Nordic Skiing
From professional skier to clandestine gambling entrepreneur. A look at Molly Bloom's professional and human parable, once again making headlines thanks to the success of the film Molly's Game.
Monday 15 November 2021 6 minutes reading time
Molly Bloom was born on April 21, 1978 in the state of Colorado. Larry, the father, is a clinical psychologist who teaches at Colorado Sate University. Her mother Char is a ski and snowboard instructor, who passes on her passion for this sport to her daughter and brother Jeremy.
Molly seems to be a young promise of American skiing: as a girl she earned a place in the national team becoming the number 3 in North America. However, her career as a professional skier came to an abrupt end due to a serious injury that occurred during the qualifications for the 2002 Winter Olympics which were to be held in Salt Lake City.
The disappointment is such that, between the end of high school and the beginning of university, the young woman decides to leave the cold mountains of Colorado to take a gap year in the California sun.
From the ski slopes to the green tables
Molly's parents are unwilling to accept their daughter's transfer. To support herself, Molly starts working as a waitress in some clubs in Los Angeles. At The Viper Room, a club known for being the meeting place of numerous Hollywood celebs, he meets Darin Feinstein, one of the co-owners of the nightclub. He is the one who introduced her to the world of gambling, asking her to organize and manage a series of poker games.
Nowadays it is much easier to get familiar with what, for many, is the most beautiful and exciting of card games. Sites such as 888poker offer free sign-up bonuses or promotions to participate in certain events, which are popular with online poker players.
The most exclusive poker tour in the USA
In a short time Molly Bloom became the best known host of the underground poker scene. From a simple girl from a small town in Colorado she becomes the queen of high stakes. Its events are attended by wealthy personalities, politicians, well-known sports faces and some of the most famous Hollywood actors. It is no secret that celebrities such as Leonardo di Caprio, Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, Matt Demon, Macaulay Culkin, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen (and many names remain still hidden).
Things start to go bad when events start to multiply (from Los Angeles to New York) and the woman has to request a rake, the sort of commission that poker rooms require from players who want to sit at the tables. Many players, in fact, ended up not paying their debts, forcing it to write out exorbitant checks that were not repaid.
Trouble with justice
Pocketing a percentage of the pot, the former skier Molly Bloom however commits a crime punishable by federal law. The final KO came in 2013, when the woman was arrested by 17 FBI agents who broke into her home at night and put her under arrest. To reveal the round of illegal games was a man who frequented illegal gambling dens, who had managed to set up a sort of Ponzi scheme that had earned him 5 million dollars.
Unable to pay off the debt he had contracted with the other players in which he had essentially stolen the money, the man decides to involve the FBI and uncover Molly's club.
Conclusions
As we read in the autobiographical book Molly's Game, from which the homonymous film directed by aaron Sorkin and starring Jessica Chastain was taken, Molly Bloom declares that she has repented and that she is a completely different woman than an unconscious arrival. it has been painted by many. After serving a relatively light sentence - a year of probation, 200 hours of public service, a $ 1,000 fine and $ 125,000 in illicit earnings to be returned to the feds - the former high-stakes poker queen is now free to start a new life.
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