Ben Affleck learned how to play blackjack because he liked it. He practiced and got so good at it, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino barred him from the tables.
“That is a true story,” the actor told Details in the latest issue. “I took some time to learn the game and became a decent blackjack player. And once I became decent, the casinos asked me not to play blackjack. I mean, the fact that being good at the game is against the rules at the casinos should tell you something about casinos.”
Affleck and his wife, Jennifer Garner, traveled to Vegas in May for a short getaway before the actor started filming on “Superman vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice” in Michigan. The Hard Rock deemed him an “advantaged player” for counting cards – not an illegal activity, but one that will get a player booted from the blackjack tables.
The avid poker fan chose blackjack because he realized it could improve his odds at winning. He didn’t understand why the casino presented it like he “did something illegal.”
The casinos try to lure celebrities to their establishments to boost their own reputations, but famous or not, the house always win. The Hard Rock did offer Affleck a spot at the Craps, Roulette or Chinese poker tables.
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino did not ban Affleck from the entire resort. Garner also did not have a problem with her husband’s recreation, as TMZ reported at the time.
“See, that’s tabloid s***. That’s all bull****. They completely lie,” he told Details. “My only hope is that people with any common sense recognize that those stories are false."
Ben Affleck will next star in the David Fincher film "Gone Girl," which was adapted from the Gillian Flynn novel. The movie premieres on Oct. 3, 2014.
