A new chapter in poker history was written tonight at Commerce Casino when, for the first time, a major open tournament was won by a film celebrity. Playing a very strong game, relaxed and obviously enjoying himself immensely, actor Ben Affleck took down the championship event of 2004 California State Poker Championship, $9,900 $100 no-limit hold’em, winning $356,400 and a $25,000 seat in next April’s Bellagio/WPT championship event.

His final opponent was journeyman pro Stan Goldstein. Finishing third was another show business figure, film/TV producer Chuck Pacheco, who finished 41st in this year’s WSOP championship. Between them, Affleck and Pacheco (and sweater Toby Maguire) attracted probably the largest entourage for any poker tournament.

In a brief speech, Affleck said he got lucky and complimented Goldstein as a great player. Afterwards, he said he was also pleased that he didn’t win by just sucking out and showed he wasn’t a “complete donkey.” He indeed had the best hands when he knocked out Pacheco (5-5 vs. Ac-Qc) and Goldstein (J-J vs. Ad-10d).

Affleck is an avid student of the game who paid tribute to such players as Annie Duke, Antonio Esfandiari, Allen Cunningham and Gabe Kaplan for tutoring him. He said he also learned something tonight from Goldstein, who once outplayed him and forced him to fold when they both held the same hand: K-J. Affleck plays mainly side games, preferring $25-$50 blind no-limit.

Tonight’s championship final table provided plenty of drama, with the lead changing hands many times.

After starting with 90 players on day one and 38 on day two, the championship event got down to the final table of nine with Stan Goldstein holding the chip lead with $235,500 and Ty Nguyen close behind with $218,800. Play continued with blinds of $1,000-$2,000, antes of $300 and 42:21 left. On the first hand, shortest-stack Raymond Davis went all in with A-K to Goldstein’s pocket 8s. A river 10c gave Davis a miracle straight, the same lucky river card that paired and saved him from finishing 10th the night before.

Amir Vahedi dropped more than 50k two hands later when his A-K lost to Pacheco’s J-J. Down to 20k, he busted out on the next hand. He re-raised all in with As-10s and Ty Nguyen, with K-K, flopped quads.

When blinds went to $1,500-$3,000 with $500 antes, Nguyen, a young pro, had taken the lead with about 255k. On hand 23, John Esposito, a pro sports bettor who has a 1999 World Series bracelet for $2,500 limit hold’em, moved in when a flop of 8-5-2 gave him a set of 5s. Pogos Simityan called for 25k with 9-9 and finished eighth.

Davis moved in for the fifth and last time, this time with the lucky 10c (Kc-10c) in his hand. He wasn’t so lucky when he ran into Affleck’s pocket aces and finished seventh. On hand 67, a major pot gave Affleck the lead for the first of several times. A flop of Q-7-6 gave him a set of 7s. He bet 20k, Nguyen, with A-Q, hit it for 30k more. Affleck moved in for 64.5k and suddenly had about 230k after Nguyen called and lost.

Affleck was wearing a cap and shirt with “big slick” logos. When asked, he said someone gave it to him. “Rich movie stars get everything free,” Pacheco cracked.

When blinds went to $2,000-$4,000, the approximate chip count was: Affleck, 245k; Jimmy Tran, 215k; Pacheco, 150k; Esposito, 135k; Goldstein, 80k; Nguyen, 70k.

Nguyen, dropping steadily from his one-time chip lead, was down to about 42k when he called Esposito’s re-raise and went all in. He had K-J to Esposito’s A-Q and busted out. Goldstein, with pocket treys, said he knew Esposito had a good read on Nguyen and would have come over the top to get heads-up, but didn’t have enough chips to do so.

By the 7 p.m. dinner break, Tran had taken the lead from Affleck, but all five players had plenty of chips. Then Esposito made a small trap raise of 15k. with pocket aces. Pacheco re-raised with pocket 10s and Esposito gladly called all in with A-A. But a 10 flopped, Esposito finished fifth and now Pacheco had the lead with about 330k.

Suddenly action heated up as players began catching cards. On hand 130, with $1,000 antes and $3,000-$6,000 blinds, Goldstein raised to 34k with K-Q and Tran moved in with Q-Q for about 80k. Goldstein got lucky when a king flopped, and the field was down to three. Pacheco had 355k to 325 for Goldstein and 220k for Affleck.

The affable actor/writer/producer/director then put a big hit on Pacheco when his J-J held up against A-K. He led again with about 325k, then won the next pot and had close to 400k. Then Goldstein re-took the lead with two pair against Pacheco. Finally, Pacheco moved in with Ac-Qc. “Gotta call you,” said Affleck. His 5-5 held up, Pacheco was out and Affleck once again led, this time with 512k to 388k for Goldstein.

