Let's face it, over the recent years poker has become a phenomenon driving people crazy all over the world. On top of traditional poker played at Brick and Mortar gaming venues, online poker has become tremendously popular as well. Many poker enthusiasts would tell you that poker is not just a game of luck, but a real sport requiring its followers to develop certain intellectual skills and capacities. So, it is no wonder that a wide variety of famous celebrities, Hollywood actors, world class super models and notable sportsmen alike, have gladly embraced this game as well. We believe that the game of poker is not only very exciting, but is also highly glamorous and challenging. And, celebs are always attracted to glamor and challenge, or aren't they?

Daniel Craig- 38-year-old Daniel Wroughton Craig was born in Chester, England. At the age of sixteen, Craig and his family moved to London and, there, he joined the National Youth Theater. In 1991, Craig graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Craig took part in a wide variety of productions, the most notable of which are 'Road to Perdition' (2002), 'Sylvia' (2003) and 'Munich' (2005). However, this talented actor received the most extensive media exposure thanks to his role as the handsome ans suave secret agent 007 in the recently released Bond flick, 'Casino Royale.' This time Bond is required to participate in a high stakes Texas Hold 'em game and must prevent an international terrorist from carrying out his evil schemes. To make his card play seem authentic, Craig had to practice his poker skills for many long hours. Although there was a huge controversy regarding Craig's casting as Bond, the film gained tremendous appreciation from Bond fans and critics alike.

Paris Hilton- Paris Whitney Hilton was born in New York, U.S. in 1981. She is the daughter of the tremendously rich owner of Hilton Hotel fortune, Richard Hilton. Hilton has already played many roles in her relatively short life. And, we do not mean television or movies. The young heiress is a singer, an actress, a model and an author. It seems that Paris is insatiable and she is indeed willing to take in willing to take in everything that Hollywood has to provide. Despite her versatile activities, Hilton caught the greatest public attention after an ex-boyfriend of hers publicized an unauthorized sex tape capturing them both making love. Exactly as other famous socialites, she visits gambling venues on a regular basis and can frequently be spotted playing high stakes poker against prominent poker wizards. It seems that as long as poker stays the celeb elite favorite, Paris will stick to it gladly.

Cameron Diaz- Born in San Diego, California, the popular actress attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School. She was nicknamed 'Skeletor' by her classmates, probably for being thin. Diaz started her career at the age of 16 as a fashion model. She signed a contract with Elite Model, an industry-leading modeling agency. After she graduated high school her modeling career took her all the way to Japan. At the age of 21, having no acting experience or professional preparation she managed to nab a leading role as Tina Carlyle in 'The Mask,' opposite Jim Carrey. She is also known for her interesting roles in 'Charlie's Angels' (2000), 'Being John Malkovich' (1999) and the voice of princess Fiona in 'Shrek' (2001). On various occasions, Cameron Diaz admitted that poker was her obsession. Diaz also confessed that it was talk show host Ellen Degeneres who introduced her to the game for the first time.

Leonardo DiCaprio- Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1974. DiCaprio was allegedly named after the legendary painter Lionardo daVinci. His parents split when DiCaprio was only one year old. The actor attended John Marshall High School located in LA. Early in his career, he was turned down by a certain talent agent because he thought DiCaprio's name sounded to Italian. In 1989, he received his first acting role as Garry Buckman on the TV version of 'Parenthood.' Although he participated in several soap operas, such as Santa Barbara, he gained wide acknowledgment thanks to his appearances in motion pictures. In 1993, he successfully portrayed a mentally retarded boy in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape.' And, he was simply unforgettable as Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997). The film scooped eleven Academy Awards. In Titanic, DiCaprio got his ticket to the 'Unsinkable' after winning a poker game. The actor probably liked the game so much that until this very day he plays poker in Las Vegas casinos on a regular basis. Over the years, his playing techniques have gained the appreciation of the most prominent poker players, such as Doyle Brunson.

Jason Alexander- Jason Scott Greenspan was born in Livingston, New Jersey in 1959. In 1977, he graduated from Livingston High School. Alexander attended Boston University, but abandoned studies before receiving his degree. The prominent actor started his acting career in New York City. He appeared in several Broadway shows, such as 'Merrily We Roll Along' and 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Accomplice.' He has won several awards for his roles in these shows. In 1989, Alexander received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in Jerome Robbins' Broadway. Nevertheless, Alexander is best known for his comical role in the award-wining sitcom 'Seinfeld,' in which he portrayed Jerry Seinfeld's self-involved best friend George Costanza. The actor also had several brief appearances in motion pictures, such as 'Shallow Hall' and 'Pretty Woman.' He is married and has two sons. Over the years, Alexander has repeatedly displayed his affection for poker. He became a great addition to 'Celebrity Poker Showdown.' Although Jason Alexander is not considered a poker pro, he always brings a good laugh to whichever table he joins.

