From the days of Frankie, Dino and Sammy to the superstars of today, the glitz and glamour of casinos has always attracted the luminaries of the worlds of sports and entertainment. The bright lights of Hollywood and the neon strip of Las Vegas have always shared a special relationship: a one-hour plane ride is all that stands between the million-dollar movie set and the high-limit blackjack table.
Many stars from both the big and small screens have taken up no-limit Texas Hold’em poker to fuel their competitive drive. Academy Award winner Ben Affleck won the 2004 California State Poker Championship and Oscar nominee Jennifer Tilly won the 2005 World Series of Poker Ladies’ title. TV stars such as Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”) and Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) have participated in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
The biggest stars in the world of sports also enjoy competing at the tables as much as on the fields and courts of their respective professions. Basketball legends Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were as famous for their marathon blackjack sessions as they were for their roundball prowess. Since Las Vegas is the home of professional boxing and mixed martial arts, many boxers and fighters, such as Roy Jones, Jr., and Randy Couture, also frequent the tables.
Rockers and rap stars also enjoy unwinding at their favorite games. Motley Crue singer Vince Neil helped to open the Hard Rock Poker Lounge, one of the newest and most stylish poker rooms in Las Vegas. Heavy metal guitar greats Sully Erna from Godsmack and Scott Ian from Anthrax are also regulars in many of the poker rooms along the Strip. Hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg also frequents Las Vegas as much for the gambling as for his legendary parties.
With the advent of televised poker tournaments, the gamblers are becoming as celebrated as their colleagues in the entertainment industry. Professional poker players such as Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson and Phil Gordon have become celebrities in their own right, due largely to their appearances in magazines, TV shows and on bookshelves.
