The Best Celebrity Poker Players

Some people collect wine. Others buy racehorses or invest in restaurants. A handful of famous people took their money, their competitiveness, and their free time and pointed it all at a poker table. What separates them from the usual celebrity hobbyist is that several of them got genuinely good at it, and a few became hard to distinguish from the professionals sitting across from them.

The names on this list are not casual participants. They have recorded earnings, tournament results, and in some cases, years of consistent play at the highest levels. Several of the most successful celebrity poker players built reputations that extend well beyond casual games and charity appearances. Here is a look at the celebrities who earned their seats.

Jennifer Tilly: Over $1 Million in Live Earnings

Jennifer Tilly has been a working actress for decades, with an Oscar nomination and a career that spans film, television, and voice acting. Her poker results, though, could fill their own resume. According to the Hendon Mob, Tilly has $1,056,898 in total live earnings. She won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2005 and was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2022.

After her bracelet win, Tilly publicly credited her boyfriend Phil Laak with teaching her the game. Laak is a well-known professional, and his influence on her game was something she never tried to hide. The results speak plainly enough on their own.

When the Coaching Pays Off

Several celebrities learned the game from established poker pros before sitting down at serious tables. Ben Affleck trained under Amir Vahedi and Annie Duke, and his recorded live earnings sit at $365,400. Shannon Elizabeth played under Daniel Negreanu’s guidance and accumulated $247,851. Matt Damon spent $25,000 in buy-ins while training with Phil Hellmuth for his role in Rounders.

Jennifer Tilly credited Phil Laak with teaching her how to play poker, and she went on to earn over $1 million in live results. The pattern is consistent: professional mentorship translates into real money at the table.

Tobey Maguire and the Private Game Circuit

Tobey Maguire’s recorded tournament winnings sit at $218,898. That number tells only a fraction of the story. Estimates from various reports place his earnings from private high-stakes games somewhere between $30 and $40 million. These games, often held in Los Angeles and involving entertainment industry figures and wealthy businesspeople, operated at stakes far above what most public tournaments offer.

Maguire’s involvement in those games became widely known and eventually controversial, but his ability at the table was never in question. He studied the game seriously and played against professionals in private settings where losing a few hundred thousand dollars in a session was ordinary.

Ben Affleck’s Charity Game and Tournament Presence

Affleck has $365,400 in total live earnings, and his poker skills are well documented. In 2020, he organized a celebrity poker game in partnership with Feeding America that raised approximately $1,750,000. The event combined his two interests: competitive poker and charitable giving.

His training with Amir Vahedi and Annie Duke gave him a strong technical foundation. Affleck has never pretended to be a professional, but his results put him comfortably above recreational territory.

Arden Cho: A Newer Name With Serious Results

Arden Cho, known for her acting work and social media following, has $436,828 in total live earnings. Her biggest result came in 2024 with a 2nd-place finish at the PGT Championship, which paid $200,000. That kind of finish requires sustained, high-level play over a long period against strong fields.

Cho’s results are recent and growing, and she is one of the less expected names on this list. The money, however, makes the argument for her.

Richard Seymour: From the Football Field to the Felt

Richard Seymour, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, has $793,789 in live earnings per the Hendon Mob. He recently won his first WSOP Circuit ring, which came with $106,577 in prize money. Seymour has been playing seriously for years, and his results have steadily accumulated.

Professional athletes often gravitate toward poker after retirement. Seymour is one of the few who has produced results that would be respectable for a full-time player.

The Supporting Cast

Several other celebrities deserve mention for their poker involvement, even if their results are more modest or their play is more intermittent.

Kevin Hart has $47,828 in live tournament earnings. He has used his poker participation to raise funds through charity events, and his presence at tables draws attention to the game itself.

Brad Garrett considers himself a part-time professional, and his biggest live win was $100,000. He plays regularly and treats the game with a seriousness that his comedy persona might not suggest.

Jason Alexander won $500,000 for charity at the tables and continues to host an annual celebrity poker event that has been running for over two decades.

Aaron Paul appeared on poker television shows and made Day 2 of the 2015 WSOP Main Event, which requires surviving a full day of play against thousands of entrants.

Neymar, the Brazilian football star, has $32,131 in live earnings. His poker activity has been more recreational, but he plays publicly and often.

What the Numbers Say

The common thread among these players is straightforward: they studied, they practiced, and they competed at real stakes. Some had professional coaches, some lost money before they made it, and all of them chose to play in environments where fame offered no protection from bad cards or better opponents. Their bankrolls absorbed the lessons, and the results followed.

Conclusion

The stories of these celebrity poker players show that success at the table is not determined by fame alone. What separates the strongest celebrity competitors from casual hobbyists is the same combination that defines any serious poker career: discipline, study, and the willingness to play against skilled opponents. From Jennifer Tilly’s bracelet-winning run to Richard Seymour’s steady tournament results, these players demonstrated that poker rewards preparation and persistence. Their achievements highlight how dedication to the game can bridge the gap between celebrity status and genuine poker skill.