Molly Bloom became famous for running a string of high-stakes poker games for Hollywood’s A-list. It was an enviable life that saw her run deep with some of the famous stars on the planet. But it was also a life that led her to getting arrested as part of an investigation into an illegal big-money poker ring.
Bloom is scheduled to take the witness stand next year, but before she does so, the woman known as the “poker madam” is prepared to blow the lid on what went on in those secret high-stakes poker games that included the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Matt Damon. It’s supposed to be a damning tell-all of a memoir that should give these celebrities enough reason to get sweaty knowing that some of their biggest betting secrets could be revealed for all the world to see.
According to the Daily Mail, Bloom’s got some pretty interesting stories to share like a supposed clear tell from Maguire when he has a good hand or confirmation on a long-standing rumor that Matt Damon once lost close to $25,000 in a single game of poker. All that – and more potentially embarrassing revelations – are supposedly in play if Bloom’s memoir hits bookshelves before the end of the year.
The timing and motive, however, are a little curious. Unless there’s something that Bloom knows about these celebrities that they’d want to keep on the down low, we’re not sure exactly what she stands to gain by outing their supposed dirty little poker secrets to the public. If anything, she’s got more important things to worry about like doing everything she can to clear her name in light of facing bookmaking charges from all those poker games.
Those games were supposed to be tight-lipped and out of the all-consuming eye of the public. It appeared that the set-up was being run carefully from the start, but all that changed when one of the regular players – banker Bradley Ruderman – was convicted of fraud for running a Ponzi scheme and using the money from all those unsuspecting investors in those high-stakes poker games.
Bloom cooperated with authorities in the latter’s investigation of the Ruderman case, but that didn’t absolve her from being indicted as part of the New York-based gambling ring run by Russian mobsters that also indicted some pretty influential people, none more so than Hillel ‘Helly’ Nahmad, the son of the billionaire and noted art collector David Nahmad, and infamous Russian crime boss Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov. The younger Nahmad has been accused of operating one of two organized gambling rings that specialized in high-stakes poker games hosted at various locations around New York.
Though those celebrities weren’t implicated in the investigation involving Nahmad, Bloom, and 32 other individuals, it appears that the poker princess is ready to take as many people down with her as she possibly can. Nobody knows how valid these revelations are going to be, but according to Bloom, it should give those involved enough reason to sweat and worry about what the public can find out about there proclivity to play in those high-stakes poker games.
