Ben Affleck might like his poker games, but no one thought he would suck so bad and at an underground, illegal table at that. Where did he go wrong during this spin. Magazines and news channels everywhere are reporting the close to half a million dollars that he lost in one sitting at the tables. However, all of the other players at the table that are owed this money are denying the fact that they were ever there to begin with since they do not play underground poker tournaments.
Affleck reportedly joined the high-stakes games in 2002, while he was dating singer Jennifer Lopez, and allegedly still owes $400,000 for a bet he lost to Ron Meyer, president of Universal Pictures.
Other stars who allegedly took part in the gatherings, which had a buy-in of $100,000, included "Spider-Man" actor Tobey Maguire, "Titanic" star Leonardo DiCaprio and Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez.
Meyer's daughter, Jennifer, is married to Maguire, who has been targeted in a lawsuit brought by victims of Beverly Hills hedge fund manager, Brad Ruderman. Ruderman allegedly orchestrated a $25 million Ponzi scheme and used the proceeds of the fraud to pay off his gambling debts to Maguire and others.
"At the time, Ben wasn't the most skillful player, it was almost like he was someone who felt they did not deserve the money they had," a source told Star about Affleck's participation. But a rep for Affleck told amNewYork the report was, "Complete garbage. Made up and lacking any real sources."
And a spokesman for Rodriguez, Richard Rubenstein, last week denied that the Yankee played in any of the games connected to Ruderman. "Mr. Rodriguez has not participated in these poker games," he said.
