Introduction
Molly’s Game is a 2017 biographical movie directed by Aaron Sorkin and based on the real-life Poker princess Molly Bloom, a 26-year-old woman behind the most exclusive underground Poker Game globally. Molly was arrested with 30 other players as part of a gambling and money Laundering operation and was sentenced to jail time. This is largely set in pre online casinos days, and during the Winter Olympics (very pertient to these times, as the event is currently again taking place).
The Main Story
Molly’s Game follows the story of Bloom, who becomes the target of an FBI investigation when her underground Poker empire she runs for Athletes, Hollywood celebrities, business moguls and the Russian mob is exposed.
Bloom is a world-class skier with Olympic aspirations, however, in a qualifying event for the 2002 winter Olympics, she is severely injured ending her career. Molly then decides to put her law career on hold for a year and moves to LA. This is where her exposure to the underground Poker world begins. Dean employs her as his office manager where she is exposed to the games and is soon running the show which does not sit well with Dean, leading him to fire her.
Molly moves to New York and starts her own underground poker games successfully; however, she becomes addicted to drugs as a way to cope with the increasing toll the games are taking on her. She is attacked in her home after she declines an offer from the Italian Mafia to extort money and as she is about to return to her Poker games the FBI conduct a raid on a tip-off by one of her players who is an FBI informant. All her assets are seized, and she moves back in with her mother.
The Ending
Two years later Molly publishes a book and names a few of her players leading to her arrest in illegal gambling with the Mafia. She enlists the help of Charlie Jaffey who negotiates a deal for Molly whereby she receives no sentence, and her money be returned in exchange for all her digital evidence on the gambling ring. Molly declines the deal and pleads guilty receiving only 200 hours community service, one-year probation and a $200,000 fine. The movie is generally well received, with high ratings on the Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB movie review sites.