Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, Houston Curtis
Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, Houston Curtis
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Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist
The A-List Kingpin and the Poker Ring That Brought down Tinseltown

Author: Houston Curtis, Dylan Howard

Narrator: Joe Barrett, Stefan Rudnicki

Unabridged: 5 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/26/2020

Synopsis

“Right out of the gate, the entire game was designed to empty the pockets of those rich, celeb-loving LA suckers.”—Houston CurtisLeonardo DiCaprio. Alex Rodriguez. Tobey Maguire. Affleck. Damon. Cassavetes.What do these people have in common? Not just fame and fortune; all these men are also alumni of the ultra-exclusive, high-stakes poker ring that inspired Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar-nominated film, Molly’s Game.But Houston Curtis, the card shark who cofounded the game with Tobey Maguire, knows that Sorkin’s is the whitewashed version. In Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, Curtis goes all-in, revealing the true story behind the game. From its origins with Maguire to staking DiCaprio’s first game, installing Molly Bloom, avoiding the hookers and blow down the hall, and weathering the FBI investigation that left Curtis with a lien on his house—this is the no-holds-barred account of the world’s most exclusive Texas hold ’em game from the man who started it—with all the names and salacious details that Molly’s Game left out.With the insider appeal of Rounders, more A-listers than Ocean’s 11, and the excitement of The Sting, Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist is the untold, insider’s story that makes Molly’s Game look tame.

About Houston Curtis

Houston Curtis has lived a successful double life as both a producer and card mechanic for nearly thirty years. His credits include executive producing gambling related shows such as The Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS and pioneering the poker instructional DVD genre with titles featuring poker champs Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. Barred from the Las Vegas Golden Nugget for “excessive winning” at Blackjack, Houston is one of the world’s most successful card mechanics and sleight-of-hand artists of the modern era. Curtis won the 2004 Legends of Poker championship before cofounding the elite Hollywood poker ring that inspired Aaron Sorkin’s Academy Award–nominated film Molly’s Game.

About Dylan Howard

Dylan Howard is an investigative reporter who has edited numerous magazines, including US Weekly, the National Enquirer, Star, In Touch, and Life & Style. Described by the New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin as “the king of Hollywood scoops,” Howard has uncovered gripping scandals, solved true crime cases, exposed financial crimes and even murder, bringing these egregious crimes to light through his award-winning reporting. Named Entertainment Journalist of the Year at the National Entertainment Journalist Awards, Howard is also the author of Diana: Case Solved, Aaron Hernandez’s Killing Fields, and The Last Charles Manson Tapes.

About Joe Barrett

Joe Barrett began his acting career at the age of five in the basement of his family's home in upstate New York. He has gone on to play many stage roles, both on and off-Broadway, and in regional theaters from Los Angeles, Houston, and St. Louis to Washington DC, San Francisco, and Portland, Maine. He has appeared in films and television, both prime time and late night, and in hundreds of television and radio commercials. Joe has narrated over two hundred audiobooks. He has been an Audie Award finalist eight times, and his narration of Gun Church by Reed Farrel Coleman won the 2013 Audie Award for Original Work. AudioFile magazine has granted Joe fourteen Earphones Awards, including for James Salter's All That Is and Donald Katz's Home Fires. Regarding Joe's narration of John Irving's A Prayer For Owen Meany, AudioFile said, "This moving book comes across like a concerto . . . with a soloist-Owen's voice-rising from the background of an orchestral narration." Joe is married to actor Andrea Wright, and together they have four very grown children.

About Stefan Rudnicki

Stefan Rudnicki is an avid audiobook narrator, receiving numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine. He is also a Grammy-winning audiobook producer.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Shakti on May 10, 2020

The book is exceptionally well-written, Gossip. A more detailed version of Molly's Game. Contains more particulars: names etc. and less vagueness. There's not much more of the story told in this book. Molly covered everything and Molly's story was better. As Houston breaks it down, Molly was no saint......more

Goodreads review by Armand on February 15, 2022

I never read Molly Bloom's book or saw the movie, but based on this author's account, it's not worth doing it. All lies, he shouts over and over. He attempts to correct a few 'mistakes' out there, but the real fun of this book is the back and forth between Houston and Tobey. The stories about which......more

Goodreads review by Kirk on December 17, 2020

Fun stories which is why I give it a 3. Issues I have with the story - wasn't a "billion" dollar heist. Was barely a heist - this guy wasn't an A list celeb. He was barely a celebrity - this was definitely in response to Molly Bloom's book. Tried to clear his name and Tobey's name. Didn't work. I have r......more

Goodreads review by Eldon on November 29, 2022

An interesting, and very fast read. This was a well written and engaging account of an almost surreal moment in Hollywood history. Very enjoyable!!......more

Goodreads review by Nathan on February 27, 2021

Sure, this book isn't a literary masterpiece. Houston Curtis isn't necessarily a great writer. (On different occasions in the book he uses words like "superbummed" and "superexcited.") I'm not always on his side and I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for him when he describes his hardships. But no......more

Quotes

“Dylan Howard is the rare combination of cutting-edge journalist, true crime commentator, and relentless investigator. Howard passionately brings comprehensive and groundbreaking analysis to the most compelling mysteries of our time.” Dr. Phil

“A tabloid prodigy.” Jeffrey Toobin, New York Times bestselling author, praise for Howard

“The king of Hollywood scoops.” AdWeek, praise for Howard

“Curtis and [Tobey] Maguire pulled off the most incredible hustle in the history of high stakes Hollywood poker.” Las Vegas Advisor

“Curtis led a secret double life as a highly skilled card mechanic…Maguire’s cover is blown.” National Enquirer

“An experience that very few people in the world ever get to have.” New York Observer

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