14 DAY TRIAL // Molly Bloom, aka the “Poker Princess,” the hostesses who was involved in the celebrity-packed poker ring that included anyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to the Olsen twins, Ben Affleck, and Tobey Maguire, is spilling the beans on what went down behind closed doors in a new book.
It’s called “Molly’s Game” and excerpts from it have been published by Vanity Fair. Bloom is currently on probation for her involvement in the illegal gambling operation, but that’s not stopping her from exposing secrets all these celebrities would probably rather they have kept under wraps.
Of Ben Affleck, for instance, Bloom has only nice things to say. Apparently, his presence at the poker table was “monumental” and, despite reports that he was addicted to gambling and could occasionally lose control, Bloom writes that he “was tall and handsome with a relaxed charisma that not all icons have in person.” So no out of control at all.
She says his buy-in was relatively low (“only” $50,000 / €36,922), which is a sign that he’s “a smart player who liked to limit his downside.” Affleck, apparently, was also quite a gentleman even in matters not directly related to the game.
For instance, Bloom writes, at one point, he was sitting at the table with Rick Solomon, aka Paris Hilton’s co-star in that “leaked” homemade tape and Pamela Anderson’s current husband. Solomon wanted to know if there was any justification for the hype around the ample posterior on Jennifer Lopez, Ben’s ex-fiancée then.
“Did Jennifer’s [backside] have cellulite on it, or was it nice?” Solomon reportedly asked him. Affleck took a moment to think, then, staring down, he responded that “It was nice.”
Of course, had he been more of a gentleman, voices online are saying, Affleck would have told Solomon off or even punched him for daring to ask this kind of question. Well, at least he was nice about it.
Sadly, according to ongoing reports, Affleck’s days as a cool and “smart” player are over: there is increasing speculation that his gambling is again out of control, to the point where wife Jennifer Garner is either about to stage an intervention or take the kids and walk out on him.
Earlier this year, another rumor claimed that Affleck had been banned for life and kicked out of a major Las Vegas casino after he was caught counting cards, a gimmick that, while not illegal, is very frowned upon by casino bosses because it’s still considered cheating.