The Stu Ungar Story – A One of a Kind Highroller!

Back in the ’70s and ’80s, it wasn’t uncommon to see a small, fragile man across Las Vegas casinos dominating some of the best poker players in the world. His aggressive style and ability to spot bluffs were unmatched at the time, giving him the fame of a feared and admired poker player. The numerous poker accomplishments and tons of money earned in tournaments and casinos are just one side of the Stu Ungar story. Unfortunately, there’s a darker side of his life which played a huge role in his demise as an all-time great. Stay with us until the end, as his life story is unparalleled among poker players!

Stu Ungar’s Early Days – A Gin Rummy Destroyer

Stu was born back in 1952 in New York, but it wasn’t long until he was introduced to gambling. His father, Isidore, was a bookmaker and a loan shark, but still wanted a better life for ‘Stuey’ which wasn’t related to gambling. However, Stu demonstrated great analytical and counting skills, which led to him becoming an excellent gin rummy player. At just 10 years of age, he won his first gin rummy tournament and later dropped out of school to pursue a career as a gin rummy player, in order to support his mother and sister after his father died. He quickly became one of the best players in New York, which unfortunately led to lots of players being unwilling to play against him. Due to the illegal character of the organised games, Stu Ungar was fortunate enough to be mentored and protected by Victor Romano – a New York mobster, who saw great potential in Stuey. However, his life would soon change for a new illustrious career was coming.

Time For a Change – Stu Leaves New York and Gin Rummy

Being the best at what he does, Stu decided it was time to pursue a career in poker. This was mainly because gin rummy action dried for him due to his unmatched skills. He started putting himself intentionally in strong disadvantages against other players, but even that didn’t help to lure good players. One of his most famous gin rummy wins was over Harry Stein – widely regarded as the best gin rummy player of Stu’s generation. Ungar dominated Stein by beating him with a perfect score of 86-0, further narrowing his chances of playing gin rummy against worthy opposition. Apart from that, he amassed great gambling debts and quickly switched states – he moved from New York to Miami. His days in Florida were brief and he soon turned his eyes to Las Vegas where he played poker and blackjack.

Stu Ungar’s Poker Dominance and World Championships

Stu quickly obtained an excellent skillset and enrolled in the 1980 WSOP Championship. Although Ungar claimed this was his first Texas Hold’Em tournament, it was actually his second, but nonetheless, he impressed all with his impeccable performance. After he and Doyle Brunson were the top 2 finalists who battled for the title, Stu eventually won it and became the youngest world poker champion at the time. Apart from playing poker, Stu also had a successful blackjack career – he was so good at counting cards that all casinos banned him from playing blackjack!

After his win in 1980, Stu was almost banned from the 1981 WSOP Championship event due to him spitting in the face of a dealer at Benny Binion’s Horseshoe Casino. At the time, the world championship was held at The Horseshoe and Mr. Binnion was barely convinced by his son to let Stuey defend his title. This led to Ungar being successful in his title defense, as he became a two-time WSOP champion.

Drug Abuse, A Shattered Personal Life and a New Poker Reign

During his highroller poker sessions, which would last for days, Stu used cocaine for recreational purposes,in order to be energetic and awake at the table. This led to him being addicted to the drug which caused him a lot of health problems. His personal life was also going downhill since his wife Madeline filed for divorce in 1986 and Stu’s step-son, Richie, committed suicide later in 1989. All of this, combined with Ungar’s false perception that he was an invincible gambler, soon led to massive financial losses and careless gambling. However, Stu Ungar’s story proves to us that there’s always a light in the tunnel!

“The Comeback Kid” – Ungar’s Final World Title Reign

In 1997 Stu Ungar was a highroller who went broke and barely collected the $10,000 needed for the entry fee of the world championship. Furthermore, due to his continuous drug abuse, he was in very bad physical shape and was considering even dropping out of the championship. Billy Baxter and Mike Sexton helped Stuey put himself together and he eventually continued playing. Ungar’s nostrils were so damaged from the regular use of cocaine that his membrane was collapsing and he used sunglasses to cover this. However, people were still being able to see the damage on Stu Ungar’s nose. Nonetheless, Stu was able to advance in the tournament and eventually win it for the third time, tieing Johnny Moss with three world championships. Stu dedicated his victory to his daughter, whom he regularly informed on the phone about his progress in the championship.

“A Great Person But a Greater Loss” – Stu Ungar’s End

Those are the words on Ungar’s headstone who passed away on 22nd of November in 1998. It seems that his reckless ways of gambling and years of unbeatable drug abuse finally got the best out of this great poker professional. Not long after he won his third world title, Stu was once again broke and was begging people for money to play poker, which he eventually used to smoke crack. His friends offered to pay for his rehab but he refused help with the motive that it was easier to obtain drugs in the rehab center than to buy some on the streets. Eventually, he was found dead in his motel room, where he checked in two days earlier. The cause of his death was heart failure – a logical end of his life due to years of drug abuse and a reckless lifestyle.

High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story – The Legend Lives Forever

Stu’s life seemed to be inspirational for Hollywood director A.W. Vidmar, as there was a Stu Ungar movie based on his life story. ‘The Kid’ was played by Michael Imperioli, who does a good job at portraying Stu’s character and aggressive style. However, the opinions about High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story are highly polarized. While there are people who mostly like the plot and the acting, there are others, more familiar with Stu’s story who classify the movie as dreadful and disappointing. Regardless of the success of the movie, Stu Ungar is immortalised not only through his outstanding card playing skills but through a movie as well.

A Rare Personality With a Pedal To The Floor!

Whether you love Stu Ungar or not, it’s undeniable that he was one of the best ever to play Hold’Em and probably the best ever to compete at gin rummy. His aggressive style and sometimes arrogant behavior made him a force to be reconned with, although he had a fragile five-foot five-inch frame. If we give it a little bit of thought, Stu lived his life the way he wanted to and excelled at what he was best known for. In the course of his career Stuey won 30 million dollars from all types of poker play and gambling but was left with only $800 at the time of his death. Although Stu Ungar’s story didn’t end well, he will forever be regarded as one of the best poker players to ever live!