Molly’s Game is a movie based on the true story of Molly Bloom, a woman who ran some of the biggest and most exclusive private poker games in Los Angeles and New York. The movie begins with Bloom’s arrest by the FBI as she is implicated in an investigation against members of the Russian mob.
The arrest comes two years after her last game, and Bloom’s only real crime is that of charging rake during the final months of her career as a game runner. However, the government is pressing hard, believing she could help them in the RICO case they’ve built against several mobsters who were game regulars.
Over the course of the next two hours, Molly brings the full account of her career path, from her first steps into the world of high-stakes private games to going solo and hosting games for world-famous actors, rich businessmen, and some unsavory characters.
Filmed after Bloom’s memoir published a few years earlier, Molly’s Game was one of the most anticipated poker movies in a long time, and it proved worth the wait.
Core Molly’s Game Movie Details & Ratings
- Title: Molly’s Game
- Year: 2017
- Director: Aaron Sorkin
- Main cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Michael Cera, Kevin Costner
- Genre: Biography/Drama
- Duration: 140 min.
- Overall score: 8.5/10
| Criteria | Score (1-10) | Reviewer note |
| Poker Realism | 8 | Some exaggeration for dramatic effect but nothing that will make you think “no way that happened.” |
| Story & Writing | 8 | The movie is based on a true story, but it was neatly packed in the 2+ hours of screen time. |
| Acting & Characters | 9 | Chastain and Elba did an excellent job portraying their characters. |
| Poker Excitement Factor | 8 | Few more actual poker scenes wouldn’t go amiss. |
| Entertainment value | 9 | Very entertaining and enjoyable movie that will keep you attention. |
What We Loved About Molly’s Game
Molly’s Game is a quality movie, whether you’re a poker fan or not. It is a well-told story about a woman who, after life throws a few curveballs her way, decides to embark on a journey that doesn’t necessarily fit societal norms.
In doing so, she tries to maintain her integrity as much as possible, but she encounters a number of personal and general challenges.
From a poker fan’s perspective, it’s easy to see that Molly’s Game was done with some assistance from people who actually understand rules of the game and how it is played.
For example, when a game is being set up, buy-ins and blinds make sense. Players are bringing an initial buy-in of $10,000 to play $50/$100 or $50,000 to play $250/$500.
A few poker hands we see portrayed in the movie are also true to life. The most dramatic hand shown in Molly’s Game features Harlan losing with the flopped queens full of sevens to ace-king, improving to a better full house thanks to runner-runner kings on turn and river.
Sick beat for sure, but one that almost anyone who’s played some poker has experienced at one point or another.
Private Game Dynamics in Molly’s Game
Anyone who’s ever hosted private poker games, regardless of stakes, will tell you that it is a very sensitive business. You need to make sure everyone’s happy, which is nearly impossible to do in a game with winners and losers; you have to worry about cheating, collusion, and, finally, ensure everyone gets paid.
Molly’s Game does an excellent job of portraying these dynamics through her relationship with “Player X,” the man who is essential to the game. He is a famous movie star, and everyone wants to play him, so without him, there is no game.
Molly understands the situation perfectly and does what she can to accommodate him, but also realizes that, in that particular setup, she is vulnerable. This eventually causes her to move to New York and build a new game from scratch, free of this type of burden.
She is able to set up games with much higher stakes, but soon realizes that, no matter how wealthy, gamblers always find ways to play beyond their means. So, some of them are racking up debt, and Molly’s on the line for all payouts.
This is what leads to her eventual downfall, as she starts taking rake (instead of relying on tips alone) and looks for new players who have cash without properly vetting them.
Everything described and shown in the movie regarding the whole operation seems pretty spot on to anyone who’s been a part of underground games of any kind. Even people who have money are often reluctant to pay their debts and will come up with all sorts of excuses as to why.
Molly’s Game Shortcomings
There aren’t many moments in this movie that will make you stop and scratch your head, either generally speaking or in terms of poker.
Player X’s behavior seems a bit too much at some points, but if he were truly the star of the show, he could probably get away with anything. Molly can’t really get rid of him, and other players would tolerate his behavior because they want to play with him.
One moment in a movie that stands out a bit is when Bloom suddenly decides to start taking the rake. As it is described in the movie, it happens in the middle of a huge pot, and the dealer takes out 2% out of what’s supposed to be over $2,000,000.
Even in a super-high-stakes game, you’d think that players would have to be notified ahead of time that the rake would be charged. That no one bats an eye that, all of a sudden, for the first time ever, money is being taken out, seems a bit unusual.
Also, the numbers they’re throwing around (2% to 5% uncapped) seem way too big, but I can’t be certain on that point. If Bloom was really able to have over $4,000,000 in cash in her account after all expenses (plus a couple of million that was owed to her), maybe it’s true that these players have no problem with paying ultra-high rake.
Final Verdict
Molly’s Game is a fun and exciting movie that will keep your attention from start to finish despite its length. The story is good, the acting is excellent, and there are enough twists and turns in there to keep you focused.
Poker fans will appreciate the fact that this movie doesn’t go out of its way to create unbelievable scenarios at the table just for the shock value. It is an exciting but believable poker story based on real-life events.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
