14 DAY TRIAL // After last week it was claimed that Ben Affleck was banned from a certain Las Vegas casino for counting cards and winning at blackjack hand over fist, people spoke out on social media. Their response was one of support towards the actor, praising him for his skill and blaming the casino for not letting guests win.
It was a sort of “man against the system” kind of thing, and many poker players praised Affleck for being able to count cards. You must keep in mind that counting cards is not considered illegal, but it does constitute sufficient reason to get the player banned, which is what reports said happened to Affleck.
However, yesterday, the bosses of the Hard Rock Casino where all of this went down came out with a statement that denied the rumor: “Mr. Affleck, a valued guest of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, is not banned from our property and is welcome back any time.”
That being said, something did happen on the night to spark off banning rumors. A source close to the actor confirms that “He got banned from playing blackjack not the casino. The security said we have to stop you because ‘you are too good.’ The hotel was really nice, told him he could play other games and ended up getting him and Jennifer a car back to their hotel.”
Twitter went up with messages from people supporting Affleck, and that includes celebrities. Ben chose to retweet Howard Stern's message, who spoke out on his radio show to support the actor, “@HowardStern defends @BenAffleck - saying Ben did nothing wrong & it proves Vegas won't let you win.”
In his tweet, Affleck wrote, “interesting point Howard,” which indicates that he agrees with Stern's views and that he was somewhat ticked at the fact that he wasn't allowed to continue playing.
Another fan commended the star and blamed the casino, “Banning someone for counting cards is basically punishing someone for being awesome. So congratulations @BenAffleck.” The “Batman” star thanked him for the support and for the kind words.
Ben is known to be a serious gambler and has had a lot of experience with playing poker. There are reports that he's even undergone treatment for his addiction to gambling, and that he's often spent large sums of money, including those that he won, taking heavy losses at the table.
This doesn't seem to have been the case on April 29, when Ben was courteously taken away from the table for “being too good.”
Interesting point Howard. MT @sternshow: @HowardStern defends @BenAffleck - saying Ben did nothing wrong & it proves Vegas won't let you win
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) May 5, 2014