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Stu Ungar was one of the greatest players to play Poker. Tragically, we must
refer to Stu in the past tense, as he deceased in 1998. Ungar was a gifted
player and devastatingly intelligent; he rode his skills to three WSOP
victories, and won many millions in his long gambling career. His counting
ability was nothing short of legendary, and Stu Ungar won’t be soon forgotten.
Stu Ungar was born in New York in 1953, and raised in the city’s lower east
side. His talent with cards was evident at a very young age; At age 10, he won
his first Gin Rummy tournament in the Catskill mountains.
At 13, Stu suffered a tremendous blow when his father died; the elder Ungar
was a bar owner and bookmaker, and young Stu would become a professional
gambler the following year, at age 14. At 15, Ungar dropped out of school, and
entered a $500 Gin Rummy tournament. He didn’t lose a single hand and went on
to win the $10,000 pot. While this was a sign of the boy’s brilliance, it was
also foreshadowing of his fatal weakness: Ungar quickly lost his winnings at a
local horse track, an unfortunate trend that wouldn’t soon be broken.
After his success as a young man, Stu would head west to Miami where the
largest Gin games were held. His winning would continue, but unfortunately his
weakness for horse racing would drain his winnings before he had a chance to
enjoy them. In 1976, Stu scraped together the funds to enter a $50,000
tournament, which he won easily. However, by reading and announcing his
opponents losing hands, Ungar had so intimidated his rivals that few wanted to
play against him, and he struggled to find matches outside tournament play.
Stu Ungar’s next career move was to become a blackjack player- and why not?
His amazing ability to read and countdown decks was well suited to the game.
Legend has it that it was because of Stu Ungar’s ability to count cards that
single-deck shoes are no longer used in play in blackjack. The incident is
reported to have gone like this: Stu had won over $80,000 at Caeser’s Palace.
Once word got to the Casino manager, play was stopped immediately and Stu was
asked to leave; Stu’s response- he correctly counted down the remaining 18
cards in the deck, without making a single mistake.
Ungar’s picture was immediately posted in all the security rooms on the strip,
and he was banned from Casino play.
Despite being banned from blackjack at many casinos, Stu Ungar had discovered
his talent for card counting, and it wouldn’t be long before he capitalized on
it. With no money left, Stu put out an open bet- He would bet anyone willing
that he could count down the last two decks of a six deck shoe. Amazingly,
nobody took him up on this offer.
It was through this incredible offer that Stu would meet one of the few
positive influences on his life, a former casino owner named Bob Stupak.
Stupak gave Ungar 10-1 odds, but challenged him to count the last THREE decks
of a 6 deck shoe; if he succeeded, Ungar would collect $100,000, and if he
failed, he would add a $10,000 debt to Stupak to his growing tally. To the
amazement of onlookers, Ungar forecast 156 cards without a single miss.
Stu Ungar was then to shift his focus to Poker. In 1980, he entered the WSOP
for the first time, and won the title. He was 24 years old. He came back the
next year and won again. Shortly after his title win, he lost $2 million at
Craps, and was quickly broke again. His gambling and drug addictions were
slowly squeezing the life out of a very talented young man.
Despite his personal troubles, Stu Ungar wasn’t done leaving his mark on the
Poker world. In 1997, after years away from big time poker, Stu decided to
play in the WSOP again. With two hours to go before showtime, he didn’t have
the money for the buy-in, but miraculously, with an hour to go, an anonymous
sponsor put up the money for Stu to play. In a story that makes Chris
Moneymaker’s 2003 victory pale in comparison, Stu Ungar then went on to win
his 3rd World Series of Poker title, after 8 years away from big time Poker.
Tragically this was the beginning of the end for Ungar. Only weeks later, he
was yet again broke, having succumbed to his weakness for narcotics and
gambling. With his life in a downward spiral, his old friend Bob Stupak
offered to help him out. Bob would look after his debts and help him clean up
and put his life back together, but it wasn’t to be. Only 2 days after signing
an agreement with Bob, Stu Ungar was found dead in his motel room.
November 22nd, 1998 truly marked the end of an era for Poker. Stu Ungar’s
death marked the passing of one of the most purely talented card players of
all time. Of the 30 major poker tournaments Stu entered, he won 10 times. He
still holds the record for most WSOP main event victories, with three.
Stu Ungar's Profile
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