Ben Affleck Busted, Banned From Blackjack At Hard Rock Hotel And Casino
Ben Affleck may be a slicker operator on the big screen, but apparently in Vegas, the actor has been caught counting cards and subsequently banned for life from playing blackjack at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, according to Variety.
Affleck, who has played in the World Series of Poker with fellow actor and celebrity Matt Damon, was allegedly told he was “too good” at the game by the hotel’s security after being watched on camera. TMZ reported the story first, noting that Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner are in Vegas for a vacation before he heads off to Detroit to begin filming the new Batman vs. Superman movie.
The ban reportedly happened on Tuesday night, after Affleck was escorted from the Hard Rock and a car service was brought in to take him back to his hotel.
Card counting, which isn’t technically illegal but can easily result in a ban from a casino much like Ben Affleck was, is considered a form of “advantage play,” in which players attempt to use mathematics to reduce the casino’s house edge over players. Card counting is most commonly seen in blackjack, the game which Affleck has, in the past, benefited from in the amount of $800,000, also from the Hard Rock Hotel.
While the casino claims to have video of Ben counting cards, it’s unclear just what tipped the casino off, since it could have been anything from a tell to Affleck’s betting pattern.
A source told CNN that the ban is only for blackjack and that Affleck was told he could still play other games in the casino. On the other hand, TMZ reports that the blackjack ban is for life.
Ben Affleck saw the internet burst into flames last year when news of his casting in Batman vs Superman hit the web. Despite producers insisting that Affleck was a great casting choice, over 97,000 fans eventually signed a Change.org petition attempting to get the actor removed from the role.
The film, which is being directed by Zack Snyder, will bring together a new Batman cast including Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg, and Lawrence Fishburne with the cast of Man of Steel, which Snyder also directed.
The film was first announced at San Diego Comic Con 2013 in Hall H, when Snyder brought out actor Harry Lennix to recite some lines from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. However, as Snyder mentions, the quote was only used for publicity and the film will not be based upon the graphic novel.
