Who is Molly Bloom?
How did a skier become a nightmare for the powerful? Molly Bloom was known as the queen of poker, feared by the Hollywood elite.
Molly Bloom is a woman that many feared. Her life took her among actors, mobsters and illegal activities, and after a career as the greatest poker player, a film was made about her life, with Jessica Chastain in the lead role. Molly introduced actor Tobey Maguire to the world of poker by starting to organize card nights at The Viper Room Club, which was then co-owned by Johnny Depp.
Molly Bloom may not have been part of the Hollywood elite, but she made great money on them. At less than 26 years old, Bloom went from being an ordinary assistant to becoming the most prestigious poker player in the world. Producers, bankers, businessmen, actors and singers sat at the table and often lost millions during the evening organized by Molly.
From a successful skier to a queen of poker
Molly Bloom was born in 1978 in Colorado. She was successful in skiing, and once even won third place at the American Championships. Molly’s father is a clinical psychologist and university professor, and her mother and brother also practiced skiing.
As a 12-year-old, Molly was in surgery and gave up skiing after suffering an accident during the Olympic qualifiers. She planned to study law, but before college, she wanted to take a year off. She went to Los Angeles and got a job as an assistant to one of the co-owners of the club 'The Viper Room'.
‘The Viper Room’ was conceived and opened in 1993 by actor Johnny Depp who has always dreamed of a musical career he left for acting. In order to return to his roots in rock music, he invested his energy in a club on the Sunset Strip where famous bands still play today.
Bloom came to the club ten years later and was brought in by majority owner Darin Feinstein. A year later, actor Tobey Maguire approached them with the idea of organizing poker evenings in the basement of the club, and Bloom was in charge of the organization.
An opportunity she didn't want to miss
'When my boss told me I was going to take it over, I googled the rules of poker in confusion, what kind of music poker players love and what they eat. The next day I showed up with a compilation of songs and pieces of cheese. ' she said.
'I went into the room and saw the strongest business people, actors, and politicians. I immediately realized that this is an opportunity that a girl from a small town should not miss, ' said Molly about her beginnings. Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Macaulay Culkin and other stars were playing cards at ‘her’ tables.
When money and greed hit your head
Her happiness did not last long. She soon became addicted to drugs and became involved in the Russian mafia. When she refused to 'protect' the mobsters, she was threatened with death. She was not allowed to go to the police because she was threatened with murder.FBI inspectors soon knocked on her door during an illegal game of poker.
Molly reportedly constantly sought the advice of a lawyer to instruct her if she violated federal laws. She was always told, she said, that the most important thing is ‘not to break the law while breaking the law’, which is shown by the great scene in the film. She was warned that ‘she doesn’t act like she’s in Las Vegas and takes a percentage of the basic role’.
