest Tournament Cash: $39k
Woods is a lifelong card player with many tournament cashes on his poker resume. But aside from all that, he’s a bit insane, which is always a nice trait for a poker player. He earns the top spot on my list almost entirely because of this story from Doug Polk:
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Photo Source: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2015/06/charity-series-of-poker-event-set-for-july-5-at-planet-holly-22076.htm
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