For over 50 years celebrities – and we’re talking not just C-listers but those at the very zenith of Hollywood society – have been in love with the game of poker.

In the past many have proved themselves useless, indulging their passion more in fun than seriousness, but these days film stars such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Tobey Maguire and Mimi Rogers are competing at the highest level. They have found they can hold their own, not just in televised games such as Celebrity Poker Showdown, but even among the world’s top players in Los Angeles-based pro/am tournaments.

The game has come a long way since film stars over several generations met up in home games more to get drunk, compare bankrolls and escape the wife or lover for a few hours than to play serious poker.

Walter Matthau used to hold a weekly home game but would spend more time listening to the night’s big baseball game on the radio – upon which he invariably had a massive bet – than concentrating on the cards.