Ben Affleck Blackjack
After months of rumors, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner will officially go through with their divorce. The couple has been married for 10 years, but it seemed that Garner and Affleck were on the rocks after several stories surfaced about the latter’s blackjack obsession.
What we know is this: Affleck was playing blackjack (or “21”) in the high limits room at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. After a time was told he was “too good” at the game, and while he was advised that he was welcome to play any other games in the house, he. This past May, it was reported that Ben Affleck —Oscar-winning filmmaker, actor, and newly minted superhero —was banned for life from playing blackjack at the Hard Rock casino in Las Vegas. What we know is this: Affleck was playing blackjack (or “21”) in the high limits room at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. After a time was told he was “too good” at the game, and while he was advised that he was welcome to play any other games in the house, he was not no longer welcome to play blackjack.
In fact, Affleck played so much blackjack that he actually became an astute card counter, even being asked to leave the tables at Vegas’ Hard Rock Casino due to his skills. But as we’ve discussed before, Affleck’s blackjack skills drew the ire of Garner, causing an explosive argument afterward.
Celebrity gossip site PerezHilton.com validates the rumors that Garner and Affleck feuded over his blackjack play. Here’s an excerpt from the site:
One source connected with Garner claims that Ben’s drinking and gambling has become a problem with his wife and she hit a breaking point. Apparently, both the drinking and gambling had increased over the last few years and Jennifer “couldn’t take it anymore.” Though we’re not sure if this is true, we do know that Ben loves to gamble.
Another source backs up this theory, saying that the couple wanted to live their own separate lives in different ways. Going further, Affleck wasn’t partying or sleeping with other women; but his gambling penchant and drinking was just too much for Garner.
Now that both are single, it’s a wonder if Affleck will be spotted at more casinos around the U.S. He was sighted in casinos everywhere from Las Vegas to Detroit, trying his hand at card counting along the way. Additionally, Affleck has been living out of hotels for the past 10 months, making it easier for him to frequent different casinos around America.
However, this lifestyle may be coming to a halt. In hopes of taking better care of their three kids – Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel – Affleck and Garner will both live in their Brentwood home together, with Affleck staying in a separate house on the property so that he’s close to the three children. Here’s one more anonymous source that spoke to PerezHilton regarding the divorce situation:
“They don’t want this to be War of the Roses. They want it to be simple and this takes the drama out of it. It is important for them to keep this nice and efficient for the sake of their family.”
May 26, 2014
From Ben Affleck to Terrance Watanabe, the blackjack scene is peppered with epic fails from those who are stupid enough to get caught counting, to those making big bets while drunk. We’re going to show you some of the epic fails from blackjack history.
Unlike games like roulette or craps, blackjack is a game which can be played to skew the odds in your favor if you have smart strategies or cryptic card counting skills.
However, sometimes it can backfire, check out these guys who have certainly added themselves to the blackjack hall of fails.
Ben Affleck and his card counting scandal
Card counters are a dime a dozen, and it’s universal knowledge that casinos don’t like advantage players who win at blackjack all the time and clean out the casinos, which is why a big part of playing blackjack well is fooling the casino.
But card counting and getting caught can be a little tricky if you’re a high-profile player like Ben Affleck.
Rather than being the biggest loser, Ben Affleck played blackjack far too well, and got a lifetime ban from the blackjack table at the Hard Rock Casino.
Counting cards might not be illegal, but casinos don’t like to lose.
Ben might not be a loser in blackjack, but as you can see, it’s possible to fail the game by playing it too well.
Fraudulent losses
Unlike Ben Affleck, Omar Siddiqui, an executive at an electronics company definitely put the loser in the blackjack fail list.
Siddiqui was a successful chap for a while, with a nice salary and a good job. However, he soon discovered what it felt like to win a blackjack game and got hooked.
However, it looks like Siddiqui’s initial wins were just down to beginner’s luck, since he lost a total of $65 million at blackjack.
How do you lose $65 million at blackjack? Easy, if you bet $200,000 a hand without strategy and card counting. We’re willing to bet the casinos loved this guy.
To make matters worse, Omar Siddiqui’s bankroll came from a skimming fraud, which landed him in prison with a sentence of up to 40 years.
The biggest loser
Terrance Watanabe certainly became a household name on the Las Vegas gambling scene after a yearlong gambling binge that resulted in $127 million losses.
Worst blackjack mistakes a player can make:
• Believing blackjack is all about luck. Blackjack is not about luck and you can make the odds swing in your favor if you employ basic strategy.
• Using a progressive betting system. This doesn’t change the casinos edge one bit, and just means you’ll lose more money.
• Playing when tired or intoxicated. As we could see from the above examples, playing blackjack when you’re not in top form could lose you a ton of money.
• Playing a single-deck game that pays 6-5. These games increases the house edge by 1.4%, which means the game is not in your favor.
Watanabe took a trip to Las Vegas in 2007, and then never left. He became addicted to the high-roller life and his fortune slipped through his fingers over time.
He sometimes lost as much as $5 million a day, gambling 24 hours straight and played three $50,000 hands of blackjack all atonce.
His intoxicated games of blackjack at the casino are more tragic than funny, and he is credited with one of the biggest losing streaks in Vegas’ history.
Watanabe was said to be plied with alcohol and prescription drugs by the casino, and has been charged with four felony counts for refusing to pay up the final $14 million he owed the casino, and also could face 28 years in prison.
Ben Affleck Filmographie
His story should be one of caution to all blackjack players out there not to drink and gamble. Watanabe consumed two to three vodka bottles a day, taking problem gambling to another level.
The drunken gambler
Watanabe’s story of intoxicated gambling is not the only occasion in casino history. A California man is suing a Las Vegas casino after having lost $500,000 at blackjack while drunk.
Over the Super Bowl weekend, Mark A. Johnston is refusing to pay the large debt he owes to Downtown Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, claiming that the casino served him so much alcohol that he suffered a blackout.
The newly opened casino has refused to comment on the matter, but Johnston claims it’s not a matter of being a sore loser.
“I’ve lost half a million. I’ve lost 800,000. I’ve lost a lot of money. This has nothing to do with that,” he said, ”Obviously I can afford what I lost.”
It looks like Johnston’s blackjack fail of half a million has more anger rooted in the principle then actually losing money.
”This is about you almost killing me,” he says angry to the casino, “What if I had gone to bed that night, with all those drinks in me, and I threw up on myself and I choked and died?”
As you can see, there is more than one way to fail at blackjack. Do you have any blackjack fails to share with blackjackchamp.com?
Ben Affleck Blackjack
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