times WSOP champion Stu Unger.
Stu Unger is one of the biggest superstars to have immerged from the
professional poker world. Besides being a true poker genius and a three
time World Series of Poker champion, Stu Unger had a fascinating life
story. It was not surprising that after his death Stu was the subject of
a biography and a biopic.
Stu Unger lived the life of a rock star including the quick rise to
fame, the drugs, the comeback and the unavoidable death at an early age.
Here you can read about the life story of the legendary poker player Stu
Unger.
The Beginning
Stuart Errol Ungar was born in 1953 to a Jewish family who lived in
Manhattan on the Lower East Side. Stus father was a well known bookmaker
and his mother was too ill to fight against her sons fascination with
gambling. After the death of his father, 13 years old Stu had found a
father figure at his neighbor Victor Romano, one of the infamous
Genovese family soldiers.
Stu and Romano had at least one thing in common: they both had an
incredibly sharp memory, which was mainly used in poker and gin games.
By that time, Stu was already an accomplished gin player who had gained
vast experience in winning gin tournaments. Stu dropped out of school to
become a full time gin rummy player. The Genovese family had benefited
from Stus talent. In return, they provided him protection from other
gamblers who found themselves offended by his harsh and arrogant playing
style.
The Rise
As a professional gin player, Stu had managed to beat all the
professional gin poker players around. According to the rumors, Stu
caused Harry Yonkie Stein, one of the best players around to stop
playing gin completely after beating him in a gin match. Since he was
out of proper competition, Stu decided to focus on playing poker
professionally. In 1976, he and his girlfriend relocated to Las Vegas
where they got married and had a girl, Stephanie.
In 1980, Stu won the World Series of Poker Main Event after beating
experienced poker pros such as Doyle Bronson. Stu was the youngest WSOP
champion in history and was nicknamed The Kid. Even though Stu won the
1981 WSOP Main Event, he still considered himself more a gin and rummy
player than a poker player. After winning his first WSOP championship
title, he was quoted saying that the poker world would meet better no
limit players than him, but no one will ever be able to play gin rummy
better than he does.
At the same time, Stu had tried to use his skill to grab money at the
blackjack table. Nevertheless, the casinos were not happy with Stus
presence around the blackjack tables and he was constantly barred. In
1982, he was fined by the New Jersey Gaming Commission for cheating,
although Stu has not done anything illegal but using his natural skill
and phenomenal memory.
The Fall
In 1990, Stu made another appearance to the WSOP. This time, he was
heavily into drugs. He was a chip leader for the first three days of the
event and then disappeared. He was found lying at his hotel room,
unconscious from a drug overdose. However, it did not stop him from
finishing ninth and earning enough money for his future cocaine supply.
The Comeback
After seven years of disappearing from the professional poker circle,
Stu had returned to the WSOP. In 1997, he was broke, with damaged
nostrils from cocaine abuse, addicted to horseracing and sports
gambling, but still in shape to beat all the new contestants and gain
back his WSOP Championship title. The local media was happy to embrace
The Comeback Kid, but his success did not last long.
The Death
Stu Unger did not attend the 1998 World Series of Poker since he could
not get the money to pay the entry fee. Seven months after Scotty Nguyen
won the 1998 WSOP, Stu Ungar was found dead at his motel room in Las
Vegas with 800 dollars in his pocket. Apparently, he died of a heart
condition caused by years of drug abuse.
The Biography
Read: One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey The Kid Ungar, The
Worlds Greatest Poker Player written by Nolan Dalla, Peter Alson, Mike
Sexton.
Watch: High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story directed by A. W. Vidmer and
starring Michael Imperioli, Christopher Moltisanti of The Sopranos, as
Stu Unger
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