The Foundry is a digital magazine from Brazen about extraordinary characters and the worlds they inhabit. Stories of ambition, power and obsession, from our team and our contributors.

Tom Goldstein wanted a seat in poker’s richest private games. His legal work opened the door. Then he recruited a team of professionals to help him beat the men on the other side of the table.

Alec Gores kept inviting Tom Goldstein back to his Beverly Hills mansion. By the end, Gores had lost $26 million. In Manila, the billionaire known as Tango had rated Goldstein a weak player. What he saw at the table made him suspect the lawyer was being coached.

The winnings were gone, the debts remained and federal agents were asking questions. Tom Goldstein needed another opponent. He found Andy Beal, a billionaire banker with a taste for the highest stakes.

Tom Goldstein throws away a winning hand in front of thousands of viewers. Then the Supreme Court lawyer takes the stand in his own tax-fraud trial.

Tom Goldstein has made his case. Now the jury returns, and the Supreme Court lawyer faces the verdict in his own tax-fraud trial.