“I like it that you’re showing respect,” Affleck jested as heads-up play continued. “I was afraid you thought you could just take it from me.” “You’ve got respect,” Goldstein assured him.

Respect turned to submission on the last hand when Affleck bet 30k with Ad-10d into a flop of 10-6-3, Goldstein raised 30k and Affleck moved him in holding pocket jacks. An 8 and 4 came, and the young matinee idol was the 2004 Cal State champion.

Like nosy bystanders at the scene of an accident or an annoying poltergeist who really should be heading into the light, Jersey Girl is all about moving on. Just not in any of those ways and not only in terms of what you see on screen. Behind the scenes, too, this sweet and funny drama signifies a big step for director Kevin Smith and his loyal leading man Ben Affleck.

For Smith this movie represents his intention to break away from the wacky, geeky stoner world he created for Clerks and stuck with right through to his last movie, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Fantasy is out; movie and comic book trivia, seriously curtailed.

With 10 years as a filmmaker under his ample belt, Kevin Smith is ready for depth and emotion: something with a bit more heart. That doesn’t man he’s getting all mushy on us – far from it. There are still plenty of jokes and fan-boy references to Star Wars and the like. It’s just that, for Jersey Girl, he finally created characters we not only like but actually care about too.

For Affleck the film marks his return to the land of the living after the tiresome exposure of his romance with Jennifer Lopez. It was Smith who introduced the two, Smith who set them on the path that led to Gigli and heartbreak, and now Smith who gives his old mate the opportunity to spread himself as an actor and return to the public’s good graces. There’s no avoiding the fact that Lopez is in the movie but, the good news is, she dies 10 minutes in and, from that moment on you can begin the pleasant business of forgetting all about her.

Jersey Girl opens with hotshot music publicist Ollie (Affleck) wining, dining, marrying and impregnating the girl of his dreams (Lopez). The fairy tale ends there when she dies in childbirth, leaving Ollie alone with a beautiful baby girl he has no idea how to care for.

Within a month the pressures of his upturned life see Ollie fired from his dream job and forced to move away from Manhattan to live with his dad (George Carlin) in an underwhelming suburb of New Jersey. Seven years later he’s stuck in a rut, madly in love with precocious daughter Gertie (Raquel Castro), but still grieving for his wife and trapped in a menial job, obsessed with returning to the Big Apple and his former lifestyle. Though everything he needs to be happy is easily reach in New Jersey, Ollie is unable to let go of his past and unwilling to adapt to his circumstances – not even when he begins the most tenuous of romances with the beautiful, smart, quirky girl (Liv Tyler) who works in his local video store. Slowly they come together, though nothing is certain and everything important remains unsaid. What they do say is cool and casual. But if you look into their eyes, you can see so much more. Important as it is, the romance angle remains secondary to Ollie’s relationship with his cute-as-a-button daughter and boozly-gruff yet wise and disarming father.

An emotional yet unsentimental story that deals with real-life stuff in a very natural way, Jersey Girl is close in style to Chasing Amy, only much more grown up, more involving and ultimately satisfying. Though Affleck gives it his all and is never less than credible, his co-stars regularly steal his thunder. Beloved in the States, potty-mouthed comedian stand-up comic George Carlin does an amazing job with an uncharacteristically complex role. As Gertie newcomer Raquel Castro is so adorable you’ll want to snatch her off the screen and raise her yourself. But it’s luscious Liv Tyler who does the best work – her timing, sensitivity, beauty and all round fearless as an actress combining to consolidate her place on the Hollywood A-list.

This is romance and relationship comedy-drama as only Kevin Smith can do, cleverly understated with lots of big laughs and a genuine affection for it’s characters and their lives. The icing on the cake is that this movie is as accessible for men as it is for women, making it probably the perfect date movie of the year…. 4/5

James Franco: I’ve directed two small budget films this year. One is called The Ape and one is called Fool’s Gold. That’s just kind of been for fun. They’re based on plays I wrote with a partner and I used people from the theater group that were in the play. The nice thing about these two is I financed them and there’s really no pressure to succeed. I don’t need it. I can support myself on the acting and I don’t need this to break in or anything.

Q: Will you take them to festivals?

James Franco: I think so, yeah. But they’re mine, so one is in the editing stage and it’s pretty good. I think we can take it to festivals, The Ape. And then we just wrapped the other one a week ago. If if I don’t like it, I can just shelve them.

Q: Are you acting in them as well?

James Franco: Yeah, yeah.

Q: Is that daunting?

James Franco: No, actually, I was very relaxed. I had a great DP, Dave Klein, he worked on all the early Kevin Smith films, and the editor, Scott Mosier, worked on all the Kevin Smith films and produced them. They’re very experienced guys and I could depend on them. I guess I found it was kind of a way to direct. If I was in the scene with the people, I could kind of direct them by acting with them in a way. So it was a very relaxed set.