Tobey Maguire, famously known as one of the least favored Spider-Man actors, had a hidden talent for poker.
However, his success in the game came at a cost when it was revealed that he had won money from a Ponzi scheme.
According to a 2011 report by CNN, Maguire reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by a bankruptcy trustee who claimed that he had received $311,000 from Bradley Ruderman between 2007 and 2008.
Ruderman, who was serving time for fraudulent activities, had illegally acquired the funds.
In order to remove himself from the legal proceedings, Maguire settled the case out of court for $80,000.
It was also rumored that other Hollywood stars like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio were involved in these illicit poker games.
However, Maguire's involvement in illegal gambling went beyond the Ponzi scheme affair.
Molly Bloom, the hostess of these games, detailed Maguire's behavior in her book, “Molly's Game.”
She referred to him as “Player X,” a pseudonym that was quickly linked to Tobey Maguire by readers and the media.
Bloom revealed an incident where Maguire attempted to humiliate her by demanding that she bark like a seal in exchange for a tip of $1,000.
Speaking on Good Day New York, Bloom described the experience as demeaning but stood her ground by refusing to comply with his request.
But that's not all.
It was reported that Maguire loaned fellow player Houston Curtis $600,000 to repay a $1 million gambling debt.
However, the terms of the deal proved to be extremely challenging for Curtis.
He stated in an interview with The Observer that he agreed to pay Maguire 50% of his winnings until the debt was cleared and an additional 50% for a year after.
Curtis believed that he would eventually come out on top since he and Maguire had a track record of winning in the game they played.
Within two months, Curtis managed to repay Maguire $600,000, but he struggled to meet the rest of the agreement.
Curtis explained that on nights he won $100,000, half of it went to Maguire.
However, when he lost $100,000 on another night, he ended up with nothing while Maguire still pocketed $100,000.
Despite owing Maguire $300,000 from their arrangement and not the original loan, Curtis decided to quit playing.
He recalled Maguire telling him, “Listen, I was never going to keep all those wins anyway.”
It seemed that for Maguire, the satisfaction came from striking what he believed to be a favorable deal.
While Tobey Maguire's portrayal of Peter Parker may have been lackluster, the other cast members of the original 2002 Spider-Man film have fared better.
To see how they have aged over the years, take a look at the current appearances of the rest of the cast.
