Tobey Maguire Poker Story Posted Feb 13, 2023
If you have watched the Spider-Man movie, you may know Tobey Maguire is the main character. What you may be unfamiliar with is that he had a successful poker career before hell broke loose. It is unclear if Maguire's poker skill was natural. But as any experienced poker player would tell you, poker games involve big wins and stakes. The higher they go, the sweeter the game, even if you play casino online for real money.
According to Houston Curtis, the author of Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist book, he and Tobey Maguire devised a plan. They organised private high stake poker games to profit from A-list Hollywood celebrities. Molly Bloom was their hostess, while Tobey was the chief host. In her book, 'Molly's Game', also seconds parts in Curtis' story about the Spider-Man star. Let's look at Maguire's underground success and how the poker games unfolded.
Tobey Maguire's Poker Skills
Between 2002 and 2007, Tobey Maguire was at the peak of his acting career. He was making millions from the spider man movie but wanted more success. So he took up playing the cards and became successful on the felt.
Maguire won most of the poker games he played in regulated casinos. He was lucky to beat big names and make massive cashes in 2004. His wealth shot up, but he wasn't ready to leave the tables yet.
Tobey Maguire Poker Game Parties
In 2005, Tobey Maguire met Houston Curtis, a former MTV network executive and currently the co-founder of the Outlaw Media Group. The two, plus Molly, started organising high-stakes poker games. Tuesdays were the big evenings for the parties, and everything was going according to plan.
At first, Maguire hosted the games at home before moving them to private hotel suites in LA. The Viper Room nightclub and the Beverly Hills Four Seasons are locales the game took place often. He invited Hollywood celebrities to play stakes of between $200 and $400 behind closed doors. Investors and wealthy business people wishing to gain fame also used to show up for the games. Some regulars were:
- Ben Affleck,
- Dan Bilzerian,
- Leonardo DiCaprio,
- Matt Damon.
Occasional gamblers were unwelcome to visiting the private poker games. The stakes were high on some evenings. A person winning $20,000 felt like a loss. Leonardo acted as bait to lure rich players. There were nights a person could lose fortunes in less than an hour.
Tobey Maguire Poker Games
Unlike most visitors who attended the games to have fun, Maguire and his friends, Curtis and Molly, meant business. There was no cheating to be accused of, but it was apparent the game's design was to win as much as possible from the well-bankrolled players.
The Spider-Man star was the mastermind of the game nights. He was also more skilled than any other poker player at the tables. Curtis's work was to dump chips on the table for celebrities, but he also played. He didn't have much success in the game, but his core job enabled Maguire to leverage his poker skill.
Tobey Maguire and Molly's Game
Molly Bloom was part of the Tobey Maguire poker game plans every step of the way. Her main task was to make players feel comfortable. She served drinks, often getting tips for a job well done.
According to Molly’s game story, Maguire wasn't your typical poker player. Although the two were partners, he was an evil tactical character. He used powerful flattering skills to play poker and gain an edge over other players at the tables.
Molly describes Maguire as selfish after he bought Curtis’s six-figure debt under tight terms. Curtis was responsible for further losses and gave up half of his win to Tobey to settle the debt.
At some point, a battle for supremacy emerged after Molly Bloom started making more money from rakes. Tobey had used untasteful words on her before cutting off their partnership. A similar incident also occurred before she left. Maguire got a player to fold in another incident, thinking he had the winning hand.
Tobey Maguire Lawsuit
Tobey Maguire's events attracted many high-profile gamblers from all over the world. High stakes were the order of the nights.
Besides the regulars like Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio, company managers lost stakes worth millions. It is alleged that billionaire Gay Lalibert lost over $2 million. And as you can guess, some of the cash was going to the Superman actor.
The success lasted only a short time before Maguire's private venue suffered a considerable blow. A private lawsuit emerged from a group of unhappy rich celebrities who had lost a game. One of the regulars had defrauded other players millions. The good news is that he was later convicted.
Not long after that, the FBI searched for one of the investors involved in a $25 million fraud. Maguire was later sued by a bunch of players for a $300,000 case, which he settled for $80,000, which crumbled operations at the private events.
Tobey Maguire Poker Stats
Over the years, Tobey managed to set standards in gaming venues. His efforts helped amass infinite bankrolls from unsuspecting celebrities and investors. This could be why they differed with Molly over the events' operations and later parted ways.
It is challenging to verify how much Maguire made from gambling, considering most private poker events don't keep records. But again, he boasts winnings of over $223,645 in the game at regulated casinos.
Deeper details about Tobey Maguire, Molly Bloom, and Leonardo DiCaprio can only be found in the movie or book. The juicy scenes about the high stake poker games excite any person who loves drama stories. Consider checking out the film or, better still, reading the book to get the complete picture of the secret game.
According to past reports, Curtis once said Maguire could have made close to $40 million in the four years he played the game. The star is even reluctant to take up new movie roles. Let’s hope one day Tobey Maguire comes out to clear the air about his gambling life and the Molly's Game story.