Poker Princess Molly Bloom is writing a memoir. Molly was a well-connected lady and she ran high-stakes, exclusive poker games involving some of Hollywood’s biggest names, playboys and sports stars, including “Spider-Man” star Tobey Maguire. We know in today’s world there are tons of ways to play poker, but if you’re a big time celebrity and want to play high stakes games without the tabloids watching your every move then you go out and look for private games.

Not all of us of course live in the same world as “Spider-Man” actors. Fortunately, poker is exploding around the country. Of course we can fly out to cool places like Las Vegas or other exotic locals, but now Clevelanders can just drive downtown to play poker, just like people all over the country, who now have a casino within driving distance for the opportunity to play the awesome game of poker. Then we all have the option of playing poker online. There are so many poker games out there and people can have a blast and also refine their poker skills. Games like free-rolls are particularly good for improving poker skills.

That said, I’m sure there are plenty of fans out there who would love a crack at bluffing Spider-Man or another celebrity. The star power in the poker world has become a huge draw. The best poker pros are real celebrities in this world, and then you have real celebrities like Tobey Maguire who love to play the game. Sure, he’s now the “old” Spider-Man but he’s still a huge celebrity.

Chances are that the popularity of the game is just going to keep growing as more states add ways to play and more games become available online. Then consider the international growth as well. Throw in TV following events like the World Series of Poker and you have a game that just keeps growing in popularity.

The reviews are in for “The Amazing Spider-Man” and they are pretty good. Bullz-Eye.com’s Jason Zingale liked it, and the critic ratings on Rotten Tomatoes are solid, with excellent audience ratings.

Here’s what Jason had to say:

There has been a lot of criticism regarding Sony’s decision to reboot the Spider-Man franchise only a decade after the first film was released, and although it may seem silly to start from square one again after Sam Raimi did such a good job establishing the web-slinger’s cinematic universe, it was time for a change. As great as Raimi’s trilogy was (and for the record, I’m one of the few people who will actually admit to liking the third installment), rebooting the series has allowed director Marc Webb, who’s just as much of an inspired but risky choice as Jon Favreau was for “Iron Man,” to take Marvel’s popular superhero in an exciting new direction.

Check out the rest of his review in the link above.

This seems like a big deal.

This April, The Avengers and the X-Men—the two most popular franchises in comics history—go to war! Marvel is proud to announce AVENGERS VS X-MEN, a landmark 12-issue pop culture event bringing together the world’s greatest super heroes—Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto and more—for an unforgettable battle beginning in April 2012.

Who wins? Read the whole story linked above from Marvel and get the inside scoop.