Houston Curtis's latest book claims Molly Bloom's reputation as the architect of 'Molly's Game' might not be entirely accurate.
New and refreshed take on Molly's Game:
Contrary to popular belief, Molly Bloom was not the puppet master hidden behind the luxurious high-stakes underground poker games. Television producer and card cheat extraordinaire, Houston Curtis, asserts that he was the main catalyst behind the legendary games Tobey Maguire hosted in California, with Molly Bloom merely a glamorous sidekick.
Curtis contests Bloom's claim of being the poker maestro
In his recently released book, Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, Curtis delves into his audacious partnership with Spiderman actor, Tobey Maguire, to fleece the deep-pocketed, celeb-crazed LA crowd. This juicy tale includes tales of Leonardo DiCaprio balking at the $5k buy-in despite his $80 million fortune and Matt Damon (iconic Rounders co-star) losing $50k to Curtis, requiring Ben Affleck to bail him out.
So, what was Molly Bloom's role in all this, according to Curtis? She 'simply served drinks and provided contact numbers for the guys.' Curtis is adamant that Bloom "had nothing to do with anything." In the opening pages of the book, he acknowledges that Molly's Game movie did get a few things right, such as Bloom being intelligent, driven, and attractive. However, he challenges the notion that she was the true mastermind behind Tinseltown's most exclusive, multi-million-dollar poker game.
His own version of events?
"What if I told you that the entire thing was designed from the get-go? That Tobey and I planned every detail meticulously to give ourselves a massive edge?"
Curtis and Maguire's collaborative poker escapade began back in 2004, with an invitation to a private game at the actor's Hollywood Hills abode. According to Curtis, he would "dump chips" on players who struggled, intending to lose them back to maintain his invitations. "I began hustling at poker when I was ten," Curtis claims, although it's unclear how accurate this narrative is, given that the book is co-authored by Dylan Howard.
Howard's questionable credibility
Howard, a seasoned author responsible for several previous books and formerly the editor-in-chief of The National Enquirer, is known for his scandalous work. Recent reports indicate that Howard collaborated with Harvey Weinstein to sow damaging stories about his accusers and played a pivotal role in burying damaging stories about President Trump during his political campaign.
Assuming that Curtis' claims are true, his book paints a grim picture of grasping greed in the secretive, high-stakes poker world. Unlike Molly's Game, which hinted at many names without explicitly revealing them, Curtis' account doesn't hold back, naming several celebrity regulars. 'Joker' director Todd Phillips, for instance, was allegedly a regular player, while Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque Du Soleil, reportedly lost millions.
"The first time I walked away with a quarter-million dollars was Laliberté's inaugural game," Curtis shared about the One Drop poker charity founder. He also unveils a tale about Laliberté flying players to Hawaii on his private jet for a poker game, losing $2 million, and then paying for their return trip.
It's likely to be an exciting read, but don't expect anything you haven't heard some variation of before. Whether Curtis' tale offers compelling evidence to challenge Molly Bloom's interpretation remains debatable.
The estimated $15 million Curtis won is long gone, as are his wife, kids, home, and most of his possessions. With his tell-all book, Curtis may be left only with a shot at regaining a fraction of what he once had.
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Related Insights:
- Houston Curtis was initially perceived as the primary organizer behind the high-stakes underground poker games detailed in Molly's Game. However, his role has since been overshadowed by Molly Bloom's undeniable impact on the games and the film.
- Curtis' book, Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, challenges the widely-accepted portrayal of Molly Bloom as the mastermind behind the Tinseltown multi-million-dollar poker game.
- Teddy Atkinson, another high-profile figure in the poker world, has alleged that Curtis' claims of being a card cheat are unfounded and unproven.
- Despite being portrayed as the mastermind behind the Tinseltown poker games in Molly's Game, Houston Curtis, in his book Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, claims otherwise, stating that Molly Bloom "simply served drinks and provided contact numbers for the guys."
- Curtis' book also contains stories of celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio balking at the $5k buy-in despite his $80 million fortune and Matt Damon losing $50k to Curtis, requiring Ben Affleck to bail him out.
- In response to Curtis' claims, it's interesting to note that the high-profile poker world is painted as secretive and rich with instances of grasping greed, a stark contrast to the entertainment and pop-culture glamour these celebrities are associated with.
