Date of posting: January 29, 2026, 09:58h.
Updated on: January 29, 2026, 10:04h.
- Maguire claims he compensated Goldstein with $500K following a high-stakes poker controversy
- Prosecutors assert that Goldstein concealed millions in poker earnings from the IRS
- Court documents outline significant poker victories followed by major financial losses
Hollywood icon Tobey Maguire appeared in court on Wednesday to testify against Tom Goldstein, a prominent Washington attorney accused of willfully dodging millions in taxes on high-stakes poker earnings.
Maguire, a skilled poker player himself, disclosed in federal court in Greenbelt, Md., that he enlisted Goldstein’s services to reclaim over $7 million from Texas businessman Andy Beal after a series of heads-up poker matches in December 2019.
The actor mentioned he met Goldstein within poker circles and compensated him $500,000 in legal fees for the debt recovery. Prosecutors allege that Goldstein used these funds to pay off his own poker obligations.
Goldstein’s Defense
An indictment released in January 2025 indicates that from 2016 to 2021, Goldstein neglected to pay over $5.3 million in taxes. He is charged with utilizing funds from his Bethesda, Md. law firm, Goldstein & Russell, to settle his poker debts and for falsifying mortgage applications.
Goldstein refutes all allegations, asserting that his actions were not “willful” and that any discrepancies on his tax filings stemmed from innocent record-keeping errors rather than criminal activity.
Goldstein co-founded the SCOTUSblog news platform and has presented over 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also participates in high-stakes poker games, racking up both substantial wins and losses in heads-up matches globally.
Goldstein’s poker saga is a quintessential tale of rise and fall: an explosive early phase followed by a dramatic decline. According to prosecutors, he dominated high-stakes heads-up games in 2016, amassing tens of millions, including a staggering $26 million win in Beverly Hills and considerable amounts in Asia, largely supported by backers.
However, once he began funding himself, his fortunes shifted dramatically. By late 2016 and into 2017, he reportedly faced substantial losses, racking up over $16 million owed to a California businessman, along with lingering poker debts.
Celebrity Poker Revelations
Maguire is often reported to be “Player X,” the unnamed celebrity referenced by Molly Bloom, who hosted infamous high-stakes private poker games for Hollywood elites—a story that inspired the 2019 film “Molly’s Game.”
Bloom characterized “Player X” as the worst tipper, top player, and the ultimate poor loser among the celebrity poker crowd. She recounted an incident where Player X requested her to “bark like a seal wanting a fish” in return for a $1,000 chip and left in a huff when she declined.