Multitalented Actor James Woods has a lot to say about online poker in America. Arguably one of the smartest men in Hollywood, he has frequently scored at or above genius level in multiple IQ tests. Very eloquent and always presenting both sides of an argument, he was recently interviewed by Matthew Showell of PokerListings.com. First interviewed by the website in 2006, he was caught signing up for his second event of the 2012 World Series of Poker recently, and chimed in on where online poker has been and where it’s heading. Each was very supportive of legalized online poker in the United States back in 2006, and his attitude has only galvanized since then.

Probably his most powerful statement came when he said, “I think online poker is worth fighting for because it’s good for the country.” He claims that before he got involved in playing poker regularly, he would go to Las Vegas and play “luck” games carelessly. He would either win or lose, and actually said that he is thankful for poker because without it “I’d be a degenerate gambler. A lot of us would.” Once he realized he could use his mind to become better at poker, it made him want to play more, and he claims that once you start thinking like a professional poker player, you think odds, and try to “get your money in good.”This made him play smarter, which made him want to play more.

He also pointed out that he didn’t know of any professional roulette players, but that there are numerous professional poker players, and even more people who enjoy it as a hobby. He also said that he had not been to the dice tables in more than 10 years, always thinking that playing poker smartly actually gives him a chance to win as opposed to games of luck. Woods actually had a large stake in the now defunct online poker room Hollywood Poker, and said that on Black Friday in 2011 when the Department of Justice in the United States shut down the four biggest online poker players in the US, he and his Hollywood Poker partners closed their doors instantly.

Woods said that he would never attempt to break the law, and after talking to their lawyers, they decided if the DOJ outlawed online poker rooms here in the United States, they would be happy to abide by the law. However, he agrees with professional players like Annie Duke, who gave an intelligent discourse on poker as a skilled contest to the Senate. He is excited now that the DOJ has decided to allow each individual state to pursue its own online poker future, and in the meantime, there are multiple legal USA friendly online poker rooms to keep the action going.

Woods has been a fixture at World Series of poker events in Las Vegas, and is a consistent and frequent player online as well. James Woods would not reveal his secret online poker identity, as he says people come gunning for him once they know who he is. He went on to state that, outside of his family, career and golf, he has had “more fun playing poker than anything else I’ve ever done.” A pretty lofty statement for a guy who has a high school named after him on the animated comedy The Family Guy. Already honored by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Woods proves online poker can be a safe and enjoyable outlet for responsible adults, and here’s hoping more respected celebrities come forward with their online poker endorsements in the future.