If you ask this man - with a larger-than-life personality - how he attacks the game of poker, he'll tell you, "I am not afraid to put my money out there, and sometimes you just need to let players know who is the boss." If you want to mess with Amir Vahedi, it's going to cost you. Vahedi is a 44-year-old native of Iran who resides in Southern California and began playing poker in 1997. Ben Affleck commissioned Vahedi to tutor him in poker, and flew him by private plane to Affleck's home.

In only five years, Vahedi has made the final table in 65 of the major poker tournaments in which he has played, and has collected 79 cash prizes. He's gone heads up in 22 of those events and has won 17 titles. His most recent win was at the 2005 Ultimate Poker Challenge at the Plaza in Las Vegas. He also won a World Series of Poker bracelet in the 2003 $1,500 no-limit hold'em event.