Brad Pitt- William Bradley Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1963. Pitt and his brother and sister were raised in Springfield, Missouri. The future actor attended the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, but never graduated. In 1986, he left his hometown to try his luck in dreamy city of Hollywood. Among Pitt's first debuts was his role as Chris in then-popular soap opera 'Another World.' He also had several roles in prime time shows like '21 Jump Street' and 'Freddy's Nightmares.' He nabbed his first relatively big role in 1988 in the movie 'Dark Side of the Sun.' In 1994, Pitt received a rather spine-tingling role of suave vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in 'Interview With the Vampire' opposite such stars as Tom Cruise and Antonio Banderas. Another important role that landed him great fame was of an Austrian mountaineer in 'Seven Years In Tibet.' In 2001, Pitt participated in popular Hollywood movie 'Ocean's Eleven' and, in 2004, portrayed the character of Achilles in the historical epic 'Troy.' Pitt is also known for his scandalous divorce from 'Friends' actress Jennifer Aniston and his not less scandalous marriage to fellow actress Angelina Jolie whom he met on the set of 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith.' It was in 'Ocean's Eleven' and its sequels, 'Ocean's Twelve' and 'Ocean's Thirteen,' that we saw Pitt playing poker for the first time. In 'Ocean's Eleven,' the character played by Pitt meets his friend Danny Ocean, portrayed by George Clooney, when Pitt is teaching others how to play poker.

George Clooney- George Timothy Clooney was born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1961. Clooney started his acting career in Los Angeles. The prominent actor first achieved recognition as Dr. Doug Ross in the NBC daytime drama 'ER.' After 'ER,' Clooney's career skyrocketed as he participated in a wide variety of Hollywood hits. His first major role was in 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (1996). In 1997, he participated in 'The Peacemaker.' He did popular Batman sequel, 'Batman and Robin' the same year. In 1999, Clooney decided to leave 'ER' for good to pursue his movie-career. In 2001, he did 'Ocean's Eleven' where he portrayed paroled con artist Danny Ocean seeking to rob Las Vegas casinos. 'Ocean's Eleven' had a sequel, 'Ocean's Twelve' (2004). Clooney also had guest appearances in cult sitcoms, like 'Friends' and 'Roseanne.' In 2006, the Academy Awards nominated Clooney for Achievement in Directing and Original Screenplay for 'Good Night, and Good Luck," and Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role for 'Syriana.' Clooney is first seen having to do with poker in 'Ocean's Eleven.' Nevertheless, the poker fans among us are for an even more special treat in the planned sequel 'Ocean's Thirteen' (to be released in 2007), which is being composed by the same scriptwriters who wrote 'Rounders,' a popular poker flick.

Ben Affleck- Benjamin Geza Affleck-Boldt was born in Berkeley, California, in 1972. Affleck was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and attended the University of Vermont. Affleck started his movie career a a child actor in the PBS youth series 'The Voyage of the Mimi.' Afterwards followed a series of movies made for television. In 1992, he had a notable role in 'School Ties.' In 1993, he dis 'Dazed and Confused'. His 1995 appearance in 'Mallrats' was the beginning of his fruitful cooperation with director Kevin Smith. Aflleck achieved national recognition for his role in 'Good Will Hunting' (1997), for which he received the Best Original Screenplay Oscar award. In the early 200s, Affleck was offered starring roles in a selection of acknowledged movies, such as 'Armageddon,' 'Pearl Harbor' and 'Daredevil.' This success was followed by several unfavorable reviewed movies, 'Surviving Christmas' (2004) among them. The talented actor made a sort of a comeback with the 2006 release of 'Hollywoodland,' for which he received the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. Affleck is currently married to fellow actress Jennifer Garner. Over the recent years, Aflleck has managed to develop a rather successful poker-playing career. His first poker teacher was prominent poker professional Amir Vahedy. He later sought the assistance of female poker wizard Annie Duke. Under her guidance he improved his play and even nabbed the first place prize 2004 California State Poker Championship.

Ellen DeGeneres- 48-year-old Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born in Metairie, Louisiana. She attended the University of New Orleans where she studied communications, but left the institution after one semester. DeGeneres started her career as a stand-up comedian in a local comedy club in New Orleans. She traveled across the US and, in 1982, cable Channel Showtime picked her as the funniest woman in America. DeGeneres then participated in several comedy programs. Her first appearance on the then-popular Tonight Show took place in 1986. She happened to be the first woman interviewed by the show's host Johny Carson on her first visit. Later on, DeGeneres has also appeared in two HBO stand-up specials: 'Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning' (2000) and 'Elen DeGeneres: Here and Now' (2003). DeGeneres gained her first national attention when she took the leading role in 1994 ABC sitcom, called 'Ellen.' Especially popular was the episode entitled "The Puppy Episode' in which both DeGeneres and her character publicly confessed that she was a lesbian. In 2001, DeGeneres was once again offered the leading role in a sitcom, 'The Ellen Show,' this time on SBS. However, this second attempt failed, exactly as the first one, and was canceled after one season only. DeGeneres received major exposure as the hostess of the 2001 Emmy Awards-TV show. In September, 2006, the successful comedian was chosen to host next year's Academy Awards ceremony. In her private life, DeGeneres turned out to be a rather good poker player. She can frequently be spotted honing her poker skills at Las Vegas Tables. In addition, actress Cameron Diaz credits DeGeneres with introducing her to poker.