Ben Affleck won $356,400 at a poker tournament that also earned him a seat in next year's World Poker Tour Championship
Ben Affleck: actor, producer, writer, and… poker champion
Ben Affleck won $356,400 at the California State Poker Championship and earned a seat in next year's World Poker Tour Championship.
So the 31-old-celebrity has just added a major poker championship to his academy award.
The actor outlasted a field of 90 players that included some of the best pros in the world, which traditionally participate in this major poker tournament, held at Commerce Casino, with a $10,000 buy in.
According to Pokerpages.com,Affleck’s final opponent was poker pro Stan Goldstein. Finishing third was another show business figure, film/TV producer Chuck Pacheco, president and co-founder of Castle Rock Entertainment. The championship final table provided plenty of drama, with the lead changing hands many times.
Affleck said he got lucky and complimented Goldstein as a great player. Afterwards, he said he was also pleased that he didn't win by just sucking out and showed he wasn't a "complete donkey." He indeed had the best hands when he knocked out Pacheco (5-5 vs. Ac-Qc) and Goldstein (J-J vs. Ad-10d).
Affleck said he also learned something from Goldstein, who once outplayed him and forced him to fold when they both held the same hand: K-J. Affleck plays mainly side games, preferring $25-$50 blind no-limit.
Ben Affleck has been practicing poker for several years now, and has been tutored by the likes of Annie Duke and Antonio Esfandiari. Some of poker professionals say that Affleck is the only person in the world to have both an academy award and a major poker championship.
The win earned Affleck the opportunity to take a $25,000 seat in the World Poker Tour Championship. It is to be held next April in Las Vegas, AP reported as quoted by CBSNews.com.
