Ben Affleck is Good at Something

You have to feel just the tiniest bit sorry for Ben Affleck. His best buddy Matt Damon can do no wrong. Every couple of years he’ll knock out another brilliant Jason Bourne movie, complete with a new set of ways to kill people using stuff you can buy at Homebase, while poor old Ben couldn’t get a hit if he shot himself and filmed it.

It’s got to put a smile on Affleck’s face then to discover he’s favourite to scoop this year’s 37th Annual World Series of Poker.

After a 2004 win at the World Poker Tour Championship it seems, at cards at least, Ben Affleck is unstoppable.

If everyone’s got to be good at something, you should be seriously grateful when it’s the coolest thing ever.

Affleck’s poker odds come in at 450-1. Not bad for a DareDevil. But the increasingly ex-Mr. movie star isn’t the only young buck celebrity to fancy his hand at, well, his hand. Hot on his heels jumps Spiderman himself Tobey Maguire.

Not content with having a daftly spelt first name and ample opportunity to hang out with Kirsten Dunst while she’s not wearing a bra, Maguire is also a pretty good poker player. He won last year’s Phil Hellmuth’s Poker Invitational and is hotly tipped to give Affleck more than just stomach pains at the World Series with all-to-close odds of 500-1.

Amusingly, and probably downright frustratingly for seasoned players, these two Hollywood pretty boys are actually pulling in better odds than the crusty old pros they’re up against. Poker giant, and not a man you’d like to be stuck in a lift with, Paul "Eskimo" Clark is only getting odds of 800-1. That’s gotta sting for Mr Eskimo, no doubt about it.

Worst of all for Eskimo and his career gambling chums is that Affleck and Maguire aren’t the only celebrities playing in the World Series. Not by a long shot.

David Schwimmer, Mena Suvari, Matthew Perry, James Woods, Don Cheadle, Shannon Elizabeth, Dennis Rodman and walking bag of rehabilitation Charlie Sheen are all planning to turn up and not shave for a few days. Yep, we said all of them. With each only having odds of 1000-1 they aren’t going to bother Affleck too much. But it’s sure going to make for one heck of an insurance bill at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino where this year’s World Series is being held.

You can’t help but wonder if, should wannabe alcoholic Affleck win – beating every single person who’s given him a thorough lashing at the box office over the last three years (even Mathew Perry, probably) – whether he’ll just get up on the table and pull the biggest moonie ever. Don’t forget he did love it up with Jennifer Lopez before she decided his arse wasn’t big enough. Maybe he’d just like us all to judge, once and for all.

On July 7th the 37th World Series of Poker finals kick off. Don’t be caught not knowing a flush from a pair, play the dudest game ever for FREE at Party Poker.com. So much better than a can of warm lager and whatever snore-fest match is coming on the telly.

Who knows, next year you might even be joining Ben Affleck? At the World Series we mean, not in rehab.

[story by Chris Laverty]