Ben Affleck just doesn’t know when to fold’em.
The actor had an almost half-million dollar poker debt to one of the most powerful movie moguls in Hollywood as a result of playing in an underground card game, according to a new report.
The sensational accusations comes after Star magazine and RadarOnline.com reported today that the Academy Award-winner was involved in Hollywood’s top-secret poker ring that included A-liste actors Tobey Maguire and sports stars like Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez.
Affleck, 35, even hosted his own game — which was referred to as “Ben’s Game” — at the Grand Havana Room in Beverly Hills, a high-end club, around the same time he was engaged to Jennifer Lopez.
“It was touted in the underground scene as ‘Ben’s Game’,” an insider told the magazine.
“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. During the time period at the Havana Room, though, J.LO would call all the time desperately trying to track down her fiancé. It was clear there were deep problems in the relationship.”
When “Ben’s Game” moved to a restaurant, the actor began gambling with Ron Meyer, president of Universal Studios and the mogul behind the “Bourne” movie franchise.
Meyer’s daughter Jennifer is married to Maguire, who gambled alongside Affleck.
Star reported that these poker games were anything but friendly. Despite the fact that Affleck and Meyer were buddies, the Hollywood mogul’s biggest winning hands came at the expense of the actor, who lost $400,000 on one hand.
“Ben busted big,” one player at the table on the night in question told Star. “He drummed up a giant tab, and then all of a sudden he disappeared from the game. He wasn’t seen for months.”