WARNING: This article contains descriptions of alleged physical violence.
Molly Bloom, the infamous underground poker game madam of the 21st century, is a bona fide poker celebrity. Known as the ‘Poker Princess’, a new interview this week reveals some of the shocking details behind her notorious cash games that welcomed Hollywood superstars and political heavyweights to the table. From the minimum buy-in to a stand-off at gunpoint, Bloom’s latest revelations only bring more of a spotlight of one of poker’s most incredible yet believable tales.
British Entrepreneur Bartlett Breaks New Ground
“He put a gun in my mouth, something that you just never forget.” ~ Molly Bloom
Bloom’s latest revelations about her years running what developed into the biggest underground game in the poker world are nothing new. Over the past few years, the former doyen of the ‘Hollywood’ poker game that welcomed stars such as Spiderman actor Tobey Maguire and Oscar-winning writer and actor Ben Afflleck has confessed plenty of details about the secretive former world she inhabited.
It is only now, however, that she has revealed that the dramatic world she lived in nearly killed her at the barrel of a gun. During a revealing interview with Dragon’s Den businessman and television star Steven Bartlett, the lady behind the movie adaptation entitled Molly’s Game gives more than in previous interviews. She’s open, honest and as a result it makes for a fascinating watch.
“They sent this terrifying guy to my apartment,” she tells Bartlett in the exclusive interview. “[He] put a gun in my mouth, something that you just never forget.”
The terrifying incident came after Bloom amassed a tidy profit from the ‘Hollywood’ game, which ranged between 1% and 5% on each player’s buy-in, which was set at a minimum of $250,000 at its height. According to Bloom, the ‘Mob’ wanted in and called her, telling her to hand over a proportion of the takings. Turning that request down, it wasn’t long before a more persuasive member of the organisation came knocking, and the terrifying ordeal took place.
“He beat the hell out of me and took everything in my safe, including photographs [and] a couple things that I had from my grandmother.” Bloom told Bartlett, as the vivid memory of the attack came back to her.
Bloom said no, and got lucky, as a few days later, the organization’s member was arrested and the attacks stopped. Pretty soon after, the game broke for good and Bloom escaped with her life – and the poker story of a generation – intact.
How Much Money Did Molly Bloom Really Make?
Molly Bloom may not have been a player in the game, but she was making huge money from ‘gifts’ that were given to her by the players invited to the game. These could have been any amount, but as an indication, when Bloom was eventually caught by the government, they ruled that she owed them $1 million in back taxes.
This suggests that bloom’s fortune range from between $4m to $6m. Her net worth today is rumored to be anywhere from $500,000 up to that original lowball amount of $4 million, but this needs to reflect that Bloom’s name was put to something far more valuable than the game, the book and movie rights. These led to the movie being made and millions have read about Bloom’s infamous club due to the billionaires and huge personalities involved. Surely Bloom made a lot more than was reported?
Bloom’s genius has always been told as her ability to attract players to the lucrative cash games that she hosted. But, a little like the Late Night Poker series that aired on Channel 4 in 1990’s Britain, the genius was in the clash of personalities at the felt. In order to make sure this got the action going, Bloom confesses to Bartlett that to make sure she got the mix right, she did background checks into the players “to within an inch of their [lives].”
At the time, Bloom was said to be making around $4 million per year while the games went on. Several years later, the vast majority of that money looks to have survived, even if the game didn’t.
Too Big for the Game
Underground games are unsustainable in the most part. If the games are too small, they can wither and die. If they get too big, they often move and try to upscale their already rich profits. That’s what happened to Bloom. Before she knew it, the games were taking place at the exclusive Plaza Hotel, and that’s where the feds came in.
Some say that Bloom did less of the running of the games than players such as Maguire, but that doesn’t ring true – it was too busy a time for the in-demand actor at the time. If there were millions on the table each time, Bloom was walking away with five figures each night, without ever having to play cards herself.
It was in 2014 that the ‘game’ caught up with Bloom. Pleading guilty to her part in the illegal high-stakes games, Bloom escaped jail, receiving only a big fine in back taxes and was sentenced to probation.
She told Bartlett of the words her sympathetic judge uttered to her in delivering that sentence.
“[He said], ‘Listen, you were running poker games and it seems you’ve done a lot to change your life. I’m not going to sentence you to prison.”
As Bloom herself admits, “It’s hard to adequately express to you how big that moment is.”
You can watch the full exciting interview with Molly Bloom, hosted by Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett right here:
