Craziest Celebrity Poker Moments
The celebrity and poker world aren’t too dissimilar, which makes it no surprise to see some of the world’s biggest celebrities hitting the felt.
We all love watching celebrities playing poker, and it’s many reasons. Most of the celebrities playing the WSOP or High Stakes Poker are actors, and it’s interesting to see how well they pull off bluffs.
We look at some of the biggest bluffs and craziest celebrity poker moments, kicking off with Matthew Perry’s hilarious bluff at the 2004 World Series.
Matthew Perry: Movin’ In with 7-2 Unsuited
The late Matthew Perry was a comedic force on the TV screens, starring as the lovable Chandler Bing in Friends, and we couldn’t help but laugh at his 7-2 off-suited bluff at the 2004 World Series of Poker.
Holding the worst starting hand in poker didn’t faze Perry, who assumed his acting chops would be enough to get his opponents to hold their stronger hands. Lo and behold, his insane bluff got through.
Poker pros have often struggled to figure out the strength of celebrity poker bluffs. They need to work out if Perry has the gusto to risk his tournament life on a bluff, or if he would simply push all-in with a strong hand.
Perry proved that celebrities playing poker can’t be underrated, and their acting skills make them tricky opponents.
Affleck vs. Tilly
Ben Affleck knows his way around a poker table. Alongside his friend and actor Matt Damon, he has frequented plenty of high-stakes poker games. However, compared to Tilly, who has a wealth of experience playing against the best pros, he’s a beginner.
Tilly, an actress turned poker pro (and wife of Phil Laak), is one of the best entertainers in the poker world. She always brings class to the table, but she’s one heck of a player in her own right. However, Affleck got the better of her in one of the best celebrity poker moments.
Affleck decided to play his 10-3 offsuit aggressively pre-flop, which is an interesting strategy to say the least. It’s a fold every time unless you’re in the small or big blind, but Affleck threw caution to the wind. However, Tilly was sitting pretty with pocket aces, the best starting hand.
Despite a good run out for pocket aces, Affleck continued to pile on the pressure at every street, ultimately forcing Tilly to fold. We have no doubt Tilly looked back at that hand knowing she made a mistake, but it goes down as one of the best celebrity poker bluffs.
James Woods vs Gape Kaplan
Before solvers took over poker, the poker face was used to win pots. That’s exactly what actor James Woods used to beat poker pro Gabe Kaplan on High Stakes Poker.
Now, whilst Kaplan isn’t one of the best players of all time, and he’s more commonly known as a commentator, he’s still a good player, especially compared to Woods. However, Woods decided to run a bluff and show his cards once Kaplan folded.
Celebrities playing poker don’t always show their bluffs because they know pros don’t show their bluffs. However, in true Woods fashion, he couldn’t help but show his multi-street bluff. Kaplan took it in stride, and the vibe on High Stakes Poker is typically friendly (unless you’re Sammy Farha), so that was good to see, and it goes down as one of the best poker hands by celebrities.
Tara Reid Bests David Williams
Our eyes were rolling like a KA Gaming slot machine when Tara Reid got the better of the great David Williams at the 2007 World Series of Poker.
Williams is always one of the best players in the field, but perhaps he was starstruck by the American Pie actress when he folded a better pair. Reid had a pair of fives and decided that was good enough to push all-in.
We think she was just happy to make a hand, so the chips went in. Williams assumed she must be stronger than a low pair, but he folded his higher pair, and Reid scooped in the chips.
She didn’t last much longer in the tournament because there are only so many times celebrity poker bluffs come off, but it made for great TV.
Who Are the Most Famous Celebrities Playing Poker?
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Ray Romano, and Tara Reid are just some celebrities who love playing poker.
Have Celebrities Playing Poker Ever Won Big?
It depends on what classifies as a celebrity, but there have been some big High Stakes Poker wins by celebrities, but much fewer tournament wins.
What Poker Games Do Celebrities Playing Poker Prefer?
No Limit Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker game for celebrities. They aren’t well-versed in games like stud, razz, and PLO.
